Book-currency feature and cost accounting

[Wm]

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:25:55 <2234422.7n09t1OOsf at legolas.kobaltwit.lan> 
Geert Janssens <geert.gnucash at kobaltwit.be>

>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.
>>
>> Since version 2.4.0, GnuCash supports trading accounts as described in
>> 'Tutorial on multiple currency accounting' and 'Multiple currency
>> accounting in GnuCash' by P. Selinger (see
>> http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Trading_Accounts). I believe Mike
>> Alexander added this feature.
>>
>> In his tutorial, he (P. Selinger) mentions a 'reference currency
>> method' as an alternative to the use of trading accounts. This is
>> essentially the feature I wish to add.
>>
>> Today, in file->properties->Accounts tab, you can turn "trading
>> accounts" on or off. I propose to change this to a selection of three
>> alternatives: use trading accounts, specify a 'book currency', or
>> neither trading accounts nor book currency. If trading accounts is
>> selected, it would work as implemented by Mike. 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 ?

That is part of what puzzles me, why would anyone, first moment that 
they encounter anything that isn't HomeCurrency or HomeUnit *not* turn 
on Trading accounts.  Shouldn't GnuCash be doing it *for* people when 
they
   buy shares,
   invest in a pension plan and
   other ordinary life stuff or
   even exchange some Euros for a family holiday just for the joy of 
currency or a
   teenager doing something on-line in a new-currency, etc (not my idea 
of fun but it happens and should be recorded).

>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 ?

I'm wondering if the formalisation of a book-currency isn't seen by some 
as governmental rather than natural accounting.  I'm in URP flox

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

That is something that interests me too.  I am running a book (I don't 
like that term, it sounds like gambling, but I'll use it) for a relative 
as well as myself, we know how much we owe each other by common 
agreement.   I think it would be quite difficult without Trading 
accounts, coz GnuCash doesn't do bunches of currency or shares 
naturally.

-- 
Wm...