From 3411fefd685c48a224d0df5b084e81ca8bed2cff Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bruno BELANYI Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 14:35:03 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] posts: plaintext-accounting: add what-is-it --- content/posts/plaintext-accounting.md | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/posts/plaintext-accounting.md b/content/posts/plaintext-accounting.md index 565dce5..8fbc3e7 100644 --- a/content/posts/plaintext-accounting.md +++ b/content/posts/plaintext-accounting.md @@ -88,10 +88,27 @@ The perfect system for me has to be: ### What is it? -* python -* inspired by ledger, hledger -* simple -* *double entry accounting* +[`beancount`][beancount] is a tool to do [double-entry accounting][double-entry] +on the command line, using only plain text files. It is inspired by +[`ledger`][ledger] and [`hledger`][hledger], both respected tools in the [*plain +text accounting*][plain-text] community, from which `beancount` draws inspiration +both in their syntax and their philosophy. + +The point of *plain text accounting* is to make it easier and more efficient to +use the double-entry-style of accounting. This translates both in the syntax of +the ledger files, as well as the simplifications made to double-entry accounting +to make it seem more intuitive and easier to use. + +To be more specific about `beancount`, it is a tool written in Python, made to +be kept simple and effective by its author. It is both very powerful from +the get-go, and easy to extend thanks to a system of plug-ins using the dynamic +nature of Python. + +[beancount]: https://beancount.github.io/ +[double-entry]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-entry_bookkeeping +[ledger]: https://www.ledger-cli.org/ +[hledger]: https://hledger.org/ +[plain-text]: https://plaintextaccounting.org/ ### Why did I choose it ?