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Friday, July 25. 2008
Bring on the presents : It's SysAdmin Appreciation Day!
I'm eagerly awaiting large amounts of presents for all those demanding users out there that think sleep is a value-added extra for Sysadmins, or that weekends/public holidays/holidays in general are something that don't apply to us.
Today is System Administration Appreciation Day.
So before you ring me up today to fix your urgent problem, ensure to have that present sent over first.
Any calls raised without the appropriate attached gift will be ignored today.
Geek presents earn additional bonus points. Caffeine and chocolate substances are also welcome.
Today is System Administration Appreciation Day.
So before you ring me up today to fix your urgent problem, ensure to have that present sent over first.
Any calls raised without the appropriate attached gift will be ignored today.
Geek presents earn additional bonus points. Caffeine and chocolate substances are also welcome.
Wednesday, July 9. 2008
Time for an Australian OSS based Accounting & Payroll program
Ask any small business owner in Australia what drives them craziest running their business.
More often then not the answer will be their accounting software.
Why? It's not because they are unable to understand the principles of double-entry accounting or even the tax system imposed on them.
No, its the lack of a decent, flexible and affordable solution.
The two most popular business accounting packages for the SME is either MYOB and QuickBooks. Both have huge hurdles, and it's not uncommon for users to find that they spend more time attempting to work the software than the software working for them.
I have previously blogged about the issue when talking about how Linux is difficult for many Aussie SMEs to take up. (Mainly due to their critical accounting software only available under Windows, though it is possible to run them under WINE if required). Though getting these Windows programs running under Linux doesn't actually solve the problem, it just migrates it. You are still stuck attempting to drive these frustrating accounting packages.
The Australian market is crying out for an alternative! It's something I've pondered over for some time.
An OSS based accounting and payroll system that put the source code directly in the hands of the users would be appealing to many.
I like the idea of a browser-based accounting system. It means end-users aren't restricted to one operating system platform, and in theory it doesn't need to be restricted to just a computer. (3G Accounting anyone?).
Accounting isn't fun, in fact it's dead-pan boring. It is however a required evil if you wish to be paid and be compliant with the taxation law. (Particularly GST, BAS reporting and PAYG).
I've looked at programs like SQL-Ledger and LedgerSMB, though both didn't 'fit right' for an Australian environment.
SYMBOL was promising. But unfortunately has been abandoned. fiveDASH, I played with for several hours, though I found it quite primitive and in it's infancy... it's one that at least has some promise, but it will need to progress quite some way to make it in any real production system for a business.
As such, I've decided to look at writing my own. This is purely selfish, as I would like to ditch MYOB come the 2009-2010 financial year. That gives me just under a year to get something up and running. I'll run a dummy book up til the time, by running MYOB in parallel to ensure all is working as required. The ATO also has some excellent test suites/scenarios to assist in testing an application.
The big choice now is from what components should I build it?
I think PostgreSQL is probably the most solid OSS database to use, though writing something that can also talk to MySQL (due to it's popularity) is probably also wise. End-users can then elect to run whichever they feel most comfortable for their backend.
I considered many languages, but I'm leaning towards PHP for a few reasons:
I'm interested to hear people's feedback with their thoughts. Do you think a PHP application (backended by your choice of MySQL or PostgreSQL) for your business accounts is feasible? (Obviously if 'approved' by the ATO as compliant).
Do SMB owners prefer the option of paid software with support packs? (like offered by MYOB and Quicken) they can fall back on? Would you not trust your business books to an OSS based accounting package? What other hurdles do you envisage if you used OSS accounting software?
More often then not the answer will be their accounting software.
Why? It's not because they are unable to understand the principles of double-entry accounting or even the tax system imposed on them.
No, its the lack of a decent, flexible and affordable solution.
The two most popular business accounting packages for the SME is either MYOB and QuickBooks. Both have huge hurdles, and it's not uncommon for users to find that they spend more time attempting to work the software than the software working for them.
I have previously blogged about the issue when talking about how Linux is difficult for many Aussie SMEs to take up. (Mainly due to their critical accounting software only available under Windows, though it is possible to run them under WINE if required). Though getting these Windows programs running under Linux doesn't actually solve the problem, it just migrates it. You are still stuck attempting to drive these frustrating accounting packages.
The Australian market is crying out for an alternative! It's something I've pondered over for some time.
