Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Linux Business Software The Almighty Buck

Mid-Range Accounting Solutions for Linux? 137

Posted by Cliff from the penguins-in-big-business dept.
markdavis asks: "For Linux to really succeed in business, it must first have support by vendors for the core financial applications: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll/HR. I am the IT Director for a long-term-care medical facility (400 employees) and found out a few weeks ago that the vendor that supplies our GL, AP, HR, and Payroll software is dropping support for Linux, in November (after using them for four years). They code in Progress and have decided to convert to a proprietary web GUI (IIS + IE6 + ActiveX) rather than use Progress + Apache + any browser. This means we either abandon Linux, or we are in the market for new accounting software modules (I bet you know which is my preferred choice). Does anyone use Linux server AND client (or web browser under Linux) software for financials in a medium or smaller/medium sized organization? If so, what do you use? Do you like it? What problems did you have in using it? What other advice can you give to someone trying to use Linux in this manner?"
All businesses require the core accounting functions, mentioned above. Most companies also require 'industry specific' software which is customized for their industry. For example, in healthcare, AR (Accounts Receivable) is VERY different from all other industries. It is 2007, so hopefully the Linux choices for at least the core, non-industry specific financial software have improved since our last search, four years ago.

have been working on an RFI/RFP (Request for Information/Proposal) and identifying as many possible vendors as possible. I have searched through hundreds of vendors so far and identified 39 possibilities, but could always use more."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Mid-Range Accounting Solutions for Linux? More

Mid-Range Accounting Solutions for Linux?

Comments Filter:

  • "For Linux to succeed..." (Score:4, Informative)

    by LDoggg_ ( 659725 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @09:54AM (#17996284) Homepage
    For Linux to really succeed in business

    Why do people so often preface Linux questions with things like that? "For Linux to really succeed in business" "For linux to succeed on the desktop".

    Linux is succeeding in many aspects. Success doesn't have to mean 90% of the market share.

    Anyway, that pet peeve aside. Take a look at compiere [compiere.org]. Only drawback that I see is that it requires a non-free database to run on top of.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by suso ( 153703 ) *
      Linux has been a success for me, and that's enough.

    • Re:"For Linux to succeed..." (Score:5, Informative)

      by numbski ( 515011 ) * <numbski&hksilver,net> on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:36AM (#17996696) Homepage Journal
      Precisely. My company does Windows -> Linux/Mac migrations. I just did a small 2-machine shop yesterday, moved both machines to Kubuntu. Client's happy, I'm happy, and he didn't pay Microsoft to upgrade to Vista. :) He needed to reload, didn't have his Windows installer discs, and well...

      The 90% market share isn't important. Get the small stuff first. Market share comes with time. I can tell you this much: anyone I've moved from Windows to mac has NOT wanted to go back. I have had an occassional user go from Linux to Mac, usually because product X needs commercial support, but is not available on Linux, but none have gone back to Windows. None.

      Linux has and is succeeding. So is FreeBSD. All of my servers, sans a couple of Mac OpenDirectory servers, run FreeBSD. I interoperate with several other ISP's around here, 2 run FreeBSD, another runs on Linux.

      Yup, it's failing. :P

      • Re:"For Linux to succeed..." (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Johnny Mnemonic ( 176043 ) <mdinsmore&gmail,com> on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @03:46PM (#18001640) Homepage Journal

        ...but none have gone back to Windows. None.

        You assume that they'd call you back to do the reverse migration. Think that's a reasonable assumption?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by numbski ( 515011 ) *
          Given that they're all still customers, I think I can reasonably assume that hasn't happened. :)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Nevyn ( 5505 ) *

        My company does Windows -> Linux/Mac migrations [...] All of my servers, sans a couple of Mac OpenDirectory servers, run FreeBSD.

        Ok, I appreciate that all of the above are mostly POSIX and code moves between them about a million times easier than anything else and windows ... but I have to ask why are you selling Linux and/or OS-X but using FreeBSD? Don't any of your customers ask the same question?

