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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: New project proposal -- customer and pay tracker for small businesses
From:       Warren Turkal <wturkal () cbu ! edu>
Date:       2001-09-30 8:45:41
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It maybe worthwhile to look into implementing a system of storage 
plugins for KAB (plugin for Perl DBI, plugin for XML file, etc.) and to 
make KAB more extensible (allow user defined fields that can be related 
to subsections - for example, allow user defined phone number fields 
that appear in the phone number list).

Maybe some kind of Kioslave for different storage could be implemented 
so that any app could store data anywhere.

These plans are totally grandiose, and I am unable to implement them. I 
just wanted to contribute to the idea pool. Also, maybe we could figure 
a general way to do data exchange between programs. For instance, it 
would be neat if Knotes added to the Todo list in Korganizer.

Warren

On Sunday 30 September 2001 02:29, Amelie Zapf wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Am Samstag 29 September 2001 22:46 schrieb Cornelius Schumacher:
> > This sounds like an interesting project, but it also sounds like a
> > lot of work ;-)
>
> Yes. It's gonna be a lot, just because laws on how a tax return
> oughtta look vary not only from state to state, but also from year to
> year.
>
> > > - storing information about customers, people that you're
> > > customer of, related businesses and the like, along with what
> > > samples/material they received from you, what they charge, other
> > > info
> > > (MySQL-Interface?)
> >
> > This should probably be linked to the KDE addressbook is some way.
>
> I would suggest an export script to KAB, because we're gonna need the
> functionality of a full-blown database to store all the
> ramifications. Business relations rarely are 1:1 links (or how do you
> say that?)
>
> > > - keeping track of the pay that's coming in and going out,
> > > automatically doing invoices, overdue notes, receipts... (maybe
> > > with LaTeX as backend?)
> >
> > I suppose that's the most complex part of your project. It has to
> > incorporate the business logic and maybe also interfaces to online
> > banking or similar stuff.
>
> I don't think that's the big problem. Only thing is, again, that the
> accounting plans again vary from state to state (but usually don't
> shift with time). So once that is done for each country, there's
> peace. There's a couple programs to do online banking that it's easy
> to export to, so that part is not going to hurt, either.
>
> > > - write business letters using the database
> >
> > Is KWord able to take data from the KDE address book?
>
> in an inelegant cut-and-paste way, yes.
>
> > > - ability to create a business balance or tax return for any
> > > given period of time; of course, that has to be done with
> > > internationalized plugins updated each year :-(
> >
> > It will be no fun to maintain such a thing.
>
> No fun, but a lot of use. I think, this should be the last part of
> the project. It ought to be possible to get script maintainers in
> each country to make the necessary changes, or?
>
> > > - keeping track of business dates, with an export/import
> > > possibility w/ KOrganizer
> >
> > Why not use KOrganizer directly? It can be used as component or it
> > can be extended with special functionality by plugins. What kind of
> > fucntionality do you have in mind, which is currently not available
> > in KOrganizer?
>
> The import of data from a relational database, not just the KAB.
> Example: I get a series of gigs I have to do with a quartet,
> including a vocalist. I sign a contract, stating total pay for the
> quartet. I play piano, I have to hire a bassist, drummer, and
> vocalist. It is useful to have a "Musician" database here. I sign
> contracts with the band members. All these things go into the
> KOrganizer entry as "subtasks" for a given project. Then, the day
> after the gig, the computer should warn me to print out a bill, I
> send that out. If the money didn't come in after two weeks, the
> computer warns me to print out an overdue note. And so on, until the
> money is here. You get the idea. There's a lot of preliminary and
> "post-gig" tasks associated with a particular gig. The ability to
> create links from "tasks with deadline" to "events" is missing.
>
> > > - to make a long story short, do everything related to your
> > > business in one place.
> >
> > A considerable part of the functionality required for such a
> > program can probably be implemented with a set of scripts using the
> > already existing applications and their various interfaces, perhaps
> > with the addition of some simple qtdesigner-generated gui apps
> > (e.g. for the database access).
>
> Right.
>
> > To put all this in a more or less monolithical
> > application might be not flexible enough to meet the needs of a
> > larger group of different users, and I don't think a project of
> > this complexity can succeed, if it only has a small number of
> > potential users.
>
> Right again. The already-existing functionality shouldn't be
> implemented again. It should be a GUI over KOrganizer, KAB, a
> typesetter (I favor LaTeX, maybe we can use it in the flavor of
> KLyX), and a database (KMySQL?).
>
> > > And that's why I write to this list for assistance. Anybody to
> > > help me out? Please drop me a line.
> >
> > I'm mainly interested in the Organizer and Addressbook interaction.
> > If there is happening something in this area I might be able to
> > contribute some code :-)
>
> Thanks a lot. But this is going to take some time, I've not even
> STARTED coding.
>
> Amelie

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