An OSS based accounting and payroll system that put the source code directly in the hands of the users would be appealing to many.
I like the idea of a browser-based accounting system. It means end-users aren't restricted to one operating system platform, and in theory it doesn't need to be restricted to just a computer. (3G Accounting anyone?).
Accounting isn't fun, in fact it's dead-pan boring.
It is however a required evil if you wish to be paid and be compliant with the taxation law. (Particularly GST, BAS reporting and PAYG).I've looked at programs like SQL-Ledger and LedgerSMB, though both didn't 'fit right' for an Australian environment.
SYMBOL was promising. But unfortunately has been abandoned.
fiveDASH, I played with for several hours, though I found it quite primitive and in it's infancy... it's one that at least has some promise, but it will need to progress quite some way to make it in any real production system for a business.As such, I've decided to look at writing my own. This is purely selfish, as I would like to ditch MYOB come the 2009-2010 financial year. That gives me just under a year to get something up and running.
I'll run a dummy book up til the time, by running MYOB in parallel to ensure all is working as required. The ATO also has some excellent test suites/scenarios to assist in testing an application.The big choice now is from what components should I build it?
I think PostgreSQL is probably the most solid OSS database to use, though writing something that can also talk to MySQL (due to it's popularity) is probably also wise. End-users can then elect to run whichever they feel most comfortable for their backend.
I considered many languages, but I'm leaning towards PHP for a few reasons:
- Most SMB that have a Linux server for File and Print serving also have a LAMP environment already setup.
- Writing the system using say the Zend Framework ensures a lot of the ground work is already done. Working within their coding standards also ensures the code is reasonably clean and readable (and thus maintainable).
- Python was also considered, but it's more likely a SMB has a Apache/PHP environment over an Apache/Python setup
- I already have quite a number of generic PHP libraries that will mean I can get moving much faster. My Python libraries are no-where as extensive.
- A Java-based web app would be an overkill and likely to confuse many small business owners. (ie: Install a Java Application Server, etc.)
- SugarCRM is already popular in many SMBs. It would be quite easy to have an Accounting + Payroll package integrate into SugarCRM. Sugar is written in PHP, so it would make the job much easier if they both spoke the same language.
I'm interested to hear people's feedback with their thoughts. Do you think a PHP application (backended by your choice of MySQL or PostgreSQL) for your business accounts is feasible? (Obviously if 'approved' by the ATO as compliant).
Do SMB owners prefer the option of paid software with support packs? (like offered by MYOB and Quicken) they can fall back on? Would you not trust your business books to an OSS based accounting package? What other hurdles do you envisage if you used OSS accounting software?
Sunday, July 6. 2008
Microblogging and Planets
I recently posted a subtle article in relation to microblogging. It may have been a little too subtle for many.
It seems a few other Linux Australia Planet readers also feel the same way about microbloggings from sites like twitter, delicio.us and the like.
I like reading the posts of what others are upto in the Linux community, even when not directly related to Linux per say. (it's a great way to discover new gadgets, general thoughts/opinions, and general useful information). We truly are a diverse community!
I find that microbloggings offer no substance of value to anyone but the author. That said, they are best left not syndicated. It appears that both Tim Connors and Andrew Pollock share my view.
Mary Gardiner has an interesting spin on the concept particularly when it comes to syndicating in a blog, actually her idea does have merits.
It's good to see that Michael Still has recognised it is an issue for people and provided a non-microblogged version of his feed. Though that didn't come without a retort.
Let's hope that PLA picks up this version... others that want the microblogged version can still then get it directly from him.
People that know me realise I'm not overly fond of the so called 'social' websites. Why?
Not because I'm anti-social (I'm far from it). I personally however find my time on the web is used more as a tool for research and my personal enjoyment. You won't find me Linked In, Facebooked, Twittered or MySpaced. I don't even have a delicio.us account (I have used a system very similar to delicious on our internal LAN for years prior to delicio.us so I have no need). I also don't feel the need for web-based group hug sessions which these so called 'social' websites appear to be all about. I'm also not in it for the popularity contest.
If someone wants to contact me, there are plenty of avenues available to do so. (I sit multiple IM and IRC networks and find these much more personal anyway) I keep in contact regularly with those that matter and really aren't that interested in chatting aimlessly to someone three-friends removed.