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by numbski ( 515011 ) *
          Sure, and the answer is that I use FreeBSD and MacOS X Server on servers, and Linux and OSX on workstations.

          FreeBSD is typically advanced enough as to be confusing to an end user for a Desktop system. Kubuntu Linux is the Desktop OS of choice for us on PC hardware. When we need to use Linux on a server, we use Gentoo. When putting a server at a customer site, we lobby hard for an OSX Server, if not, then it winds up being FreeBSD, but customers tend to pale when they realize that they get black screen an
    • Um.... reality check here. Linux has about 1% of the desktop market. Hardly what you'd call success. Don't get me wrong, I love Linux, and am part of the 1% of the desktop users out there, but I know of a lot of small businesses that would be quite happy switching, except that there is no decent business-level accounting software out there. Yeah, Kmymoney works fine for home use, but it ain't Quickbooks.

      I personally would be very happy to see Linux capture 20-25% of the desktop market. No, we don't need t

      • Where are you getting your numbers from?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by init100 ( 915886 )

        Um.... reality check here. Linux has about 1% of the desktop market.

        I don't think the GP meant the desktop. There are other sectors where Linux is much more prevalent. A good example is HPC, High-Performance Computing, where Linux powers 75% of the systems on the TOP500 [top500.org] list.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by mr_mischief ( 456295 )
        1% is an astounding success if your goal is 0.01%.

        Yes, it'd be nice to see more Linux on the desktop. I run two desktops at work -- one XP, one Linux. I run XP, OS X, and two Linux desktops at home. So for me personally, it's 50% of the machines I use on a regular basis.

        As for accounting specifically, that's one area that's less suited to OSS than other areas. The IRS doesn't look kindly on "well, there's a bug report filed". Your accounting needs to work 100% of the time. Accounting software could very wel

        • As for accounting specifically, that's one area that's less suited to OSS than other areas. The IRS doesn't look kindly on "well, there's a bug report filed". Your accounting needs to work 100% of the time. Accounting software could very well be Open Source, but it's a bit more liability than if the GIMP crashes. Lots of business owners won't feel comfortable with accounting software without some guarantees.

          I've had problems with commercial accounting software. In one case I had to send my database to the vendor who was able to edit the data and send it back to me (all on 3 1/2" floppy). Bugs exist in all software. That's not counting the "goofy" implimentations that I have seen in decent sized accounting systems.

        • "Your accounting needs to work 100% of the time"

          Tell it to my current client who has had more trouble with QuickBooks in the last couple months than he's had in years.

          Their last release, according to him, was a disaster. Numerous very large patches had to be applied, and he still has some problems, I think.

          Not to mention the stupid thing needs to run in ADMINISTRATOR MODE at all times - which is giving Intuit fits trying to move to Vista. Turns out QuickBooks was never certified for Windows XP, either, beca

  • Bias? (Score:1, Troll)

    by Timesprout ( 579035 )

    I bet you know which is my preferred choice
    Should the choice of this tooling not be the responsibility of the Accounting department and are you not letting your bias get in the way of selecting the best tool for the Job?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by daeg ( 828071 )
      Have you ever met accountants? They're crazy, man, do you really want them making software choices?
      • Well if he's picking tooling for the accounting dept does he periodically wander down to theatre and tell the surgeons what implements they can and cant use during surgery? Does he tell the nurses how to administer care and the drugs they can provide?
        • No, but I imagine he would have a say in the software they use. I would say his concern is more than just a personal preference concern. If the new software is not compatible with linux then it sounds like there would be a mass move to Windows which would be costly and time consuming, I'm sure.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by RESPAWN ( 153636 )
          The problem is that accounting runs the risk of picking the cheapest package out there, not necessarily the best accounting package. While one option may be cheaper in the short order, it may run you more money in the long term from unforseen costs due to inferior software support or each revision of the software requiring a hardware upgrade, etc. I'm sure that many of us in IT have run in to situations where we've been forced to make less than desireable choices due to accounting constraints. Not to men

          • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

            by OSXCPA2 ( 988302 )
            As a (former) accountant, auditor and now implementation consultant, I agree except: accounting almost *never* gets asked about functionality. The 'do-ers' in accounting know the best way a process works. The managers, who usually come from public accounting (Big 4 or regional) almost NEVER have any actual accounting experience - in terms of doing accounting. They were auditors, which requires no actual accounting ability. Hence, conversations like this, "You're net income is overstated, because you mis-sta
            • They were auditors, which requires no actual accounting ability. Hence, conversations like this, "You're net income is overstated, because you mis-stated depreciation expense for last quarter. Fix it.", "OK, how? What is the journal entry?", "I'm an auditor, not a bookkeeper... you figure it out..."

              There is no way a competent auditor can not know how to do the accounts - you can not check what you do not understand. They are telling you that they have done their job, now you do yours.

              • There is no way a competent auditor can not know how to do the accounts I'm not an accountant but my understanding is the law requires an audit, not a competent audit. If they need help making Journal entries, I'm sure the consultants can provide that help for an appropriately high fee as well.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by JoeCommodore ( 567479 )

          Well if he's picking tooling for the accounting dept does he periodically wander down to theatre and tell the surgeons what implements they can and cant use during surgery?

          Accountants are users not admins, they get trained on one thing and probably would prefer to still use it. One I know was a big fan of Peachtree and wanted to install it wherever she went even though in some situations it was inadequate for the size or not suited for th type of the business she was working for.

          But also you sould choo

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by extremescholar ( 714216 )
        As an an accountant (a CPA even) with both an MBA and a MS in CS, I agree. Accountants are rabid. Don't focus on the fact that it runs on Linux. They don't (and shouldn't) care. I don't care if it runs on two caterpillars and a walnut. Tell them about features and security, heavy on the security. Physical access to servers and logical access to the underlying data. No touchy. Show them pictures of the screens, set them in front of it. How do I do a journal entry? Can I get a trial balance? Will i

    • Re:Bias? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by numbski ( 515011 ) * <numbski&hksilver,net> on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:45AM (#17996806) Homepage Journal
      "the Job"

      The best tool for "the Job" is "the Mac". :)

      j/k

      Seriously. Let's say the perfect tool for the job is a 31.25 kg ball-pien hammer. You go to the hardware store, and they have that 31.25 kg ball-pien hammer, but in order to use it, you have to purchase a special glove with which to hold that hammer. The glove costs...$300? Per hand? If you buy the glove, it comes in a box. When you open the box, and go to put on the glove it has a slip of paper that blocks you putting your hand in the glove. It reads:

      End User License Agreement
      By putting on this glove you agree to ....blah..blah...blah....first born son....blah....pentagram....blah blah blah blahallyourbase....blah, blah blah.

      On the shelf next to that glove is a 31 kg ball-pien hammer that can be used with the glove of your choice. You know, it might not be the PERFECT choice, or the BEST tool for the job, but sometimes it's not just the tool that you have to consider, but the work environment you create by choosing that tool.
    • The job of the accounting department (like any end user) is to write the specification. "We need GL, A/P, A/R, payroll, federal and state taxes, etc.", with additional constraints as required. Must support million+ records. Must support multiple concurrent users. All of the fun domain stuff.

      And that's it. If they say "we need package XYZ", they're as off-base as a technical person saying that they must us the Simpson-Barr deprecation schedule for domestic exotic livestock.

      The tech people must consult wi

    • Should the choice of this tooling not be the responsibility of the Accounting department and are you not letting your bias get in the way of selecting the best tool for the Job?

      I am responsible for the running of our information technology, the accounting department is not. Yes, they do have a say in which vendor is selected, but it is certainly not their sole decision.

      I don't have any say in which A/C systems the facility uses. I don't decide which medications are used. I don't even pick which benef

  • Oracle (Score:3, Informative)

    by stoolpigeon ( 454276 ) * <bittercode@gmail> on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:00AM (#17996326) Homepage Journal
    Oracle offers a few packages that do all the things you mention - and will run on a variety of platforms. They have versions of at least two of their products that are tailored for small to medium business. So you could take a look at: http://www.oracle.com/applications/suites.html [oracle.com]
     
    I've never worked with any of their small business stuff -- so I can't recommend it, just pointing it out.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LDoggg_ ( 659725 )
      I just wish they would truly support a Linux client for their business apps.

