Proposal for modifying gnucash to use exact quantities

Richard Wackerbarth rkw@dataplex.net
Wed, 2 Aug 2000 20:32:44 -0500


On Wed, 02 Aug 2000, Buddha Buck wrote:

> I view "$/8 USD" and "$/100 USD" to be -similar- commodities.  You can't
> add or subtract them, but comparison should be possible.  Conversion
> between them is possible without an explicit conversion ratio -- the ratio
> is implicit.  They probably don't have the same display function.

> Is there a sensible way to include that concept?

An interesting concept (comparing two values without being able to express 
their difference). Where do you see that it might be useful in financial 
transactions?


> What I'd like is to be able to specify to the conversion routine two
> commodities and a price without having to worry about conversions within
> USD or whatever.  Being able to be told that $50 2/8 USD, at $1.50
> CND/$1.00 USD, is $75 3/8 without having to specify that $1 0/8 USD = $1.00
> USD and $1 0/8 CND = $1.00CND would make dealing with exchange-rate tables
> -much- easier.

I'm not sure that I agree. I think that you DO need to specify the 1 0/8 USD 
= $1.00 USD somewhere ONCE. After that, that fact should be implicitly 
available.