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Intuit considering Linux Quicken? 107

Posted by Hemos from the please-please-please dept.
SEWilco writes "This CNN story on VA Research mentions that Intuit is looking to port Quicken to Linux. They'll really clean up with that. (Pointed out in LWN Daily , and is a PC Week story, but the link which IDG.net came up with was too messy to submit here) " Update: 02/06 12:33 by S : Intuit's disputing this claim. Link from LT.
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Intuit considering Linux Quicken? More

Intuit considering Linux Quicken?

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  • Unfortunately Quicken is not enough (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I don't use Quicken.
    I am s/w developer for Unix environment. I use
    Linux on my desktop at home and work. Here is
    my sad story.

    My workplace (and maybe 99% of other work
    places too, I suppose) uses MSOffice
    so heavily that I am
    forced to boot to Windows95 occacionally
    at work. Rest of the time I manage with Linux
    StarOffice which is a monster bloat, dog slow
    and but does a mostly tolerable job of
    reading Word/Excel documents. But its an excercise
    in masochism to view non-trivial word docs with
    Linux StarOffice.

    Also, at work, besides sending me 5 MSWord
    documents a day, they send me Visio documents
    and Microsoft Project documents frequently.
    Its hard to deal with them from Linux. Also,
    their mail system is Exchange server (with
    POP3/IMAP turned off). So I redirect my
    emails from Exchage to a Unix server (using
    Exchange client's inbox assistant) and pull
    the email from the unix box. But Exchange
    does not know how to correctly forward emails.
    It removes the sender info and replace my
    exchange id as the sender. Oh what pain.

    The bottomline is using Linux as desktop
    in a modern day business work place is
    getting impossible. I am managing to hold
    on by sheer will because I find Linux
    environment simply more productive and I
    don't want to be a MS slave.


  • Legitimizing Linux as a Desktop OS (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This could go a *long* way towards Linux becoming credible for desktop OS deployment, IMO.

    The three things I hear most-often mentioned when talking to MS-bound people who have a clue is: games, Lotus Notes, and Quicken. (Not necessarily in that order.)

    And from Intuit's perspective, this would have several benefits. Cross-platform applications are a sure-fire way to bar the door to Microsoft. And once ported to Linux, ports to other Unixen become child's play. (If done *right*)

    Let's hope this is 1) true and 2) actually happens.

  • CheckFree [checkfree.com], which I've used for years and, others' problems notwithstanding, I've been extremely happy with (they've even written letters on my behalf to idiot creditors) sells a web-based service that will work with any bank. There's an enrollment form here [checkfree.com]. The really cool thing about using CheckFree is being able to sit down once or twice a month and schedule bills to be paid exactly on the due date... no more sending checks early because you don't want to be bothered with it later.

  • Sorry everyone, Iniut just denied the Linux rumor. [zdnet.com] Its not going to happen for a while
  • You may want to try just dialing up with a normal term program like minicom. My bank has an online checking thing, but they only offer the software for Windows/Mac. After a few penetrating phone calls, I finally got that answer. It's got a nice little interface, and I can download my accounts' history and save as a Quicken QIF file.

  • Go to www.intuit.com, click on WebTurboTax off on the right. You can fill out the information, and file a federal return for like $20. And it's not OS specific. :)
  • When AOL 5.0 Java comes out, there'll be a huge number of converts. AOL is basically all a lot of people use anyway, so if it's just as easy in Linux as in Windows, that'll be a big incentive for people to at least try it..
  • I'm all for alternatives. And if yours works, then let it reign supreme.

  • The Linux Community denied rumors today involving demand for Intuit's shitty products on the Linux platform.

    "Who would want a port of this shitty windows only program from a company with no clue?" one Linux user was quoted as saying today. "I mean everyone knows that Quicken will be dead in a few years anyways as Microsoft continues its efforts to bundle apps like Microsoft Office and Microsoft Money with its Windows operating system."

    Other Linux users were quoted as saying that the lack of a port was actually a good thing. "Such a port would give the false impressions that Quicken would still be around in two or so years. Many Quicken users would end up stuck with an outdated finance program when Intuit (which seems to have only one program that sells well, Quicken) finally goes under."

    Linux users are encouraged to look for more viable alternatives such as OpenSource software and the upcoming web-based finance programs that are sure to come.

  • Not that a native port wouldn't be a good thing, mind you...

  • Ouch. (Score:1)

    by cduffy ( 652 )
    Perhaps you could have a 486 under the desk running Windows (controlled via VNC) to handle those documents.

    As for not running IMAP/POP on the mail server... how to they try to justify that? It seems rather unreasorable.
  • Posted by avjewe:

    Take a step back and ask yourself, what is it you really want?

    Do you want Quicken for Linux, which would be Closed-Source and, as a binary distribution, only available on a small subset of Linux platforms?