      A good part of the front end is in HTML, but the other parts are written in Java and launching the apps tries to launch their own godawful JVM called Jinitiator which doesn't have a Linux version.

      There is an unsupported workaround for Linux: Spoof your browser USER-AGENT to OSX safari, and the apps will just use a Sun JVM.
  • I wonder how compatible IEs4Linux would be with your current vendor?

    http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/page/Main_Page [tatanka.com.br]

    • It's important to read the summary. 1, it requires an activeX control, which IEs4linux doesn't support. 2, that doesn't cure the IIS server requirement; I get the impression they'd have to buy a Windows server to get IIS. So that suggestion is not particularly applicable.

  • LedgerSMB (Score:5, Informative)

    by 6031769 ( 829845 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:13AM (#17996440) Homepage Journal
    I think just about everything is now covered in LedgerSMB [ledgersmb.org] or the project from which it was forked - SQL-Ledger [sql-ledger.com]. My business has been using these systems for the last four years and has found them to be stable, flexible and reliable.

    The back end runs on an Apache server with PostgreSQL underneath. The client side can be just about any browser platform (including Lynx). There are online demos where you can test most of the functionality before deploying in your own network.

    HTH.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by itwerx ( 165526 )
      I think just about everything is now covered in LedgerSMB or the project from which it was forked - SQL-Ledger. My business has been using these systems for the last four years and has found them to be stable, flexible and reliable.

      We've been using SQL-Ledger for a couple of years now and while it does a great job, it has a few minor annoying bugs that have lasted through several development cycles and the long-awaited payroll module is still nowhere to be seen. What have your experiences with LedgerSMB b

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Strolls ( 641018 )

        We've been using SQL-Ledger for a couple of years now and while it does a great job, it has a few minor annoying bugs that have lasted through several development cycles and the long-awaited payroll module is still nowhere to be seen. What have your experiences with LedgerSMB been like?

        It's kinda early days for L-SMB yet, and I don't think anyone is in a position to insightfully discuss "experiences" with L-SMB - any experiences they've had to date won't really be relevant when taken in context of the next

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Intron ( 870560 )
        It's open source. If you need a function for your business, hire someone to write it, then give it back to the project. Or are you just a leach?
        • > It's open source. If you need a function for your business, hire someone to
          > write it, then give it back to the project.

          Specifically, one of the lead developers. Several are in the business of doing just that.
    • Unfortunately, without Payroll, it isn't really in the running. We really would like to keep the core financials (AP/GL/PR) with a single vendor if possible.

      Also, as evil as it sounds, we really will need a commercial company behind the software. Even if it is open-source software, we still need to have an entity we can pay and have their attention and assistance when necessary.

      This is the fallacy that many people forget... for business-critical applications, the worth of the software is really only as go

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Strolls ( 641018 )
        You might just have a word with these guys: http://www.metatrontech.com/ [metatrontech.com]

        They're behind the Ledger-SMB fork - they've deployed SQL-Ledger widely in the past & they can do custom modules & stuff. I would think they'd be ideal for your adding the stuff you want to L-SMB, depending on the suitability of the base components to your needs.

        Stroller.

  • Maybe you're a bit small to use SAP [sap.com]? If so, there's always Sage, but I think you're stuck with a windows frontend there.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by div_2n ( 525075 )
      SAP is right now aggressively marketing to mid-sized businesses with pricing quite competitive. I know this because I've taken a few sales calls from them.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by numbski ( 515011 ) *
        How large or small are we talking? 1-2 accountants? How scalable?

        For example, we're a 4-5 person shop (given the month) and our accountant provides a web-interface for us to enter expenses and income, and that firm handles our bookkeeping, taxes, etc. The system he uses is contracted out from a developer. I don't recall the name though...point is, I know there is at least one solution.
      • Yes, SAP was on my list from the beginning. They might have Linux support on the server and client, and the modules we need. I have no idea if that is true yet, or it meets our needs, or if it is even affordible.... time will tell, but they will be sent a copy of the RFI/RFP.

