2008-12-29 GnuCash IRC logs

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02:18:20 <salt> hi guys. Im looking to contribute to the open source community, and with gnucash being a program that I would like to use extensively in the future i thought this would be a great place to start! I am in the process of working through the wiki, website, bugzilla, checking out the code etc. Just thought i would pop in an say hi in the process. What would people suggest to start getting involved, anything need immediate attention?
02:22:01 <salt> by the way, a bit of background information. Computer Systems Engineers and Finance graduate from Adelaide University (just graduated 6 days ago!) No major software experience, but highly capable in Java. I would say i am at an intermediate level with C, but i am more than willing to learn. Not familiar with scheme, but once again, i am a learner. As can be seen, i might need to start slow, but glad to be a helping hand.
02:27:55 <mincepie> computer systems engineering and finance in one degree? that must have been an interesting university
02:28:05 <mincepie> congratulations on your graduation
02:30:29 <salt> Thanks for the congratulations! It is a double degree. Bachelor of Eng and Bachelor of Finance. two separate pieces of paper, two separate graduations. But less time as some subjects cross over.
02:30:45 <mincepie> ah
02:30:58 <mincepie> well, I'm not certain I'm qualified to give you advice on contributing to OSS since I do so little of it myself and am almost certainly younger than you (and have no degree of yet), but it looks like I'm the only one around
02:32:30 <mincepie> so, from what I observe in the way this project seems to work, the sole piece of advice I would dispense is to be open about what you're doing and what you're planning, ask people's opinions and respect them, and don't step on other people's toes
02:33:58 <mincepie> but that's just me; my opinion is, as I say, worth very little in a meritocratic environment
02:34:14 <salt> cheers. I will keep on reading the wiki.... looks like there is heaps of information there. Im sure there will be a few others that could chime in as well. Thanks mate.
02:34:28 <mincepie> no doubt
02:34:47 <mincepie> you're welcome
02:38:35 <mincepie> further waffle: I think of GNUCash as one of the projects that works very well as a pragmatic sort of thing... there's very little of the "them and us" thinking that plagues some of the larger projects, particularly those with commercial funding behind them
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08:37:48 <mincepie> good morning, warlord
08:38:00 <warlord> morning
08:38:38 <hossi> morning
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20:27:29 <warlord-slow> not if you leave...
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21:11:02 <fbond> warlord-slow: Okay, I've gotten it working, but I had a bug whose explanation is beyond me.
21:11:27 <fbond> I'm using gnc:accounts-get-comm-total-profit, and it sign-reverses its result.
21:11:43 <fbond> But why would income be negative in the first place?
21:12:10 <fbond> And why do I get oppositely-signed results from actual income/expenses and budget income/expenses?
21:12:15 <warlord-slow> Because it's a credit account, not a debit account?
21:12:27 <warlord-slow> I dont know why you get opposites.
21:12:38 <fbond> It was quite confusing.
21:13:49 <fbond> Hm. I don't really understand the credit vs. debit account with regard to calculating profit.
21:14:09 <warlord-slow> Some accounts need to be "sign reversed"
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21:14:36 <fbond> Why?
21:15:28 <warlord> because some accounts are credit accounts v. debit accounts.
21:15:45 <warlord> so they are inherently "negative", even though you want to think of them as positive.
21:16:27 <fbond> So income is negative?
21:16:49 <jsled> no, it's a "credit account". :)
21:17:06 <fbond> Okay, I can't be this thick.
21:17:09 <jsled> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-entry_accounting#Debits_and_credits is good.
21:17:29 <jsled> I like the little up/down green/red table at the end of section.
21:17:48 <jsled> fbond: sorry to be confusing; yes, it's "negative".
21:18:54 <fbond> Okay, when assets go up, the income credit account goes down.
21:19:36 <fbond> jsled: But that makes me think that assets are a "debit account".
21:19:48 <fbond> No, I'm doing this all wrong.
21:19:50 <fbond> Hang on.
21:20:28 <fbond> When I get income, an asset account is credited.
21:20:44 <fbond> So what account is debited?
21:21:12 <warlord> no... an asset account it debited. you credit income.
21:22:04 <fbond> But in GnuCash it looks like I'm transfering money *from* an income account and *to* an asset account.
21:22:49 <fbond> So the income account goes more negative. Okay, I think I understand why income is negative...
21:24:18 <fbond> So budget data is inverted. I don't know enough to say: is that a bug?
21:24:52 <warlord> I have no idea.
21:24:56 <warlord> You'd have to ask Chris.
21:29:00 <mincepie> income is always positive, but it is always a credit balance (if used properly)
21:29:37 <fbond> Oh, so to "debit" an asset account makes it go up.
21:29:53 <warlord> Yep
21:29:53 <mincepie> yes.
21:29:55 <fbond> And to "credit" an income account makes it go up.
21:30:03 <mincepie> yes
21:30:19 <fbond> Hm, and to think accounting gets much more creative than this. ;)
21:30:32 <warlord> heh
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