[icebraining]

Right, but recording transactions is the easy part; you can even take the schema from their docs, create a few DB tables from it, and just push to a local DB.

The reason to use a real accounting system is for the extra features (mainly reports), but I don't see them in this API, so you'd still need to export your data to one of those systems. So I'm struggling to see the advantage of pushing data to their service rather than to a local DB.

[voidmain0001]

More is required than a db schema; the double entry would have to be in app logic, permission model, aging, etc. Reports are nice, but in my experience I have always had to provide additional reporting on top of what is provided by an accounting system because the business had its own requirements. I see this being useful where you are trying to avoid a traditional accounting system because you willing to provide more customization.

[hughjeremy]

You put it better than I can, voidmain0001! I've so often been frustrated by being unable to extend an accounting system to suit my needs.

[hughjeremy]

voidmain0001 probably put it better than I can! To add to some more cents (pardon the pun): Amatino is aimed at a lower-level of the problem than reporting, GUIs, and such. Amatino provides capabilities far in excess of a self-rolled database, and allows developers to implement their wildest GUI / reporting dreams on top.

More time spent developing awesome applications, less time spent (for example) developing logic to recursively sum accounts in multiple currencies.