Re: p and i systems reliability

The challenge here is the UI. Actually, IIRC (and my experience is now about 8 years old) Quickbooks itself is pretty crappy as a true double entry accounting package. It has all the features but the controls are weak and the transactional details are not easily tracked. Maybe all that has been fixed. But the real strength of QBW is the UI. It is easy to use and has a pretty intuitive interface. What would be great is a solid, modular, double entry accounting core with G/L, A/P, A/R, Purchasing and a budgeting module written in RPG and then a UI layer in "whatever" (we can debate the relative merits of many UI's and frameworks). If the core accounting was open source, then the UI and other modules could be the value add for other companies.

There is a model for this in post secondary education (take a look at the Kuali project http://www.kuali.org/) There is a core set of modules that are then augmented by business partners and the colleges themselves.

As Nathan said, the real key is affordability Would we have a chance against a $200 package running on $1500 in hardware? Carefully packaged, tightly integrated and "just works" would be the criteria, along with a low entry price.

Doable? I don't know. But it would be interesting to see how close we could get.

Pete


Booth Martin wrote:

I have a small-business client (less than 100 employees, manufacturing and trucking) who has bought 3 midrange machines. The first, back in the late 70s, a second in the early 80s, and his present machine at v5r3 in 1999. He realizes he needs to at least consider making a change. He keeps talking about Quick Books and how it is NOT a replacement for his present system.
Frankly, I have heard this comment from others, too. My first thought is: "Why not? What does Quick Books NOT have?"

Actually, if we could do something as a group then perhaps development costs and time would not blow us out of the water? I have a pretty decent A/P system that I could contribute to the project.



Nathan Andelin wrote:

From: Larry Bolhuis
I certainly don't have a good replacement for quickbooks
though. What's out there for that in the same price range?

I've begun writing an IBM i based financial accounting package, and occasionally refer to quickbooks (among others) for functional requirements.

So how do we make this happen?
Anyone?

It seems that the key to being in the same price range, would be to offer the software as a Web service, where each company would have their data in a separate library. Or, for those who have an "i", offer user-based licensing keys. I have that kind of infrastructure in place.

Anyway, I too am intrigued by the idea of having a "small business suite", of applications, and "run it all on i".

Nathan.