Personally, I feel microblogging has it's place. However it's best confined to the bounds it was created for (on twitter, facebook, etc). Microblogging needs context to make sense to the outside reader, and as such doesn't make sense to have it syndicated to planets. If I feel the need to pick up such microbloggings I can go directly to those sites.
Sure I can skip or filter it, but should I really need to?
The mobile connectivity we're starting to see now 3G is starting to become more widespread, will ensure microblogging will become more popular. I still see it in it's infancy and not too advanced. I suspect that future microblogging generations will allow people to use it to automate tasks (microblogging -> Home automation anyone?!). I suspect a microblog to a bank may in future also give me my account balance and other useful things (Microblogging -> street directions returned, etc). However, we're not there yet.
All in all, if you are happy with microblogging, more power to you. Ditto goes for social websites. For me, it doesn't meet my needs and something I choose to exclude myself from. I don't feel I'm missing out, in fact I feel empowered not being caught up in the hype that surrounds them all. I also find I can better use my time.
Anyway that's my $0.05 on the topic.
</rant>
It seems a few other Linux Australia Planet readers also feel the same way about microbloggings from sites like twitter, delicio.us and the like.
I like reading the posts of what others are upto in the Linux community, even when not directly related to Linux per say. (it's a great way to discover new gadgets, general thoughts/opinions, and general useful information). We truly are a diverse community!
I find that microbloggings offer no substance of value to anyone but the author. That said, they are best left not syndicated. It appears that both Tim Connors and Andrew Pollock share my view.
Mary Gardiner has an interesting spin on the concept particularly when it comes to syndicating in a blog, actually her idea does have merits.
It's good to see that Michael Still has recognised it is an issue for people and provided a non-microblogged version of his feed. Though that didn't come without a retort.
Let's hope that PLA picks up this version... others that want the microblogged version can still then get it directly from him.
People that know me realise I'm not overly fond of the so called 'social' websites. Why?
Not because I'm anti-social (I'm far from it). I personally however find my time on the web is used more as a tool for research and my personal enjoyment. You won't find me Linked In, Facebooked, Twittered or MySpaced. I don't even have a delicio.us account (I have used a system very similar to delicious on our internal LAN for years prior to delicio.us so I have no need). I also don't feel the need for web-based group hug sessions which these so called 'social' websites appear to be all about. I'm also not in it for the popularity contest.
If someone wants to contact me, there are plenty of avenues available to do so. (I sit multiple IM and IRC networks and find these much more personal anyway) I keep in contact regularly with those that matter and really aren't that interested in chatting aimlessly to someone three-friends removed.
Personally, I feel microblogging has it's place. However it's best confined to the bounds it was created for (on twitter, facebook, etc). Microblogging needs context to make sense to the outside reader, and as such doesn't make sense to have it syndicated to planets. If I feel the need to pick up such microbloggings I can go directly to those sites.
Sure I can skip or filter it, but should I really need to?
The mobile connectivity we're starting to see now 3G is starting to become more widespread, will ensure microblogging will become more popular. I still see it in it's infancy and not too advanced. I suspect that future microblogging generations will allow people to use it to automate tasks (microblogging -> Home automation anyone?!). I suspect a microblog to a bank may in future also give me my account balance and other useful things (Microblogging -> street directions returned, etc). However, we're not there yet.
All in all, if you are happy with microblogging, more power to you. Ditto goes for social websites. For me, it doesn't meet my needs and something I choose to exclude myself from. I don't feel I'm missing out, in fact I feel empowered not being caught up in the hype that surrounds them all. I also find I can better use my time.
Anyway that's my $0.05 on the topic.
</rant>
Monday, June 23. 2008
Firefox 3 - What The?!
It seems various people are getting certificates for helping the Mozilla team set a new world record for the number of downloads in a day.It's always interesting to see some of the organisations that made it possible!
Tip: Click on the image to see a larger version.
Tuesday, June 17. 2008
Firefox 3 - Come break a world record!
At 3:00am AEST on Wednesday 18th of June will herald the release of Firefox 3.It's a big jump ahead from the heady days of Firefox 1 and Firefox 2 days.
This version includes over 15,000 enhancements from the 2.x series. It's faster, funkier and doesn't eat anywhere near the memory Firefox 2 did!The guys over at SpreadFirefox are attempting to set a world record, with the most downloads in a given 24 hour period. You too can be part of it!
I'm currently running one of the Release Candidates, and I've found it brilliant, all my favourite add-ons are now working flawlessly in it.
