Offer to help: Problems with building gnucash, and importing data

[Jon Lapham]

Bob Weber wrote:
> Hello. I recently read the "call for help", and am looking to do so.
> I've been using GnuCash for several months, and am impressed with it's
> capabilities. Contrary to the "call", I do think financial sw is "sexy".
> 
> I have questions/suggestions, though I'm not sure how useful they will
> be. 
> 
> Building GnuCash:
> 
> I have tried to build 1.8.4 for my system (Redhat 9), but have always
> met a roadblock somewhere. The dependencies are a pain, but I'm able to
> get the source and rebuild most of them. However, one package (offhand,
> I don't know which one, but I can find out) fails to compile. 

All the dependencies can be met on a RH9 system without having to 
rebuild anything.  I can build GnuCash v1.8.x using only what comes on 
the RH9 CDs.

When you start compiling GnuCash, it will complain about some missing 
library.  You simply need to find the library on the RH9 install CD, and 
install it.  This includes the -devel part of the libraries too.

So, for example, gnome-print:

lapham at bilbo > rpm -qa | grep -i gnome-print
gnome-print-devel-0.37-4
gnome-print-0.37-4

(there are a bunch more, but I just want to show that you need 2 rpms 
installed for every missing library)

> The end result is, upgrading is difficult, true to tthe website's claim.
> You almost have to wait for a linux distribution that includes it. I
> think we really need to improve this somehow.

Certainly the easiest thing to do is wait for your distro.  :)  But, 
failing that, you have to compile or you can also download the (in your 
case) precompiled binary for RH9.  No, it doesn't exist for GnuCash 
1.8.4, but I will be contributing one for 1.8.5 soon.

If you are desperate for a v1.8.4 RH9 rpm, I can make one available for 
you.  Let me know if you can wait a bit or not.

> Importing data:
> 
> [snip Quicken import problems]
 >
> Maybe these issues have been fixed recently. If not, is there a way that
> some documentation might help someone get their data imported more
> accurately? Can I help? This won't benefit me (I hope to not have to do
> this again), but being able to import smoothly would remove a big
> roadblock for people moving from Windows to Linux.

Yes!  You can help!

Run (don't walk) to your nearest browser and take a look at this:

http://www.jandr.org/temp/gnucashdocs/basics_import1.html

This is really the only thing we have in the current docs on importing 
Quicken QIF files.  Send me changes!  If you work fast enough, your 
changes may even end up in v1.8.5 of the GnuCash documentation.

Oh, we also have an enemic section in the appendix on this too:
http://www.jandr.org/temp/gnucashdocs/appendixa.html


> Let me know if you believe I can be of any help.
> 


-Jon

-- 
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  Jon Lapham  <lapham at extracta.com.br>          Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
  Work: Extracta Moléculas Naturais SA     http://www.extracta.com.br/
  Web: http://www.jandr.org/
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