LinuxJournal: Is it Gooey and Friendly? [Linux General Ledger]

This review raises the question of how long any software in the commercial Linux space is going to last if it doesn't come with a GUI. Everyone agrees Linux could use some serious accounting software, but how well is that software going to do when it comes in a tarball and its sole dependency seems to be ncurses?

One longstanding type of application often described as "The Thing Linux Needs" is the accounting system. Considerable variation exists in what people would like to see included in an accounting system. Most notably, they want something Gooey and Friendly, intended for personal finance, reminiscent of Intuit's Quicken or Microsoft Money; or they want something Gooey and Friendly, intended for business finance, reminiscent of Intuit's QuickBooks or PeachTree Accounting. From its advertising, you might expect the Linux General Ledger (LGL) to be a program more like the latter than the former.

I ordered it and, a few days later, had the minor surprise of finding a floppy disk in my mailbox. LGL doesn't use warm'n'fuzzy packaging tools; it's basically a tarball, readily dropped into place wherever you may want to put it.

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Related Stories:

• Linux-based NetLedger moves into CRM and Web stores(Apr 20, 2001)
• NetLedger: It's Not Just for Accounting Anymore(Nov 29, 2000)
• LinuxPR: New Accounting Programs for Linux Desktop (Jun 27, 2000)