database backend (and: Privacy and passwords)

[David Reiser]

On Mar 19, 2008, at 9:36 PM, Eric Anopolsky wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I ran across the following paragraph searching for information about
> encryption support in Gnucash:
>
> "However, there are a number of developers currently working very  
> hard on
> adding the option of using a database of your choice as the backend  
> for
> GnuCash (rather than an XML file). When these efforts are completed,  
> it
> should be fairly simple to integrate any encryption and password  
> protection
> functionality provided by the database software."
>
> I hope this will remain just an option. Each MythTV user who I have
> asked has said that setting up the mandatory RDBMS to run the
> application significantly raises the level of technical skill required
> and is an irritation even for experienced users.

The default for the DB is likely to be sqlite, which is quite a bit  
less hassle than other dbms choices. There are a bunch of mac apps  
that use sqlite, they don't mention it, and I never notice it getting  
in the way.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> On the original topic, I've recently been forced to use Quickbooks.  
> (I'm
> helping out some friends and they need their QB-using accountant to be
> able to read the files I'm creating.) I've noticed that in addition to
> password (encryption?) capabilities, QB has a feature that allows the
> file to be made "read-only" after a certain date. I can only guess at
> how this is implemented, but if I were going to implement a feature  
> like
> this, I would use digital signatures to detect tampering.
>
> Do people actually use this feature?

I'm sure someone does -- it's one more way of locking down past  
records so it is harder to cook the books. It isn't quite the same  
thing as 'closing the books' but it might substitute for a closing.
>
> If so, that would indicate a need for more than just encryption. I've
> recently managed to scrape together some time to work on FOSS, and
> improving the integration of cryptography in the Linux desktop is in  
> my
> top ten list of fun projects.
>
> Please let me know if this feature would be valuable (in addition to
> encryption).

I might even find it interesting for personal accounts because it  
would keep me from entering erroneous past dates (off by a year, e.g.).
>
>
> Cheers,
> Eric
>
Dave
--
David Reiser
dbreiser at earthlink.net