[GNC] Cash Account

[Chris Miller]

Hi R, 

>> >> Isn't that just a bit like stating that "your brother is a person, and your
>> >> wife is a person, so what's the difference? They are all persons?" I would
>> >> suggest that there is a difference <grin>.

>> Yes. Exactly. What is it? -- not your biology ridicule, but the original
>> question I asked. Does GnuCash treat "Cash", "Bank", and "Asset" differently,
>> or are these just "shortcuts" for users that don't realize that, as far as
>> accounting is concerned, assets are assets?

> My point is that your brother and your wife are a sub-category of the higher
> class "person" (or "human").

... and Klaatu lands his ship and asks, "What is reason for the difference? They are both human.". 

"Cash", Bank" and "Asset" are all assets and I don't know why it is worthwhile to make that distinction among different "sexes" of assets, so I asked. The question is less ridiculous than your response. 

> What do you mean by "differently"? Just by having different sub-classes, they
> are treated "differently"?

If I wasn't clear, the question was, "Cash is an asset. What makes it a special kind of asset, justifying a special type of account?" The answer is, "Nothing". It is not a special type of account; it is a special case of user presentation. 

> As I noted, the column headings are different (if you are not using formal
> accounting labels) and the list of types are different -- those are
> "differences", but perhaps not quite what you're looking for.

Where did you note this? My first encounter was from Ross Reedstrom, and it is actually the answer to my question. They are treated differently to compensate for users with little or no accounting sophistication 
-- 
Chris.