So help spread the world, Australia has around 30% of it's Internet users using Firefox these days. So people do understand and utilise the crazy fox based browser.
Moving more people off Internet Explorer will also ensure that Australian websites that wish to remain 'visible' will also start writing websites that are browser agnostic and follow the W3C standards (something IE only websites break heavily).
Microsoft claim that they are going to be moving fully to standards compliance with IE8, but don't hold your breath. We've been hearing that for years. As long as nasty ActiveX still hangs around like a bad fart in a crowded elevator it's not going to be compliant (or safe for that matter). And yes, IE8 will ship with ActiveX.
So hop to it! Pledge to download Firefox 3 on Wednesday, and become a World Record Holder!
Saturday, June 14. 2008
Stop whining about Wine printing!
Wine is a way to run native Windows applications without Windows.
The Wine project have been able to replicate the APIs required to run quite a number of applications under their environment.
It's one way you can run your legacy Windows applications under your Linux desktop.
I daily run Wine for a number of applications for business:
Here's the blurb off their website:
This way they can keep their functionality, but move to a more secure, less restrictive (licensing) operating system and a better and more richer computing experience in my opinion.
I recently attempted to see if I could run MYOB under Wine. Currently Pauline is stuck on Windows, due to her requirement to run MYOB to do our company books. MYOB ran under Wine without a hitch.
Well... until I went to print. It went off to the dark printing gods and spat out an empty plain page -- no matter what I printed. And thus is the reason for this blog post.
If anyone does business accounting, you realise printing is a key feature. Many hectares of forests from the Amazon are destroyed each year keeping up with the legal requirement of keeping financial records. (Personally we print a lot to PDF -- but still, under Wine this was failing for us!).
Scroll through many Linux forums/help sites and you'll hear people whining and complaining about printing under Wine. It seems to have also increased with the introduction of CUPS. From what I could see people where having problems printing to a physical printer most of the time, even though their CUPS printers correctly are represented and available in Wine. (This is exactly what I was seeing -- just blank pages printed).
Unfortunately this was going to be a show-stopper. Without a way to print (paper or electronically) for MYOB the idea was dead in the water. I didn't want to run Windows XP in a virtual machine (more on that in my next post over the following days).
I decided to sit down and take a bit of a fiddle (that's a technical term!)
Really -- if CUPS-PDF didn't work, nor did my native printers attached; even a Postscript file would be sufficient (I could then feed that into ps2pdf or something similar if I really wanted it in PDF format for Emailing, or just print the Postscript file directly to the printer).
I found that within the printing application I could create a virtual printer that printed a postscript file directly to a file in Linux. Okay, that works fine under Linux... Now the big test, did it print fine with MYOB running under Wine?
I could see the printer fine (as I could with all the other CUPS printers previously). I bit my bottom lip and hit print. Low and behold... a working report!
Even better I could link the Postscript printer to the CUPS-PDF printer and it would convert it auto-magically into a PDF for me.
I since tested a range of applications under Wine and they all seem to be printing.
So if you need to print in Wine and don't want a headache, try the local Postscript virtual printer hack. It works well.
For those that want to replicate it, here is a series of pictures showing the Postscript printer properties.
And if you still don't believe.... here is some sample print jobs:
So have fun and happy printing from within Wine.
The Wine project have been able to replicate the APIs required to run quite a number of applications under their environment.
It's one way you can run your legacy Windows applications under your Linux desktop.
I daily run Wine for a number of applications for business:
- Windows Lotus Notes for my office Email/Office Databases - it's not as crappy as the native Linux one then.
- Internet Explorer 6 for those pesky websites that refuse to run without IE (many customer client websites).
- Microsoft Office for some complicated files that get garbled by OpenOffice (but that number is decreasing with every release!)
Here's the blurb off their website:
Friends, vintners, penguins, lend me your ears:I recently blogged about how hard it is for many small businesses to move off Windows. One way they can (particularly those that are on pre-Vista desktops and don't wish to go to Vista) is to utilise Wine for those legacy business Windows applications that need to run.
We come not to praise Windows, but to celebrate our increasing independence from it.
The final release candidate for Wine 1.0 will appear this Friday (13th), and barring catastrophe, Wine 1.0 itself will be released a few days later.
This way they can keep their functionality, but move to a more secure, less restrictive (licensing) operating system and a better and more richer computing experience in my opinion.
