GnuCash Linux on Chromebook via Linux Beta Crostini

I’ve been looking for some time for a solution to run the GnuCash free accounting software local on the Chromebook, now we have it.

This is not the android version of GnuCash via Google Play, this is a full install of GnuCash Linux running in a Linux Container on the Chromebook.

Here is how to install it.

Turn on the Linux (Beta) container for your Chromebook under the settings (you might need a more current Chromebook, I’m running Google Chrome OS version 73 on a Samsung Chromebook 3 XE501C13-K02US as of this writing).

Once the Linux (Beta) is installed and run (this will take some time), you will get a command prompt, this is containerized Linux. From here you can use the apt-get command to install GnuCash from the default Debian repository. Simply type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnucash

Once the gnucash install is finished (this will take some time too), you can run the GnuCash program by just typing the command “gnucash” (as indicated in the above image).

This will launch the GnuCash user interface and one can start creating a new GnuCash file or use an existing one.

A couple of notes:

The current version in the Debian repository is GnuCash version 2.6.15, the latest in the version 2.6.x series is 2.6.21, not sure if this will be updated anytime soon.
The current latest version of GnuCash is 3.5, so for simple accounting the 2.6.15 version may be suitable
The gnucash files are installed in their respective directories to run the program and any .gnucash data files can be saved in the linux container which is also available as a folder on the Chromebook after installing the Linux (Beta).
I’m looking into more if the current GnuCash 3.5 code can be manually installed in the linux container (it should), but will take time to understand it more and get it running.
A GnuCash Icon will be added as part of Linux App group on the Chromebook (see the image below).

So for the cost of a Chromebook one can now get into free double entry accounting software.

Enjoy!

– Dom

GnuCash 2.6.15 Accounting Software on the Raspberry Pi

I updated one of my Raspberry Pis to the new Strech OS for the Raspberry Pi and was pleasantly surprised to see a update to a newer stable version of GnuCash 2.6.15. A major update since the 2.6.4 version … Woo hoo!!!

GnuCash Accounting Software on the Raspberry Pi

I’ve recently had the need to use some Accounting software to dive into some Revenue and Expense allocation for a company to understand the business better. There was the hurdle of downloading and buying Quickbooks desktop version or buying a online version instance for a month maybe more, and I didn’t know the Quickbooks user interface.

At one time, many years ago, looked at GnuCash and thought it had potential but never spent the time. Now that I had the need and revisited GnuCash, much to my surprise, the open source software had improved and I decided to take the plunge and learn it.

I do have an accounting class under my belt from graduate school, so the whole double entry accounting was not new to me, and I was glad to see how the concept of accounts was implemented in GnuCash. Long story short, I was able to enter about 10 months of bank account data into GnuCash, then allocate expenses to get a quick picture of where 2 major projects were with respect to their direct costs and indirect costs.

I’m thankful that GnuCash was an option and it took me several hours to get the answers I was looking for about this business. If I used Quickbooks, it likely would have taken me longer and had a cost to it.

Here are a couple screenshots of the GnuCash application, It’s easy to use and free on Linux, Windows, and Max OSX. I tried the version on Windows also, the data file (FILENAME.gnucash) can be copied/moved and used on Linux too, I tested editing on both instances of the GnuCash data file.

To install GnuCash on your Raspberry Pi, simply run the following commands from a command line:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnucash

When GnuCash is installed a new icon will appear under the Office grouping. The version that was installed was GnuCash 2.6.4, and I copied this icon to the desktop for frequent use.

rpi3gnucashmenu

rpi3gnucashsplashscreen

rpi3gnucashgui

No sales tax on a vehicle transfer in NM

I recently bought a truck from my sister and financed it through the local Kirtland federal credit union (FCU) in the Albuquerque area.

I was really glad I did, the local branch manager mentioned a interesting little tip to me about vehicle title and transfer when I initially talked to him about the loan.

I was expecting to pay some kind of sales tax along with the transaction, something like 3% (or a little over $500) of the amount financed is typical.

The tip was that a vehicle can be gifted to another family member, this means there is no “money” exchanged between parties and the Bill of Sale amount is marked “Gift” Along with that another form is filled out detailing the relationship of the people in the transaction called “Affidavit of Gift”.

It is the filling out of these 2 forms that allows family members to avoid paying the 3% sales tax when a vehicle/boat is transferred.

Kirtland FCU also handled getting me a temporary plate (card) and helped register the truck (I still had to pay the registration fee). When the NM plate comes into the local branch in a couple weeks, all I need to do is just pick it up.

Great customer service, thanks Kirtland FCU!

Hope this is useful, it was to me!

– Dom

It’s all about games and points now …

I came across this DICE 2010 video on the G4tv.com website several months ago and I really liked it and wanted to share it here. Jesse Schell covers how we as humans really enjoy games and how we can be tricked into changing our purchase behavior and sometimes learn deeply when information is presented in the game format. It also covers how virtual games are making their way into the physical realm and influencing markets.

Enjoy!

– Dom

DICE 2010: “Design Outside the Box” Presentation (Part 1 of 3)

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLwskDkDPUE