[ale] Linux replacements for some M$-based junk

[James P. Kinney III]

On Thu, 2003-09-11 at 22:00, Joe Knapka wrote:
> Hi folks,

Hi Joe,

This is an area I spend a LOT of time in.
> 
> I have a friend who wants to investigate converting his business to
> open-source software. I believe I know of OSS replacements for most of
> the software they use, with two exceptions:
> 
> (1) A horrid little Access-based app, upon which they are
> very dependent, and for which no source, and little if
> any support, is available;

All that is needed from this is the data (dumped to CSV files) and
knowledge of what the app does and it can be recreated in another 
database format. 
> 
> (2) Peachtree Complete Accounting, which is a comprehensive
> business accounting package.

Ick!  All of the Windows-based accounting packages have two things in
common:
1. The rely on the most unstable platform for a critical function
2. They have absolutely no tools to migrate to a bigger platform.
(**note** Quickbooks does now include an export to CSV function)

> 
> I've never played with WINE, but it looks like this would be a good
> time to start. I suspect I'll probably be able to get the Access
> nastiness running under WINE, assuming Access runs under WINE at
> all. I'm much less sanguine about Peachtree Complete, since it's a
> large, complex app that may exercise little-known corners of the Win32
> API, and they really can't afford to lose their accounting
> data. (Which begs the question of why they're using Windows in the
> first place, the answer to which is, of course, that no one ever told
> them they didn't have to (until now)). Also, they have a subscription
> to the Peachtree service that ships them new tax tables and so forth
> on a regular basis. I suspect I may need to leave a Windows box around
> just for this purpose, unless someone can suggest an alternative.

WINE won't work reliably for Access. Crossover Office doesn't
"Officially Support" Access for some good reasons. It seems to be prone
to crashing under loading (big sorts, etc). 

There is not (yet) any accounting package for Linux that will support
payroll tax tables being provided for easy installation like th Windows
apps. The tax tables can be downloaded from the Fed and State sites and
processed with script-foo and uploaded into the database by a local
support guru until the process is automated.
> 
> Anyhoo, any comments, suggestions, or advice
> appreciated. Specifically, is there any good reason to go with one of
> the commercial WINE distros like WINEX or CrossoverOffice vs. the
> winehq release?

Look into AppGen ($$), SQL-ledger (GPL, no payroll, but web-based),
Compiere ($$ for Oracle) and Fitrix ($$). The money spent to migrate
will be well worth it as the final product is supportable with well
known and tested tools.
> 
> -- Joe Knapka
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
-- 
James P. Kinney III          \Changing the mobile computing world/
CEO & Director of Engineering \          one Linux user         /
Local Net Solutions,LLC        \           at a time.          /
770-493-8244                    \.___________________________./
http://www.localnetsolutions.com

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
<jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part