I recently attempted to see if I could run MYOB under Wine. Currently Pauline is stuck on Windows, due to her requirement to run MYOB to do our company books. MYOB ran under Wine without a hitch.
Well... until I went to print. It went off to the dark printing gods and spat out an empty plain page -- no matter what I printed. And thus is the reason for this blog post.
— – — – —
If anyone does business accounting, you realise printing is a key feature. Many hectares of forests from the Amazon are destroyed each year keeping up with the legal requirement of keeping financial records. (Personally we print a lot to PDF -- but still, under Wine this was failing for us!).
Scroll through many Linux forums/help sites and you'll hear people whining and complaining about printing under Wine. It seems to have also increased with the introduction of CUPS. From what I could see people where having problems printing to a physical printer most of the time, even though their CUPS printers correctly are represented and available in Wine. (This is exactly what I was seeing -- just blank pages printed).
Unfortunately this was going to be a show-stopper. Without a way to print (paper or electronically) for MYOB the idea was dead in the water. I didn't want to run Windows XP in a virtual machine (more on that in my next post over the following days).
I decided to sit down and take a bit of a fiddle (that's a technical term!)
MYOB running under Wine
I found that within the printing application I could create a virtual printer that printed a postscript file directly to a file in Linux. Okay, that works fine under Linux... Now the big test, did it print fine with MYOB running under Wine?
I could see the printer fine (as I could with all the other CUPS printers previously). I bit my bottom lip and hit print. Low and behold... a working report!
Even better I could link the Postscript printer to the CUPS-PDF printer and it would convert it auto-magically into a PDF for me.
I since tested a range of applications under Wine and they all seem to be printing.
So if you need to print in Wine and don't want a headache, try the local Postscript virtual printer hack. It works well.
For those that want to replicate it, here is a series of pictures showing the Postscript printer properties.
 |  |  |  |  |
And if you still don't believe.... here is some sample print jobs:
- An example MYOB Invoice printed from Wine
- An example MYOB Report printed from Wine
- The sample test print from Linux
So have fun and happy printing from within Wine.
Wednesday, June 11. 2008
Improving the Gnome terminal
I've been hearing ramblings on a few blogs about a little app called Terminator. (No it isn't Arnie hitting ya desktop), but in fact a terminal program that can do split screens and a bunch of other funky stuff.
Here's the blurb straight from the Terminator website:
It can be found in the Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy) repositories, and the Debian Sid repositories.
If you're running those distros, you can just click here to install terminator
Those still stuck on Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) can also install it. Just add the following lines your
Here's the blurb straight from the Terminator website:
Terminator is an attempt to maximise useful space on a given desktop for terminals. I’m a sysadmin by trade, so I live in ssh sessions and thus terminals. An extra line here and there over all those hours seems like it’s worth trying for.
Much of the behaviour of Terminator is based on GNOME Terminal, and we are adding more features from that as time goes by, but we also want to extend out in different directions with useful features for sysadmins and other users. If you have any suggestions, please file wishlist bugs!
It can be found in the Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy) repositories, and the Debian Sid repositories.
If you're running those distros, you can just click here to install terminator
Those still stuck on Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) can also install it. Just add the following lines your
/etc/apt/sources.listfile:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/gnome-terminator/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/gnome-terminator/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse
Once done run the following:sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install terminator
NB: For Gutsy users, you will get a warning that there is no authentication on the package. As it's from the ppa area, that's quite normal.
The next version 0.9 is supposed to also have tabs and some other nice goodies like drag n drop... (take a peep over here)
One thing I've found is that I like the extra real-estate. No annoying menu to get in the way. I use a lot of keyboard short cuts (like Ctrl_+, Ctrl_- and Ctrl_0 to resize the font sizes). I've found most of the Gnome shortcuts work.
Even better, it seems to be less of a memory hog than what the default Gnome Terminal is.
The developer is breaking the bonds that hold it to Gnome, so in theory you should be able to use it on other Window Managers like KDE, Enlightenment, etc in the not too distant future.
And now, for the sample screen shot!
Well it appears I'm hooked. I'm looking forward to 0.90 but for mind, the current version does all I need. (Small, efficient and easier to view multiple screens in one window).
If you haven't used it, give it a try you'll be glad you did!
Sunday, June 8. 2008
The difficulty of Aussie small businesses adopting Linux
There are many reasons people are stuck on Windows.
For small businesses the main reason is their accounting software.
