Book-currency feature and cost accounting

[Alex Aycinena]

Geert,

On Tue, Oct 21, 2014 at 7:25 AM, Geert Janssens <geert.gnucash at kobaltwit.be>
wrote:

>  On Thursday 09 October 2014 14:30:28 Alex Aycinena wrote:
>
> > Developers,
>
> >
>
> > I am planning to add a feature to gnucash, primarily, but not
>
> > exclusively, related to currency accounting, and wanted to summarize
>
> > what I was thinking of. I would welcome feedback.
>
> >
>

[snip]


>  >If neither is
>
> > selected, it would work as gnucash does now without trading accounts
>
> > selected. So no one would be forced to use the new feature.
>
> >
>
> What benefit does the current situation (without trading accounts) have on
> its own compared to your new proposal ? In other words should we really
> keep the old way or can it be modeled in your new proposal as well by for
> example assuming a default currency ?
>
>
>

In my personal view, none. But I don't claim to be aware of all the ways
gnucash is used across its installed base.


> Or a related question: how hard would it be to migrate an existing
> multi-currency book without trading accounts to your proposal ?
>
>
>
> Geert
>

The way I am proposing to do it, an existing multi-currency book without
trading accounts should have no migration issues (as long as the new
feature is not turned on then back off again - in which case the 'feature
kvp' would prevent it from being read by an earlier version). It would
simply work the same way. At least that is my intention.

I think it is much safer to put the new feature out as an option, then
perhaps later, after it has been in use for some time, and adjustments made
based on real world use, revisit the question as to whether the
non-trading-accounts case should simply work this way (i.e., there would
only be two ways rather than three, as I think you are suggesting). By not
forcing users to use the new feature, we won't mess-up someone's use case
that we are not aware of.

Another question that could be raised later is whether (and how) lot
tracking might be used in an integrated way with trading accounts after it
has been in use with this new feature. It is clear in my mind how it would
generally work with a book-currency; not so much with trading accounts.

Regards,

Alex