    I realize Quicken is the best available product in this category, but is it any good? Is it perhaps too slow, too expensive, too buggy and too inflexible?

    Perhaps a better idea would be an Open Source solution, that does a few more things right.

    I've got version 0.1 done already, although it's not posted anywhere yet.

    Version 0.2 is defined as "good enough for me to finally stop using Quicken" and should be ready Real Soom Now.

    Comments? Question? Requests?

  • Posted by dcantey:

    I just might ballance my check book again.
  • Yeah, what he said. Tax Software is something that, much as I love Open Source, will never be developed that way--I can't see anybody, least of a all a good hacker, wanting to keep up with all the tax law changes year by year without a per-copy profit incentive.

    -Doug

  • nice (Score:1)

    by deno ( 814 )
    This is the only program I have for that other OS.
  • Let me say to that: no way! Please, no!

    And I like Java...as a programming language. But, with the current state of runtime environments, I think it's just too sluggish for large programs.

    I want a Linux Quicken that is done in C/C++ with Qt or Gtk, or even Motif, but I don't want a Java version, unless there are some very rapid improvements in the runtime environments, or a good way to compile programs written in Java into a native binary instead of bytecodes.

    Also, there is already a Java home finance program called moneydance. I don't know the URL, though.

  • OpenBSD, alpha, netbsd Mips, solaris Sparc, linux PPC, FreeBSD x86, etc ports too. Not everyone is only a strict x86 diet, I switch back and forth often. I wish there was a (secure enoguh that I'd trust it) web based program so that I could get at it from everywhere.

    Java solves a lot of problems. Yes it is slow, but I'd rather do my owrk in a slow enviromentthen be stoped.

  • Then I'd be down to three apps that I'd need windows for:
    Matrox Remote (video digitizing)
    Age of Empires (probably until Civ3 Linux)
    StarCraft (don't use it much anyway)

    nifty. 8)
  • So Intuit has denied the rumor because they don't see enough customer interest.

    Show them customer interest! Go to

    http://altserv.intuit.com/orien/qkn_enhance.html

    and write a nice friendly note indicating that you'd LOVE to see a Quicken port to Linux (or an entirely web-based version) so you can get rid of Windows on your machine once and for all.

    (For those of you who don't like commercial software or Intuit, _don't_ write and, instead, help out GNUCash. :)

    Adam
  • Quicken and Games are the ONLY reasons that I keep windows 95 around. As soon as I'm satisfied with a Linux money manager and Linux games are consistently released I'm MS OS FREE!

    I might even be able to buy the hardware for my next system without Windbloze pre-installed. That will truely be a day to celebrate.

    -Derek
  • Jesus fucking Christ on a crutch, people!

    Even assuming that they harvest against your will and use the marketing info in exchange for the bad will that inevitably causes, how inconvenient is it for you to delete unwanted emails from your inbox and pitch out unwanted junk mail at your snail mail box?

    From the reactions, you'd think that these people were threatening pull out all your teeth without painkillers.

  • Huh? (Score:1)

    by Rendus ( 2430 )
    People like me, who end up going over to a relative's house every other day (literally) to fix AOL-related problems, would KILL to have this become reality.

    AOL is slow because of their network, so the software speed doesn't matter a whole lot.

    And, you gotta admit, being able to type killall -9 aol would rock.
  • Microsoft bundling stuff with Windows doesn't affect Linux. In fact, it'll help it, because whenever MS bundles one of their apps with Windows, it'll encourage the competitors to make their apps for another OS...say....Linux. =)


    --
    Aaron Gaudio
    "The fool finds ignorance all around him.
  • cbb is a decent little check book balancer. Works fine for me.

  • It's a shame there's so much legacy Windows code out there; it's downright obscene that Microsoft is deliberately encouraging its development by foisting non-portable toolkits like MFC and Visual Basic.

    ISV's need to get into the mindset that any future development should be done in a portable way. There are plenty of good tools out there for doing so. Java is one, wxWindows is another, even Qt would be better than something Windows-only.

    Writing retargetable code isn't difficult; it merely takes some foresight and some careful planning.

  • Bank of america has this too. When my wife wanted
    to do online banking, I started looking for a way
    to do it w/o having to install windows on our
    computer. Most banks required custom windows
    software :-) BOA was set up so you could use
    a browser, but I was worried because they dont
    have offices in North Carolina. That turned out
    not to be a problem. They even have 24 hour
    phone service for homebanking customers which is
    a lot better than I would get with local banks.
    My wife loves it and we are still windows free.

    Hopefully North Carolina National Bank (oops I
    mean NationsBank) wont break this now that they
    have merged with BOA. I have a cousin who works
    at NationsBank and she says they know that BOA's
    online banking was better than theirs, so I am
    hopeful that things will stay good.