Like it or not, since the introduction of GST and BAS the days of the shoe-box accounting have disappeared. Every business that wants to keep accurate financial records requires an computerized accounting system.
In Australia, The introduction of GST and BAS has made it difficult for these same people to move over to Linux.
The two most popular Small Business Accounting packages are MYOB and QuickBooks. Both products support the Australian market and handle submissions to the ATO.
Many small businesses look for software that can handle base accounting (less then 25 invoices a week) and an integrated simple payroll module that can pay their employees (1-5 typically).
Both QuickBooks and MYOB operate as closed-source commercial software that runs on Windows (and on Mac - in the case of MYOB). They also integrate heavily into Microsoft Office.
Both business models expect customers to fork our between $500 - $800 for the initial purchase, and anywhere from $200- $500 annually to get 'updates'. For any small business this is a hefty investment just to keep up with the legal requirements of running their business. Calling for support can also attract additional fees on top of the yearly retainer.
As such, many are fearful to move on, but have a love-hate relationship with their accounting software provider. They feel cheated and ripped off (and rightly so). This duopoly has created a handsome cash-cow for both software makers.
The current extortion model used by MYOB and Quicken is best explained by Turbo Cash's explaination (a GPL Windows Accounting package). Unfortunately TurboCash is Windows software and contains no Australian payroll module.
Unfortunately, I am yet to see an OSS Linux accounting software that handles all the features required for an Australian business:
There is both Ledger-SQL and LedgerSMB (a fork of the former) that handle accounting and can be customized to handle GST. Yet, they don't do anything to address BAS reporting/lodging or have a payroll module. As such, both are unsuitable for the Australian SMB market without further heavy lifting.
Their is commercial software like SAGE AccPac available, yet it's quite expensive and more geared towards a medium sized business and thus out of the price range for most small businesses.
One OSS project that did look indeed promising was SYMBOL (Surf Your Money Books On Line). It was written by an accountant from Western Australia and licensed under the BSD license.
I have been in Email discussion with the developer Edward Metcalfe, but it appears he has now moved on from the project and as such the project has stalled. Looking at the CVS repository the last update was unfortunately 13 months ago.
However, the software is indeed functional and delivers on the two items listed above (Australian Taxation/Payroll). Whilst you would need to update the PAYG tax tables (no real show-stopper), it should do the job admirably. ComputerWorld actually ran an article on SYMBOL in Februrary 2007.
Those interested in SYMBOL, will find it is a web-based application so accounting can be down via a regular browser (making it suitable on either Mac/Windows/Linux clients) It runs on a PostgreSQL backend and uses Perl/CGI for the front-end. It also is multi-user based. (One thing software like MYOB and Quicken charge an arm and a leg for!)
The fear of running SYMBOL though in it's current form is that it is unmaintained. It's likely the current government or subsequent ones will indeed look at overhauling the payroll and corporate tax systems (as opposed to just an implementation of the Goods and Services Tax). This would mean that any software a small business adopts would need to address these modification.
The ATO has worked to provide great documentation on the complex tax scheme we have in Australia for software developers. Their Software Developers Website gives test case scenarios and formulas to write compliant and competing software.
I'm in two minds:
Ideally I would love to see a AJAXed based web-version of the application with a modern interface using either the Yahoo UI or the Dojo Toolkit's Dijit and DojoX interfaces.
Either solution would provide an excellent interface and provide the user with an experience that matched a local fat client. Using a web framework like Django and a PostgreSQL database underneath, would make for a solid backend.
I think there is a market for an excellent OSS product to capture the market and knock off this duopoly. However I suspect it will take some committed individuals to pull it off. From the grumblings you hear frequently from small business owners there is a ready market to ditch their over-priced software once a viable and supported solution arises.
Here are some interesting facts about the Australian Small Business Market:
I suspect a lot of OSS developers do a fair amount of moon-lighting and as such require a way to invoice for their work. (Consulting may be your day time job also to pay for the bills, and OSS coding your passion and after hours work!).
So what are your thoughts?
Is there enough interest in getting up an OSS Accounting+Payroll solution for Australian small businesses?
For small businesses the main reason is their accounting software.
Like it or not, since the introduction of GST and BAS the days of the shoe-box accounting have disappeared. Every business that wants to keep accurate financial records requires an computerized accounting system.
In Australia, The introduction of GST and BAS has made it difficult for these same people to move over to Linux.
