If, for any reason, you would like to manage your personal finances on your FreeBSD Desktop, there are some powerful and easy-to-use applications ready to be installed. Some of them are compatible with widespread file formats, such as the formats used by Quicken® and Excel to store documents.
This section covers these programs:
| Application Name | Resources Needed | Installation from Ports | Major Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| GnuCash | light | heavy | GNOME |
| Gnumeric | light | heavy | GNOME |
| Abacus | light | light | Tcl/Tk |
| KMyMoney | light | heavy | KDE |
GnuCash is part of the GNOME effort to provide user-friendly, yet powerful, applications to end-users. With GnuCash, you can keep track of your income and expenses, your bank accounts, and your stocks. It features an intuitive interface while remaining very professional.
GnuCash provides a smart register, a hierarchical system of accounts, and many keyboard accelerators and auto-completion methods. It can split a single transaction into several more detailed pieces. GnuCash can import and merge Quicken QIF files. It also handles most international date and currency formats.
To install GnuCash on your system, do:
# pkg_add -r gnucash
If the package is not available, you can use the ports collection:
# cd /usr/ports/finance/gnucash # make install clean
Gnumeric is a spreadsheet program, part of the GNOME desktop environment. It features convenient automatic “guessing” of user input according to the cell format with an autofill system for many sequences. It can import files in a number of popular formats like those of Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, or Quattro Pro. Gnumeric supports graphs through the math/guppi graphing program. It has a large number of built-in functions and allows all of the usual cell formats such as number, currency, date, time, and much more.
To install Gnumeric as a package, do:
# pkg_add -r gnumeric
If the package is not available, you can use the ports collection by doing:
# cd /usr/ports/math/gnumeric # make install clean
Abacus is a small and easy to use spreadsheet program. It includes many built-in functions useful in several domains such as statistics, finances, and mathematics. It can import and export the Excel file format. Abacus can produce PostScript® output.
To install Abacus as a package, do:
# pkg_add -r abacus
If the package is not available, you can use the ports collection by doing:
# cd /usr/ports/deskutils/abacus # make install clean
KMyMoney is a personal finance manager built for KDE. KMyMoney intends to provide and incorporate all the important features found in commercial personal finance manager applications. It also highlights ease-of-use and proper double-entry accounting among its features. KMyMoney imports from standard Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) files, tracks investments, handles multiple currencies, and provides a wealth of reports. OFX import capabilities are also available through a separate plugin.
To install KMyMoney as a package, do:
# pkg_add -r kmymoney2
If the package is not available, you can use the Ports Collection by doing:
# cd /usr/ports/finance/kmymoney2 # make install clean