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On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:00:05 +0100 john.hansen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > I have just read Neil Williams response to James Fidell's Gnucash problems. > I use Quicken in Windows and I believe I have for Kubuntu the following options: > > Gnucash ( Neil's comments noted) > Grisbi > Kmymoney > Moneydancer > > Which of these programmes is the most compatible with Quicken and for transfer of > QIF files? Umm, none. The problems with QIF import in GnuCash are common to other QIF import mechanisms. QIF simply isn't a good format, it is only used because there is nothing else. As I said, QIF (IMNSHO) should be regarded as little more than a backup format for only the specific program that wrote the QIF file. I'd even go so far as to say that QIF is only useful when used with precisely the same VERSION of that program - Quicken didn't handle QIF from other Quicken versions particularly well itself! The bigger the file, the worse the results. I'd forget QIF. Consider QIF as a "locked-format" and start again. It is a LOT easier than fixing the errors that QIF cannot handle. > Are there perhaps other more suitable finance programmes of which I am unaware? homebank (currently waiting in the Debian NEW queue) which is closer to Quicken et al. by not being double-entry. It's a lot smaller and faster than GnuCash because it is aimed at a different kind of user. It'll make it's way into Ubuntu in due course. It does not support QIF but it does support a particular CSV format and OFX/QFX (direct download from certain banks). That is the future - QIF should be left to rot and UK banks need to be put under considerable consumer pressure to support OFX downloads direct from the authenticated websites. My recommendation is GnuCash (which handles OFX) - starting with a new file from the start of this financial year. Maybe go back one year if you really want the historical data but be honest, how often do you need to look back beyond that? There is no point importing data "just because it is there" when the import methods are (frankly) buggy. Bad financial data is a LOT worse than no financial data. It is better to start over for several reasons: 1. Quicken makes you lazy. Your Quicken data contains accounting errors. (Quicken will force some errors even if you do your utmost to prevent them.) 2. QIF is useless 3. CSV is very difficult to get right and each CSV import uses an application-specific CSV layout. 4. It is easier to understand double-entry when you start from a fresh file in GnuCash. 5. You need to forget a lot of Quicken habits to make double-entry work. I blame Quicken - they devised QIF, they had the market leader for SOHO financial programs on Windows and they couldn't come up with a better import/export format. All the others have had to make the best of a bad job because everyone thinks QIF is the standard. It's not, it's just the most commonly requested import. Sadly, the level of demand far outstrips the capacity of the format to cope with errors. -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.data-freedom.org/ http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/ http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/
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