Giving up on Gnucash

[Bryan Phinney]

On Friday 22 April 2005 13:16, Rod Engelsman wrote:

> "Petulant child". That's nice. So if you try a program and it doesn't
> fill your needs, then you should just shut up and like it anyway?
>
> I tried it. I gave it an honest run -- three months -- to eliminate the
> unfamiliarity factor, and have concluded that it's not for me.

My take was, "would you care for a little cheese with your whine?"

What I don't get is why anyone feels the need to publicly announce that they 
are abandoning a software application.  When I eat in a restaurant and find 
the food not to my taste, I don't stand up on a table, discuss my perception 
of the shortcomings and announce that I won't return.  I have never seen 
anyone else do that either.  If I did, I would probably question their grasp 
on reality.

Exactly what do you hope to gain by doing so?  First off, if you are 
abandoning the application, whatever you point out as to its shortcomings can 
simply be ignored, after all, others may not agree with you and you certainly 
won't be around to trumpet someone actually addressing the issues you 
present.  If your goal was to ask one of the developers to address your 
issues, you could simply have posted a list of requests, asked if they might 
be considered and waited for a reply.  If you really want to drop the 
application, then you shouldn't care what the developers do, you will be back 
with MS Money, or whatever anyway.

Instead, like some overly dramatic drama queen, you come onto an advocacy/help 
list for an application and publicly announce that you are abandoning the 
project and going back to a commercial, proprietary application.  And you 
expected what kind of reaction?  Should we wail and gnash our teeth?  Does 
this mean the end of Gnucash? After all, without Rod, it can't possibly 
survive.  

I don't remember anyone specifically asking me to use Gnucash, perhaps I 
missed the engraved invitation that you received from the developers.  And 
that means, perhaps, that peons like me don't matter and my use and absolute 
appreciation of Gnucash, including double-entry accounting which I absolutely 
LOVE and wouldn't want any other way, doesn't count for much in the face of 
Rod's abandonment.  However, if the gracious and talented developers like 
Derek continue to produce Gnucash, rest assured that a few peons like me will 
still be here waiting for the improvements.  And I swear now that if I ever 
feel something lacking in Gnucash, even if for some reason, I decide that I 
want to use something different, I won't make some melodramatic announcement 
of my departure to the list.  

At any rate, announcing that you no longer wish to use a product automatically 
disqualifies anything that you point out as being simply sour grapes or 
pointless trolling.  Pointless as in, who the happy hunting grounds really 
cares what package you use for your personal finance?  Besides yourself and 
perhaps your accountant.  If you aren't on the team, I don't care what 
features or problems you have with your personal finance app.

> Frankly, I grow weary of the open-source attitude that you can't
> complain or criticize. In the end it doesn't matter much how little
> something costs or whether it's being produced in someone's spare time.
> If it's broken and doesn't do what you want, it's still useless. Well...
> I wouldn't call Gnucash useless, but it is certainly less useful than
> other products I've tried. Literally, if a useful function is missing or
> doesn't work right, then it is by definition, less useful. If it's
> wholly inadequate to the task, then it's useless.

Well, speaking of attitudes, you appear to suffer from a common one yourself.  
You gleefully point out that you don't have time to wait or actually 
contribute, rather, either something works the way you want it to or you are 
off to another package.  I bet if Derek had a nickel for every time someone 
has taken that type of attitude, he would rival Bill Gates in wealth.   

Course, thanks you your little announcement, we now know that you are back off 
to the world of commercial, proprietary software.  And, given the attitude 
that this announcement displays, let me be the first to say, Godspeed, sir.  
-- 
Bryan Phinney