update suggestion for documentation and use of credit/debit & increase/decrease

[Richard Schilling]

I'm going through the GnuCash help files, and notice the following in 
section  2.2 of the Tutorial and Concepts guide (to which I'd like to 
suggest changes - see below):

================================================================
Accounting Terminology

Accountants use the terms debit and  credit to describe whether money is 
being transferred  to or  from an account. Money is recorded in the 
debit column, which is always the left column, when it is being 
transferred to an account. Money is recorded in the credit column, which 
is always the right column, when it is being transferred from an 
account. Money always flows from the right column of one account to the 
left column of another account.

====================================================================

Couple of things I would like to suggest changing:

The concept of "transferring money to" and "from" an account is somewhat 
vague.  "Transferring money into" a revenue account, for example, means 
increasing that account balance - an entry on the RIGHT side of the 
ledger.  It's probably less confusing to simply say that some types of 
accounts (like Assets and expenses) INCREASE when transactions are 
recorded on the left side, and other types (like equity and revenue) 
increase when transactions are recorded on the right side.

Here's what I would suggest for verbiage.  Pick your own words, but 
something along these lines would be, IMHO, clearer - especially because 
some basic accounting concepts are previously covered in the manual:

=======================================================
Accounting Terminology

One of the biggest roadblocks you'll have to overcome when learning 
accounting terminology is the use of the words debit and credit.  To the 
average person, debit indicates a reduction in the money you have - like 
a debit on their credit card or bank account.  And, likewise a credit 
indicates some type increase in the money they have, like of refund or 
income.  But, in accounting, the terms debit and credit refer strictly 
to how a transaction gets recorded in any given account.  It has nothing 
to do with "increasing and decreasing what you have", per-se.

Accountants use the terms debit and credit to describe which side of the 
account ledger a transaction is recorded.  When money is recorded on the 
left side of an account, the amount is a debit.  Whenever money is 
recorded on the right side of an account, the amount is a credit.

Money is recorded in the debit column, which is always the left column, 
when it increases an asset or expense account. Money is recorded in the 
credit column, which is always the right column, when it increases any 
equity, liability, or income account.

(notice I address all five account types discussed in section 2.1.1)

========================================================





Richard Schilling