User talk:Paulkruger
I am tired of the Windows rat race and working toward a total Linux business computer. One of the necessary ingredients is a replacement for Quickbooks. Gnucash has what I need EXCEPT it has very poor capabilities when it comes to doing the very thing I most need to be able to do...print invoices that look good and fit my format.
There is no template editor...I know there is a little "style" editor that is basically useless because you can't reposition elements or add or delete elements etc. You can only edit colors ( I print B&W anyway) and upload ( but not move or resize ) a logo. There is no means to specify paper sizes, footer space etc. I use blank paper with a tear off perforation but can't find any means to tell the invoice template to leave "X" amount of space in the footer or to add separate duplicate info to be printed in the tear off portion etc.
I also need to properly position the address window and return address so that I can stuff them in standard window envelopes. I can't do that either.
There appears to be a disconnect between developers and users in that the developers, while quite capable, don't appear to be actual business users of their programs. If they are, they take way too much for granted and don't ask total non-programmer office people to try the program for user-friendliness. If they did actual "product tests" with non-programming people they would fail given the issues with invoices.
I am sure based on all of the posts on this topic I have seen going back 5 years, they know of the problem but don't care about fixing the one big flaw I see in Gnucash. On this supject don't waste time in the forum...it has never been solved that I can find.
While the program includes most of the great features I need and like, it is really not ready for "real use" by a business user unless they also happen to be experienced programmers. It is not user friendly in a few areas that render it a failed attempt at a usable application for a bookkeeper or office worker to use.
What is missing to take this main stream....
1) An actual WYSIWIG template designer that, at the least, can design invoices but should allow an end user to design any report template. This could even be a stand alone or plug in provided you could then set it as the default template and not have to keep choosing each time you wanted to print an invoice.
2) The ability to import Quickbooks files. QIF is OK if all you use is Quicken but trying to move to Gnucash from Quickbooks is a nightmare because most stuff needs to be exported file by file then manually typed into Gnucash.
3) Eliminate the need to manually edit QIF files for importing. I had to post and get a response to insert !Filetype:bank at the begining. If there is a failed import the program should be smart enough to ask if this was downloaded from a bank then allow it to proceed. The failure provides no clue what to do to resolve it.
4) A single location to view a list of unprinted invoices and choose those you want to print. Makes it much easier to process all of your days invoices then select and let the printer go to work while you do something important...like drink a cup of coffee !
I suggest that the developers find at least one person who is a typical secretary or accountant and ask them to try Gnucash for usability.