    If anyone is interested, you can get more info at:

    http://www.bankofamerica.com/online/home.html

    Jim
  • I think I support my bank singlehandedly with overdrafts and mindless spending.

  • Quaken (Score:1)

    by ocie ( 6659 )
    Perhaps we can get id and intuit to make a game called "Quaken." You could run around a virtual bank blasting creditors with a sawed-off shotgun. Sounds cathartic, no?
  • I have a checking account at Security First Network Bank [sfnb.com], and it's really nice being able to access my account from any browser any time. The only "feature" I don't like is that physical deposits have to go in by snail mail, and there is no email announcing when they get it, or when it clears, so you have to check periodically. But electronic deposit works fine, and they have an ATM card which has no charges at grocery stores, gas stations, etc.

    I tried other banks which claim to have online banking, but they require their custom software, Lose95/Mac only of course. I wouldn't dream of being tied down to my home computer any more.

    --
  • How hard could it be to port Quicken to Java?
    They could run it on any operating system, and
    even (legally) include the jre's along on
    the CD.

    Or maybe someone should start an open-source
    project to create a home accounting package
    in Java ....
  • As much as I depend on Quicken and would have a
    hard time living w/o it, I find it to be very slow.

    A Java version wouldn't be much slower.
  • Last time I checked, Quicken's on-line banking was
    nothing more than an interface to Checkfree. Why
    not ask Moneydance for the same?

    I agree - any serious program needs to interface
    to Checkfree and other on-line services.

    I got burned by Checkfree a few years back and
    gave it up, so I haven't looked into online
    banking for a while.
  • Intuit hinted at this several months ago, in fact around the same time GNUcash was looking for a new site.
  • So, ok, there's no Quicken port. BUT...

    As pointed out, there is GnuCash [gnucash.org], which I guess is an open source quicken-like project.

    W
  • They routinely drop support of the Mac, and their CEO still sits (I think) on the Apple Board of Directors. Prediction: they port their crappy software to Linux, whine about low sales and high support costs (no offense to Linux, the cost of the CD burn will be too high), then drop the software in favor of Win2002.

    Sadly, it will legitimize the OS.

    Notice that the lowest quality software always legitmizes an OS. E.g. MacOS now has Office 98! Linux now has Quicken! More hacked-together-in-a-month first-person-shoot-outs for the Mac! People will be complaining about the lack of virii for Linux soon.

    Sorry if I sound bitter. I use Intuit software at work.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Quicken would bring more interest from the "average" home user. Most people (without kids and geeks in the house) seem to use computers mostly for actual work. They type stuff, read e-mail, surf the web, and do their books on the machine. Linux is good at all of these things. And with a name like Quicken, it's only going to make Linux look better. (Plus, the security of Linux can be used to help bring people in who are worried about keeping finacial data on a machine they don't totaly understand. This could be a sort of "killer app", in a sense...)
  • I said "mostly" use thier computers for work. There's no rule that says I have to follow that with a sentence of ONLY work-releated things... :-)

    The people I'm talking about have mechanical jobs or factory jobs, etc. They don't use computers as part of thier job. I'm talking about using it to find information, store records, and help them pay taxes. Most of us probably do all those things too, but we also like to hack, tweak, play games, build, modify, etc. The "average" person doesn't do/know/have-a-clue about that stuff. As far as I'm concerned, the stuff they do with computers is "actual work"--I just have fun with mine.
  • Now THAT is hard-core dedication! The only way to be more self-sufficient is to roll your own assembly code. :)
  • I'd love to have some financial software for Linux. They should port TurboTax while they're at it...
  • Where do I get it. Message to Quicken, You have a insant customer when your port is done :)!
  • While the other folks are participating in the bogus message flame wars the real news is here. When enough average user apps are ported to Linux, the move will really be on.
  • It's one of the only reasons I still boot into windoze. This made my day :)
  • This would be THE SHIT. I am a geek. My wife is not. We have years of legacy data in Quicken (and Word...) I knew I had a good chance on the Word, Excel stuff with StarOffice or KOffice, but slim chance on Quicken. If they release this (and it uses the same file format), I can run Linux only on my PC (now dual-boot to WinNT) and she can run Win95 on hers. Woohoo! Go Intuit!

    Jason Dufair
    "Those who know don't have the words to tell
  • We all know that Linux is free, as well as linux appliications. Will Quicken change that? Will Intuit SELL Quicken for linux and start the chain of non-freeware linux software? OR will they make it free.. just a thought...
    -shaft
  • I like Quicken, and haven't tried the Gnu money
    program yet. So, besides for games, I'll have
    no need to use an OS I have to pay for.
  • Maybe now I'll finally upgrade from QFW 1.01.

    :-)

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