Accounting Mechanics

Two or three weeks have passed since my review of TurboCASH, so here’s a brief update on where I am with reviewing other open source accounting systems.

I’ve downloaded, installed and generally messed around with three or four other accounting systems and am working up to the next review - which will probably be of SQL-Ledger.

The others I’ve installed and scouted are:

1. Compiere - which makes some intriguing promises through having a non-standard design. This is a fairly substantial ERP and CRM application targeted at small or medium businesses and so will take me a while to assimilate. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to trying this one.
2. VT Transaction+ - not open-source but a low price and a real alternative to the likes of Quickbooks. I installed the “plus” version which is in beta testing/ongoing development and loved the directness, simplicity and usability features. VT Transaction has an unusual spin on the meaning of “ledger” which might take a little getting used to and I’m not sure that my data import/export desires will be met. Anyhow, as it’s not open source I’ll leave a possible review ’til later.
3. TASBooks 1. I installed a trial version of this in a moment of weakness (I had been losing the battle that often accompanies installation of open-source software). Again, this is a low cost commercial product but, unlike VT, follows the common pattern of equating low cost with noddy users. It has those trite graphical workflow things, which I suppose are fine in Toyland but the real world is much more complicated. Nonetheless, if you find you can work happily within the straight-jacket workflows then the actual functionality seemed fine on initial viewing. Again, I won’t review just yet because it’s not open-source. In fact, I probably won’t ever review since the trial version lasts for only 15 days.
4. SQL-Ledger. Back to the real open-source stuff. SQL-Ledger has a sturdy composition in the company of most of the others mentioned, using a proper database at the back and being a full multi-user web application. On the face of it, SQL-Ledger looks reasonably competent so I’ll do some more work here and report back.

Jason Holden has suggested I look at Interprise, which I’m willing to do but haven’t found a download link. It looks like I actually need to ask for it.

In case anyone else wants to look at Compiere or SQL-Ledger, the installation of database systems and other dependencies along with the actual programs can be alot of work. To save a day or two of frustration I downloaded virtual appliance images, which can be played in the free VMWare Player or VMWare Server applications:- a godsend.