{"id":247,"date":"2008-05-10T22:13:25","date_gmt":"2008-05-10T22:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garfnet.org.uk\/cms\/gnucash-serious-open-source-accounting-software\/"},"modified":"2024-12-06T03:05:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T03:05:55","slug":"gnucash-serious-open-source-accounting-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/garfnet.org.uk\/cms\/2008\/05\/10\/gnucash-serious-open-source-accounting-software\/","title":{"rendered":"GNUCash – serious open source accounting software"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nowadays, one reads a lot about open source equivalents of proprietary software. Often these are described as poor substitutes for the real thing. However, some open source apps are starting seriously to outperform their proprietary counterparts. Mozilla Firefox is a classic example of this phenomenon. GNUCash is another.  <\/strong><\/p>\n

GNUCash vs Microsoft Money<\/h2>\n

I was a Micro$oft Money version 2<\/em> user, then a Money 2001<\/em> user, first on Windows<\/em> and then on Linux<\/em> using WINE<\/em>. But the fact that later versions of M$ Money<\/em> use Micro$oft Internet Explorer<\/em> as their engine scared me. You really don’t want your accounts package connecting to the internet without your express permission, do you? Moreover, Internet Explorer<\/em> is not exactly the most secure application on the planet, is it?<\/p>\n

Whilst M$ Money<\/em> offers a lot of functionality, GNUCash<\/em> is also packed with useful features. Indeed it is is one of the few applications where its “Tip of the Day<\/em>” dialog really is worth reading.<\/p>\n

\"Tip
\nTip of the Day dialog<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Granted, GNUCash<\/em> is probably not as pretty as M$ Money<\/em>. But it is truly standards-based<\/em> and Unix-friendly. Therefore it is superior to any proprietary system IMHO, especially if you plan to keep records for a very long time.:-<\/p>\n

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