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The end of the accounting search

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Re: The end of the accounting search

#161

Post by xarope »

toddmatthews wrote: post #75
bombcar wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing that pisses off the accounting people where I work is how often everything changes. They’re one step from just using excel because it won’t change on them.

I’m a business owner and use Quickbooks online and a couple years ago they just flat out changed how they calculated taxes. When I reported the bug they just kept repeating how I could completely change my process to make it work, like they had released some new feature. But they really just broke shit, and refused to ever acknowledge it. There’s no way I was the only person reporting this. They obviously don’t care

So you are saying Quickbooks is trying to be the next SAP?

(for those who don't know/understand, the "joke" in the industry about SAP is that it's a perfect fit for you, so long as you are willing to change all your processes and workflows to fit SAP. And no, it's not really a joke)

Re: The end of the accounting search

#162

Post by andrewflnr »

greatgib wrote: post #137
andrewflnr wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it just me or is that an honest-to-goodness commercial open source support business opportunity?

Maybe there is business for developing the missing features. I would pay for that. But there is also a requirement for certifying that the data of the software can't be altered, and you are not allowed to certify yourself. This is the bad catch 21 situation. Even if it was possible to ensure that data can't be modified on your computer, something like android protected storage, I guess most people would not like that…

Oh, that's weird. I've never heard of anything like that in the US.

In theory, a pretty simple scheme of publicly posted cryptographic hashes would prove to anyone you send the data to (presumably tax authorities? Auditors?) that you haven't altered data. Maybe periodically post a running hash of the list of transactions. Even if that works in theory, I'm guessing it's hell to get it actually certified.

Re: The end of the accounting search

#163

Post by nine_k »

wrycoder wrote: post #14
PopAlongKid wrote: post #4

I am strongly considering a switch to GnuCash, but not for the reasons in TFA. >Crashes were frequent; QuickBooks users know to make backups every few minutes to avoid losing work.[...] More recently, Intuit has discontinued support for the desktop version entirely in an effort to force all users to its online, paid-by-the-month service. Both of these statements are not true, based on both my professional and persona…

QB Online works pretty well, I've used it for many years. Intuit has an obvious disrespect for their customers - some important bugs have gone unfixed for years amid continual complaints, while the newbie support people suggest they be reported to Intuit! I handle the accounting for a small non-profit. We need the ability to categorize our revenue and expense, which now requires the full QBO. At $850 / year, the cost…

It looks like there is a market for GnuCash support contracts priced at, say, $300 a year. It could offer some consultation and hand-holding in complex cases.

Re: The end of the accounting search

#165

Post by charles_f »

I really, really enjoy Beancount. I use it for personal finances, and also for the accounting of an association I'm a part of.

The combination of a simple text format (that I version), extensible CLI-based querying and reporting tools, and free software makes it absolutely perfect to me.

Re: The end of the accounting search

#166

Post by ccooffee »

csomar wrote: post #158
ThinkBeat wrote: post #116

My aunt was an accountant (rip). She had one of those "not calculators" with a built-in printer. Not sure what they are properly called. Her "not calculator" was old, stained with cigarette smoke and coffee and she did not wish for a new one. I got paid a bit a few times to clean it up inside and out. The thing was a tank. (If it still exists, it should still work with a bit of care and attention.) She used some form…

Counter-intuitively, making terminal software is harder because you have to think hard about the UX. You have to design how the accountant (or the user) is going to use, you have to make shortcuts, you have to think about the progression, etc... This is not the case for what's happening on GUI-land where the "designers" just randomly put texts, buttons, buttons that look like text, input boxes, tables, etc... It's al…

This makes intuitive sense, but isn't an idea I'd thought of before. Are there any resources you'd point to as an intro to terminal/CLI/etc UX (especially any that contrast against GUI instincts)?

Re: The end of the accounting search

#167

Post by bradgessler »

axiomdata316 wrote: post #5

I'm a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and have been one for over 20 years and the last few years has convinced me that Intuit is determined to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by: 1) Forcing all their customers to migrate to the online version of their program. Many of the clients I've spoken to were happy with and preferred the Desktop version. The Desktop version is faster and can do more than the online version. 2)…

It's inevitable that Intuit will snuff out the desktop version of Quickbooks. The question is, what will rise up in its place? Will it be QBO or does something else have a shot?

I'm curious what the secret sauce is that Intuit/QB has provided advisors, like yourself, to stay on their platform for the past 20 years. What would it take for another accounting software company to get you, and others in your same situation, to commit to their platform for the next 20 years?

Re: The end of the accounting search

#168

Post by greggsy »

seltzered_ wrote: post #8

FYI, I recently updated scripts and documentation for migrating from QuickBooks to GNUCash : https://github.com/erikmack/qb-escape Would love if someone tried to package it into a standalone migration tool, so non-technical folks could make use of it!

I would love to see one for Xero. The MYOB crowd might also appreciate it.

Re: The end of the accounting search

#169

Post by eviks »

ThinkBeat wrote: post #116

My aunt was an accountant (rip). She had one of those "not calculators" with a built-in printer. Not sure what they are properly called. Her "not calculator" was old, stained with cigarette smoke and coffee and she did not wish for a new one. I got paid a bit a few times to clean it up inside and out. The thing was a tank. (If it still exists, it should still work with a bit of care and attention.) She used some form…

> I dont think any "windows/osx/linux/" screen UI accounting system would be as fast to use

Doesn't make sense for such a general assertion, you can fully replicate the keybinds of any terminal system and make all the "screen UI" strictly additive to the keyboard experience

Re: The end of the accounting search

#170

Post by bradgessler »

cameldrv wrote: post #61
axiomdata316 wrote: post #5

I'm a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and have been one for over 20 years and the last few years has convinced me that Intuit is determined to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by: 1) Forcing all their customers to migrate to the online version of their program. Many of the clients I've spoken to were happy with and preferred the Desktop version. The Desktop version is faster and can do more than the online version. 2)…

It's crazy how slow it is to get anything done with Quickbooks Online. The site is slow to respond, it has very limited keyboard shortcuts, if you open it in multiple tabs to cross reference information, it's constantly logging you out of the other tab, and they discontinued the desktop electron wrapper that let you have more than one tab open. Historically, a huge strength of Intuit was the huge population of bookke…

The advertisements that are constantly trying to push you towards their payment processing and payroll services are also really terrible. There's no way to permanently turn them off.
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