        SAGE is also on the list. They have direct information on their web site claiming Linux server/client support in some of their product lines.
  • google [google.com]

    has lots of suggestions. If you are looking for midrange you can buy lots of great packages that come with support and you can even demo most of them before you buy.

    If you are looking for 100% free then nothing exists that you will want to use, I strongly suggest you pay for your accounting software.
  • The organization that I work for uses QAD - its a progress based ERP package for manufacturing, so I don't think its what you are looking for. All our users ssh via putty into the Linux server to get to the progress/4GL apps.

  • TinyERP (Score:3, Insightful)

    by dmayle ( 200765 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:46AM (#17996834) Homepage Journal

    I put my vote in for TinyERP [tinyerp.org].

    It's easy to use, there are great demo's online, and it does everything, multi-platform support, interfacing with eCommerce engines, invoicing, orders, crm, etc...

    • I put my vote in for TinyERP. It's easy to use, there are great demo's online, and it does everything, multi-platform support, interfacing with eCommerce engines, invoicing, orders, crm, etc...
      Although it looks interesting. It doesn't appear to have USA Payroll. Since the "Features" section that lists the modules is in French, I can't quite tell :)

      (In addition to Payroll, we will also need commercial-class support).

  • OpenBravo (Score:3, Informative)

    by ninevoltz ( 910404 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @10:53AM (#17996928)
    http://demo.openbravo.com/ [openbravo.com] OpenBravo is the only one I've seen that looks promising. Compiere was incredibly difficult to setup, I never actually succeeded. Try the demo link above. Don't even think about using Sage products. They are TERRIBLE! I speak from experience here. They were written using 20 year old "Business BASIC" language. They are not even truly client-server applications, they use file sharing and locking instead. Very unreliable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProvideX [wikipedia.org]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by C_Kode ( 102755 )
      Don't even think about using Sage products.

      While I have experience with Sage products and hate them just as much as you do for the same reasons and more. One thing that has become clear is they do what you need of them when they aren't screwing up for some weird reason. On the other hand, attempting to use an OSS product for such an important task can be 100 times worse. If you are just a 1 to 20 man company, you might be able to get away with it. When you are larger, (to use a cliche created for women

  • KCML (Score:1)

    by dlhm ( 739554 )
    I would go with KCML, it has been running since 1974 and is still what we use... (I hate it, I wish it were dead) Seriously it sucks.. I used viewpoint at one company it was a windows SQL App , pretty cool, but a behemoth...
  • I hate to sound so negative, but don't expect a vast range to be Free (either beer or speech). The problem of accounting is fantastically boring to most computer people, the code is 90% boiler-plate stuff and if you're going to generate tax paperwork for directly from the package it will require extensive localisation.

    Bottom line, it's the kind of thing which is very difficult to persuade people to code without paying them. And the itch-scratching crowd which starts a lot of Free projects doesn't tend to
    • Oh, I am not looking for anything free. Nothing is without some type of cost. Nothing would make me much happer than to find a commercial solution from a strong vendor with good support of the modules we need for our platform. What made you think I was looking for anything free? :)
  • I don't mean to denigrate your choice of architectural platform, but you don't indicate your level of authority/ approval of this sort of thing. I'll just sketch out how it works for very large companies and you can cut out the middle layers for your own purposes.

    Accounting, as a department, would work with IT to locate the best application for their requirements, with respect to the following: 1) fitness with current or predicted ERP solution(s) if extant, so you don't buy something that doesn't work with
    • I'm guessing that he is trying to fit something into their existing environment, which seems to be a Linux shop. Migrating a department to a different application after support is dropped for their platform seems a little more reasonable than migrating a department to a different platform than the other departments and having to support both environments or (gasp!) migrating everyone to a different OS for one app.

