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Ledger, a command-line accounting system

ledger-cli.org

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Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#61

Post by a3n »

cpayne wrote: post #2

(Coming from a Windows background) I often wonder what the appeal is to something like this. (Seriously!) Why would you use something like this over say a spreadsheet? Is it really much easier than opening a browser and running Google Docs???

I tried to do this with a spreadsheet years ago, for single entry check balancing. Formulas, if this, if that, it got out of control. It made me a believer of using something already existing if that suffices. I do like creating things, but not that, and not in a spreadsheet.

That said, if that works for you, then that's exactly what you should do.

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#63

Post by a3n »

izolate wrote: post #26
cpayne wrote: post #2

(Coming from a Windows background) I often wonder what the appeal is to something like this. (Seriously!) Why would you use something like this over say a spreadsheet? Is it really much easier than opening a browser and running Google Docs???

I often see this sort of comment come from Windows folk. It's very hard to justify a reason. You're either bit by the CLI bug, or you aren't. To those who don't "get" the CLI madness, I can see why you're drawn to the Windows ecosystem.

One of the best things I ever did for humanity was infect my cube-mate with the cli bug.

Bash, to Vim, to Python. It was glorious.

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#64

Post by peteretep »

maaku wrote: post #54
cpayne wrote: post #2

(Coming from a Windows background) I often wonder what the appeal is to something like this. (Seriously!) Why would you use something like this over say a spreadsheet? Is it really much easier than opening a browser and running Google Docs???

Try doing something the program doesn't support. Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools because with a little bit of elbow grease you can always do things the program creator never thought of or chose not to support.

    > Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools
Sure. Expert computer users prefer Lynx for web-browsing, expert Windows and Apple developers prefer vim and gcc, expert fiction writers prefer using emacs, and professional accountants use command-line accountancy tools...

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#65

Post by a3n »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #10
peteretep wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over a spreadsheet is an easy sell - dual-entry accounting is an absolute revelation. Over the many good GUI dual-entry accounting programs, I'm not so sure.

Well something like quickbooks its much more transparent and Ledger isn't constantly trying to upsell you some service :-) Agreed on the spreadsheet, its balance checking is really the key feature here that spreadsheets don't do. The simplicity of simple text files means you don't have to worry about your files not being readable by a future you. Which is not the case of every 'gui' dual-entry accounting system to da…

Ledger also isn't bribing Congress to keep the tax system complex enough that you need Quicken or HR Block.

I won't touch anything from Intuit.

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#66

Post by cel »

sasvari wrote: post #25

as a side note: both ledger [0] and hledger [1] support time tracking/keeping. of all the various tools I tried to use for personal stuff it has been the most convenient one for me (it helps that I also use it for accounting) and I'm using it consequently from day 1 on! you can apply the same reporting/balancing to your time keeping as you do to your accounting. [0] http://www.ledger-cli.org/3.0/doc/ledger3.html#Time…

See also t [0], a script for working with ledger timelog files.

Now for a script to generate invoices from the timelog...

[0] https://github.com/nuex/t

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#68

Post by zrail »

a3n wrote: post #62

A number of people here say use a VCS with ledger. When do you commit? After every entry? And do you have branches?

I have this particular repo set to push when I commit, so I commit when I'm done doing data entry for the session. When I push my reporting web app automatically updates it's postgresql database so I can go run reports and look at the data.

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#69

Post by zrail »

peteretep wrote: post #57
e12e wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious about this. I thought double entry book-keeping was mostly an artefact of manual/analog book-keeping. Humans are notoriously error-prone, and it's easier to avoid errors when two sets of numbers are supposed to balance out (ideally, exactly). How is double entry beneficial once all transactions are documented digitally? Could you give a somewhat concrete example? (Contrived or otherwise)?

Double-entry refers to the number of accounts related to a transaction, rather than the process of entering it twice. When you think about it, all transactions have naturally (at least) a from and a to account. In the simplest example, I move $100 from one checking account to another. This is a pain to model in a spreadsheet, where I literally create two entries, but very easy to model in an electronic dual-entry sys…

> A big use-case as well for me is the purchase of expensive refundable plane tickets - essentially, I buy personal futures in plane tickets when I see a good price. The virtual accounts that dual-entry allows means that when I buy a refundable ticket, I treat it as an asset in a virtual account until it's used. Again, this helps me track my spending and budgetting more effectively.

I would like to hear more about this. Do you have alerts set up? Does this end up saving you money? Do you get to re-schedule the flight an unlimited number of times (pushing the future out) or do you have to cancel and rebuy periodically? Can you use exercise the option early?

Re: Ledger, a command-line accounting system

#70

Post by zrail »

Havoc wrote: post #45
aidenn0 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comparing ledger to cleaning the parade ground with a toothbrush is misunderstanding the feature set. Similar to comparing it to Excel custom rolled solutions. This is a true double-entry accounting system that happens to have a CLI. It definitely does not have the feature set of a proper ERP, but it can effectively be used in place of an SME accounting package. Out of curiosity, what makes an accounting package "leg…

>not intended as an attack Don't worry. I knew I'd catch grief. I know HN is strong on CLI love and thin on actual accounting experience. ;) >This is a true double-entry accounting system that happens to have a CLI. Double entry has existed in paper format since before the dawn of time. Its not particularly revolutionary (CLI or not) in fact its bare minimum for sanity. Hence my comment that this is barely a step abo…

My philosophy on this is, if/when my business grows to the point where I can't handle the bookkeeping anymore, I'll switch to something that I can hire out. And if that means paying someone to hand-jam in a year of transactions from my ledger files, so be it, but likely I'll write some translation software to make it happen.

Until that point, I'll keep doing my books myself with ledger :)

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