[GNC] Accessing data on a windows share from a link app, (Brad Morrison)

Thu Feb 20 13:41:31 EST 2025

Using Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon dual-booting with Windows 11 on a 
desktop. Also using Windows 11 on a laptop with either Onedrive or USB 
stick copies of the Gnucash database.

Bookkeeper uses using Windows 10; trying to decide whether to upgrade to 
11 (her computer qualifies) or buy a new computer with it. Has seen me 
using Linux, but not sure she wants that as an only OS.

And another thought: I dual-boot, so there's no chance of accidentally 
changing the data file while it's open in both OS at the same time. 
Somebody running Linux in a VM under Windows (or vice versa), or with 
multiple computers accessing the main file in network-attached storage 
(aka a server?), does have that danger, mitigated somewhat by Gnucash 
file locking which tries to be sure only one user has write access (but 
easy to override) and any locking provided by the server OS.

Using the same or near-same version of Gnucash all over: 5.10 on Windows 
and Linux (via Flatpack in Linux - the Ubuntu repository otherwise used 
by Mint is massively out of date). Until recently the bookkeeper was 
using 5.8 (I recommended upgrade and showed her how to use winget to do 
that easily) which was no problem in terms of file compatibility.

A side question not really relevant here, though: when is 5.11 coming 
out? Winget seems to think that 5.10 (installed) is 5.1, and downloads 
and installs 5.10 *every time I run it*. Annoying and a waste of 
bandwidth. 5.11 will probably fix that.

Cheers!

Mike Brady

On 2/20/2025 8:09 AM, Brad Morrison (via 
gnucash-user-request at gnucash.org) wrote:
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2025 01:18:35 -0800
> From: Brad Morrison <bradmorrison at sonic.net>
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Accessing data on a windows share fro a link app
> Message-ID: <8fda282f456b0feb99840ac9ca39f6e6 at sonic.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Hi Mike & GNUCash users,
>
> Possibly minor point, but what version of Linux Mint are you using?
> https://www.linuxmint.com/download_all.php
>
> Does your bookkeeper use Windows or Linux to access your GNUCash data
> file?
>
> ---
> Thanks,
>
> Brad - https://www.facebook.com/brad.morrison.12327/ &
> https://nextdoor.com/profile/01mP46jj8KCzj3sP4 &
> https://norcal.social/@BradMorrison
>
> On 2025-02-19 09:10, Mike Brady wrote:
>
>> Couple more notes:
>>
>> I dual-boot Windows 11 and Linux Mint on the same machine. Windows and Linux are installed on separate physical disks (though separate partitions work the same way), and data are on other separate disks (machine has 2 SSDs and 2 HDs. Mint (Gnucash 5.10 in Flatpack) has no problem working with the Gnucash data files on the separate data disk (NTFS) out of the box. Other flavors of Linux might need something added to do that. Primary system used for Gnucash work, however, is Window. Because of dual-booting, there is no possibility of both OS's having the data file open at the same time.
>>
>> I don't regularly do it, but I can also copy my Gnucash data to Onedrive and work on if from a different machine. Onedrive simply acts as network-attached storage in that application. Gnucash does simple locking when opening the file, so there would be at least a speed bump if somebody else tried to open the file from Onedrive while I was working on it. Again, seldom used.
>>
>> My main way of sharing the Gnucash data is by sneakernetting USB sticks with the bookkeeper. Then, of course, trying to remember where the most recent copy of the data file is ... I'm prone to "Dory" moments (see "Little Mermaid"). ;-)
>>
>> Yes, more questions need to be answered...
>>
>> Mike Brady
>>
>> On 2/19/2025 7:34 AM, gnucash-user-request at gnucash.org wrote: Message: 8
>> Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:41 -0500
>> From: Michael or Penny Novack<stepbystepfarm at comcast.net>
>> To:gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>> Subject: Re: [GNC] Accessing data on a windows share fro a link app
>> Message-ID:<401c0282-19d3-4aa6-b71c-e585f07c5dcb at comcast.net>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>>
>> On 2/19/2025 3:07 AM, Geoff wrote: This is a Windows/Linux networking question, not specific to GnuCash
>> per se. Yes, and there OTHER questions you need to answer. Are these two different machines (connected by a LAN)? Is this on the same machine? If so, is this two separate partitions? Or is Linux running in a Windows partition (by one of the ways that can be done) or vice versa? Oh, one more possibility. Here my cable-wireless modem has several Ethernet and USB ports (for example, our printers connect to the modem by Ethernet*) So COULD have a data drive connected with the gnucash data not on either machine. Michael D Novack * One of those printers WOULD support direct wireless, but the if off 24+ hours I'd have to go through getting it reconnected.
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2025 01:24:11 -0800
> From: Brad Morrison <bradmorrison at sonic.net>
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Accessing data on a windows share fro a link app
> Message-ID: <9b32ec8759a2eef7acc93fc26effb754 at sonic.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Hi Griffin/GNUCash users,
>
> What Linux distro & version are you running on your Linux laptop?
> https://distrowatch.com/
>
> Are the versions of GNUCash on the Windows 10 desktop & the laptop
> running Linux the same?
>
> https://gnucash.org/download.phtml - the current version of GNUCash is
> 5.10 for all the operating systems listed
>
> ---
> Thanks,
>
> Brad - https://www.facebook.com/brad.morrison.12327/ &
> https://nextdoor.com/profile/01mP46jj8KCzj3sP4 &
> https://norcal.social/@BradMorrison
>
> On 2025-02-19 13:10, griffin wrote:
>
>> I have two different computers, my windows 10 desktop, and my Linux laptop. The desktop is connected to my network wirelessly, while the desktop is a wired connection.
>>
>> I can access the entire windows share from Linux laptop, but GNUCash will not open the GNUCash file stored on the windows share. I can select then, but GNUCash will not open them.
>>
>> I can access and use Thunderbird files on the Linux Laptop, and othe files,, but not GNUCash, which leads me to believe this is something to do with GNUCash, and any networking thing.
>>
>> The message that is presented says;
>>
>> The file/URI /run/user/1001/gvfs/smb... could not be found.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>>
>> On 2025-02-19 8:34 a.m., Michael or Penny Novack via gnucash-user wrote: On 2/19/2025 3:07 AM, Geoff wrote: This is a Windows/Linux networking question, not specific to GnuCash per se.
>> Yes, and there OTHER questions you need to answer.
>>
>> Are these two different machines (connected by a LAN)?
>>
>> Is this on the same machine? If so, is this two separate partitions? Or is Linux running in a Windows partition (by one of the ways that can be done) or vice versa?
>>
>> Oh, one more possibility. Here my cable-wireless modem has several Ethernet and USB ports (for example, our printers connect to the modem by Ethernet*) So COULD have a data drive connected with the gnucash data not on either machine.
>>
>> Michael D Novack
>>
>> * One of those printers WOULD support direct wireless, but the if off 24+ hours I'd have to go through getting it reconnected.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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