More OpenSource accounting: KMyMoney released their version 0.6

[Christian Stimming]

Just seen on dot.kde.org: A KDE project named KMyMoney release a new 
version of their software, http://dot.kde.org/1087562563/ (full quote 
below), but I haven't tried this myself.

It seems the team "simply" tries to implement the same things as we 
already have, but on a Qt/KDE/C++ basis. In fact, the only additional 
feature they have and we don't is a QIF export (!). They are planning to 
implement a gnucash import function (thanks to the open format), which 
they already have in CVS but not in their release.

In the dot.kde discussion one developers answers the question: "Q: How 
does KMyMoney compare to Gnucash? A: Well, to be honest, we are a bit 
behind gnucash at this point. They already support most of the features 
that we are talking about for our 0.8 release. However, from our users, 
we have heard comments such as our interface is easier to use, they like 
that you can export your accounts into qif files (you can't in gnucash), 
and that it is lighter-weight than gnucash. We want to get up to the 
level of gnucash someday, and hopefully surpass it eventually."

I think competition is surely a good thing, in OpenSource just as 
anywhere else. We should be well aware of those features the KMyMoney 
guys have solved differently, and especially where users like things 
more in their software compared to how gnucash handles that. There's 
always something to learn. On the other hand, hearing that they are 
going into the very same direction as we do (and facing the same 
difficulties) can be seen as a big affirmation into our way to handle 
these financial concepts.

Cheers,

Christian


KMyMoney 0.6 is Released

After almost a year and a half since its last release, a double-entry 
version of the KMyMoney personal finance management software for KDE is 
now available. Version 0.6 supports multiple account types, including 
credit cards, cash, savings, loans and mortgages.

An easy-to use GUI allows entering and viewing your financial data. 
Adjustable homepage can be customized and wizards guide the user through 
more complicated transactions. Transactions can be entered in an 
easy-to-use checkbook type form, or edited directly in the register. 
Recurring transactions can be scheduled and transactions can be split to 
multiple categories and accounts. All transactions can be listed for a 
given payee. We have also implemented powerful search functions to find 
transactions.

While older versions saved data in a binary data format, Version 0.6 
writes its data in a compressed XML format, which makes it easy to 
preserve and store financial data. Also, the software supports the 
import and export of QIF files, allowing users to move data to/from 
external sources. Users can customize the QIF profile, to be able to 
import files which may not be standard, without making any code changes.

Additional features being considered for future releases include 
multiple currency support, investment account support, financial report 
generation, OFX support, online stock quote updates, HBCI, and a GnuCash 
import function. Please feel free to see more details on the project 
web-site. Some of these functions are already available in our current 
CVS repository.