Thanks GNUCash

[Erik Evenson]

GNUCash Developers,

Thanks.

For some time now I have been a reasonably happy Quicken 2002 user.  The program was adequate and served my needs.  Then Intuit pulled the plug on downloading stock quotes in an effort to strong arm me into buying a new version.  Perfectly within their rights, but it tweaked me nonetheless.  Providing stock quotes doesn't cost them a dime.  So I trashed Quicken, the last application keeping me from using Linux full time.  I apt-get'ed GNUCash on my next Debian boot.

GNUCash is good and the price is right.  Without it, I'd have to buy Quicken 2005, which is loaded with ad-ware, perpetuates my need for proprietary software, and eventually will "sunset" itself.

What I like about GNUCash:

- It doesn't coddle me.  Strict double-entry accounting is appreciated by this MBA.  Keeps me from making mistakes.  There's a reason double-entry accounting has been used ever since those monks back in the 1300's invented it.

- It's interface is simple and direct -- appreciated by this Engineer.

- It will always be there -- GNUCash has no "sunset."  Quicken's biggest problem was that they completed the necessary features in the code years ago.  There was just nothing left to add and therefore upgrade to.

What I don't like about GNUCash:

- I would never recommend this program to "normal" users.  First of all, they have to use Linux, which is not quite ready for the consumer desktop.  That, and neither is GNUCash's UI.  Don't get me wrong -- I love it.  But there needs to be (maybe) a fork that targets the consumer.

- Flipside of the previous: it doesn't have a command line interface.  Gosh that would be nice when I'm ssh-ing into my Debian server box.

- It doesn't run on Cygwin.  I know there is a good reason, but I don't know what it is.  If it did run on Cygwin, I could use GNUCash on my laptop, which is hopelessly locked into an MS OS.

- A calendar display of balances like Quicken 2002 had.  Gosh, this was key to me managing my personal checking account.  I miss it.

Nevertheless, a big thank-you.  If I knew who you were, I'd buy you a beer.  I have great hopes for GNUCash's future.