The two most popular Small Business Accounting packages are MYOB and QuickBooks. Both products support the Australian market and handle submissions to the ATO.
Many small businesses look for software that can handle base accounting (less then 25 invoices a week) and an integrated simple payroll module that can pay their employees (1-5 typically).
Both QuickBooks and MYOB operate as closed-source commercial software that runs on Windows (and on Mac - in the case of MYOB). They also integrate heavily into Microsoft Office.
Both business models expect customers to fork our between $500 - $800 for the initial purchase, and anywhere from $200- $500 annually to get 'updates'. For any small business this is a hefty investment just to keep up with the legal requirements of running their business. Calling for support can also attract additional fees on top of the yearly retainer.
As such, many are fearful to move on, but have a love-hate relationship with their accounting software provider. They feel cheated and ripped off (and rightly so). This duopoly has created a handsome cash-cow for both software makers.
The current extortion model used by MYOB and Quicken is best explained by Turbo Cash's explaination (a GPL Windows Accounting package). Unfortunately TurboCash is Windows software and contains no Australian payroll module.
Unfortunately, I am yet to see an OSS Linux accounting software that handles all the features required for an Australian business:
- Handles Australian Taxation - including GST and BAS reporting/lodging
- Handles Australian Payroll - including PAYG and Superannuation
There is both Ledger-SQL and LedgerSMB (a fork of the former) that handle accounting and can be customized to handle GST. Yet, they don't do anything to address BAS reporting/lodging or have a payroll module. As such, both are unsuitable for the Australian SMB market without further heavy lifting.
Their is commercial software like SAGE AccPac available, yet it's quite expensive and more geared towards a medium sized business and thus out of the price range for most small businesses.
One OSS project that did look indeed promising was SYMBOL (Surf Your Money Books On Line). It was written by an accountant from Western Australia and licensed under the BSD license.
I have been in Email discussion with the developer Edward Metcalfe, but it appears he has now moved on from the project and as such the project has stalled. Looking at the CVS repository the last update was unfortunately 13 months ago.
However, the software is indeed functional and delivers on the two items listed above (Australian Taxation/Payroll). Whilst you would need to update the PAYG tax tables (no real show-stopper), it should do the job admirably. ComputerWorld actually ran an article on SYMBOL in Februrary 2007.
Those interested in SYMBOL, will find it is a web-based application so accounting can be down via a regular browser (making it suitable on either Mac/Windows/Linux clients) It runs on a PostgreSQL backend and uses Perl/CGI for the front-end. It also is multi-user based. (One thing software like MYOB and Quicken charge an arm and a leg for!)
The fear of running SYMBOL though in it's current form is that it is unmaintained. It's likely the current government or subsequent ones will indeed look at overhauling the payroll and corporate tax systems (as opposed to just an implementation of the Goods and Services Tax). This would mean that any software a small business adopts would need to address these modification.
The ATO has worked to provide great documentation on the complex tax scheme we have in Australia for software developers. Their Software Developers Website gives test case scenarios and formulas to write compliant and competing software.
I'm in two minds:
- Do I run SYMBOL and either start maintaining it or fork it?
- Do I use a lot of the program logic, and spawn a completely new project?
Ideally I would love to see a AJAXed based web-version of the application with a modern interface using either the Yahoo UI or the Dojo Toolkit's Dijit and DojoX interfaces.
Either solution would provide an excellent interface and provide the user with an experience that matched a local fat client. Using a web framework like Django and a PostgreSQL database underneath, would make for a solid backend.
I think there is a market for an excellent OSS product to capture the market and knock off this duopoly. However I suspect it will take some committed individuals to pull it off. From the grumblings you hear frequently from small business owners there is a ready market to ditch their over-priced software once a viable and supported solution arises.
Here are some interesting facts about the Australian Small Business Market:
- There are about 1.2 million small businesses in Australia employing around 3.3 million people.
- During the past decade, small businesses have created an estimated 660,000 new jobs.
- 42% of all goods exporters are small businesses.
- 25% of the Australian GDP (estimated in 2006 at $1 trillion dollars) comes from small business.
I suspect a lot of OSS developers do a fair amount of moon-lighting and as such require a way to invoice for their work. (Consulting may be your day time job also to pay for the bills, and OSS coding your passion and after hours work!).
So what are your thoughts?
Is there enough interest in getting up an OSS Accounting+Payroll solution for Australian small businesses?