  • Choice is clear: dump Linux. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @11:54AM (#17997838)

    They code in Progress and have decided to convert to a proprietary web GUI (IIS + IE6 + ActiveX) rather than use Progress + Apache + any browser. This means we either abandon Linux, or we are in the market for new accounting software modules (I bet you know which is my preferred choice).


    Looks pretty black and white to me.

    A) Switch OSs. This makes the users and the company happy and saves the company thousands of dollars compared to...

    B) Switch Applications. This makes one whiny IT guy happy and will cost the company thousands of dollars in lost time and effort making the conversion and retraining.

    Looks like "dump Linux" is the smart choice here.
    • From an experience standpoint, I can almost assure you if they keep the same software, the level of quality will go downhill. I've had experience with this. The problem is, you have one type of programmer (a progress programmer normally used to a certain type of development environment) overnight told he has to become another type of programmer. There is a "catch-up" delay where you have a bunch of programmers trying to figure out new programming styles, new languages, new ways of thinking of problems. I'm
    • Switching OSes means the users and the company have to adjust to a new OS instead of a new app. Would that be your choice if it'd been a Windows app moving to Linux? Think about it -- would you rather learn a new app or a new OS?

      Also: Long-term, switching OSes means they have to pay for Vista (thousands of dollars for 400 users, unless they get a deal), and they have to keep paying the Microsoft tax for new versions. It seems very likely to me that if this establishment is around for very long, the sheer co
    • > Switch OSs. This makes the users and the company happy and saves the company
      > thousands of dollars...

      Every penny and more will get spent on retraining and license fees. And then there is the reliability of this vendor. They are screwing you over right now. How long until they do it again? Where will you be if they decide to drop the product entirely?
  • Take a look at http://www.conetic.com/ [conetic.com] -- Conetic Software's web site. Conetic developed - C/Books - a suite of nine accounting modules that are fully customizable. The extensive suite of development tools (both for windows and Linux) allow the system to modified to the businesses unique needs; they even have a Web database proxy server to allow a secure method of making the accounting data available via the internet. As for the client side -- C/Books can be accessed via a native Linux GUI client, a wind
  • I have a client which is an accounting firm in the US. They primarily use Thompson's Creative Solutions, which they use for both payroll and general ledger for a variety of clients.

    I've seen worse software - but I've also seen MUCH better. It seems to be written on an Access base, which I think is the root of most of the problems. It no longer just randomly crashes for no reason, but it still occasionally decides to corrupt a data file for no apparent reason. (To date this has been recoverable...) Ne
  • Don't overlook manual methods.

    People used to have to do their accounts before computers were invented. They managed fine. Don't assume that you have to use a computer; the simple fact is you don't. Everyone should learn to do their accounts by hand first, before they're allowed anywhere near a computer. Also, non-erasable pen and paper have one obvious advantage that you can't get with a computerised system: there is no UNDO function.
    • there is a reason that accounting was one of the first applications on computers -- because the manual methods suck.

      We aren't talking about a mom and pop shop. We are looking at a 400 person company. Manually compiling the payroll alone would be cost prohibitive.

      Not to mention since he's a health care provider, the company is required to file their A/R electronically by HIPAA.

    • have you ever dealt with a multimillion dollar balance sheet? Imagine millions of transactions a day that have to be balanced out by a calcuator. you must be joking right?

  • Fanatics again (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DerekLyons ( 302214 ) <fairwater@@@gmail...com> on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @01:39PM (#17999532) Homepage

    I am the IT Director for a long-term-care medical facility (400 employees) and found out a few weeks ago that the vendor that supplies our GL, AP, HR, and Payroll software is dropping support for Linux, in November (after using them for four years). They code in Progress and have decided to convert to a proprietary web GUI (IIS + IE6 + ActiveX) rather than use Progress + Apache + any browser. This means we either abandon Linux, or we are in the market for new accounting software modules (I bet you know which is my preferred choice).

     
    If you were actually doing your job - your preferred solution would be that which was better for your employer. Instead, what's clear, is you place your own religious beliefs ahead of any other consideration.
    • If you actually knew how to do a job, instead of whining at how useless your MSCE is -- your own preference does play a rather large role here. Is it better for your employer to have to fire you and hire a Windows admin, or have you spend months or years becoming as competent a Windows admin as you were a Linux admin? Or is it better for them to put your expertise to good use here?

      Oh, and why is it that trolls always come out with this exact argument -- it's "religious" when people choose Linux (or BSD or O

      • If you actually knew how to do a job, instead of whining at how useless your MSCE is -- your own preference does play a rather large role here.

        If I'd whined about having an MCSE, hell if I even *had* an MCSE, you'd have a point. (But then I don't even work in IT.)

        Oh, and why is it that trolls always come out with this exact argument -- it's "religious" when people choose Linux (or BSD or OSX), but it's "practical" when they choose Windows?

        Ah - now it's trollish to suggest that application

    • If you were actually doing your job - your preferred solution would be that which was better for your employer. Instead, what's clear, is you place your own religious beliefs ahead of any other consideration.

      I see, this is crystal clear to you. You have no idea what we do, what our systems are like, what our budgets are, what our users expect or need, what kind of support staff I have (or don't have), what other software we use, what our long-term goals are.... but you know it better than I do, and I hav

      • You didn't list any of those things as limiting conditions - you're *only* limiting condition was *your* personal preference. If those things matter, then a professional would list them - as they will effect the advice he's given. But you didn't list them did you?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Degrees ( 220395 )
      That was a dumb comment. For all you know, they've been burned by HIPPA violations because IE let some malware in. My point being, he knows what he wants, and you don't know jack about why that is. For you to call him a fanatic is bigoted.
      • When he states he has a 'preferred' solution, without giving any qualifications as to why - it's not 'bigoted', it's an observation of fact.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Degrees ( 220395 )
          That is like calling a police officer a fanatic for wanting to carry a pistol instead of a shotgun. He has his reasons, and although they aren't apparent to you, your labeling him a fanatic for his choice is bigoted.

          Taking the police weapon analogy a step further, his question is the same as a police officer asking which make and model of pistol to buy. Would you label him a fanatic for being shotgun-exclusionary?

          Just because you prefer shotguns doesn't mean that people who prefer pistols are fanatics.

          An

  • TinyERP - http://tinyerp.com/ [tinyerp.com] - email me for support options....

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by juhaz ( 110830 )
      email me for support options....

      Having played at customizing it a bit recently, that pretty much sums up TinyERP.

      It's got a lot of potential, but absolutely requires someone who's familiar with it, or your own guy with plenty of time to work around all the small and not-so-small issues (without documentation, unless you hand over the cash). Some of the bugs are really embarrassing and would've been caught even with minimal testing, if Tiny does any QA on it at all, it's truly appalling, and I can't help but

  • Hey, let's make extra work! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rueger ( 210566 ) on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @02:47PM (#18000688) Homepage
    You have an existing accounting system that works, and the only thing that would change is that they wish to use Windows instead of Linux as an OS?

    And you're suggesting moving the entire accounting system into a new software package just so you can keep it in Linux?

    I'm betting you haven't discussed this with your boss, or with anyone who has ever moved accounting systems between packages.

    Keep what works and don't complicate people's lives. Instead going on wild goose chases, take a couple of days and learn the basics of administering the new Vista or XP box.

    • And you're suggesting moving the entire accounting system into a new software package just so you can keep it in Linux?

      No, maybe he's suggesting changing vendors from one that screws existing, long time customers to one that doesn't. What's to prevent this vendor from changing again, forcing another expensive "upgrade" on their clients in the future? If the vendor can't sustain their current level of support, maybe they are in financial trouble themselves. What options would the customers have if the v

  • It wouldn't take much for Quicken to get Quickbooks running nicely under Wine, at least a 2003 version I have runs almost perfectly under Crossover.

    I know it doesn't help our non x86 bretheren but with just a little tweaking here and there Linux desktops could finally have a good small business accounting system.
  • This is a full featured accounting package that runs on Linux and other things. In Linux, it is character oriented. The package is designed to be customizable.

Slashdot Top Deals

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

Close