- •Introducing Ubuntu
- •About Open Source
- •Free Software Movement, Open Source and Linux
- •The Free Software Movement
- •The Open Source Movement and Linux
- •About Ubuntu
- •The Ubuntu Promise
- •Ubuntu Versions
- •Ubuntu Derivatives
- •Ubuntu Development and the Community
- •Ubuntu and Microsoft Windows: Key Differences
- •Installation
- •Applications
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Exploring the Ubuntu Desktop
- •Ubuntu Desktop Components
- •Changing the Default Language
- •Creating a User Account and Fast User Switching
- •Adding/Removing Applications
- •Desktop Effects - Compiz Fusion
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Using the Internet
- •Connecting to and Using the Internet
- •Network Manager
- •Using a Cable Connection
- •Using a Wireless Card
- •Browsing the Web
- •Using an RSS feed reader
- •Liferea Newsreader
- •Using Evolution Mail
- •Instant Messaging
- •Making Phone Calls Using Softphones
- •Using Ekiga
- •Skype
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Performing Basic Spreadsheet Tasks
- •Performing Basic Drawing Operations
- •Creating and Editing Formulae
- •Additional Applications
- •GnuCash Accounting
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Ubuntu and Games
- •Installing Games on Ubuntu
- •Installing a Game from a Repository
- •Playing Ubuntu Games
- •Playing PlanetPenguin Racer
- •Playing Other Popular Games
- •Installing Wine
- •Playing a Microsoft Windows Game on Ubuntu
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Customising the Desktop and Applications
- •Introduction
- •Customising the Desktop
- •Changing the Background
- •Customising the Theme (Buttons & icons etc)
- •Customising a Screensaver
- •Customising the Screen Resolution
- •Working with Files Using Nautilus
- •Features of Nautilus
- •Nautilus
- •Package Managers
- •Types of Package Managers
- •Using Add/Remove Applications
- •Using Synaptic Package Manager
- •Installing a Single Package File
- •Installing/Uninstalling Debian Packages
- •Software Repositories
- •Software Repository Categories
- •Adding New Language Settings
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Making The Most of Images and Photos
- •Introducing Graphics Applications
- •Viewing and Managing Photos with F-Spot
- •Viewing Photos
- •Organising Photos
- •Removing Red Eye
- •The GIMP
- •Drawing with Inkscape
- •Installing Inkscape
- •Creating Vector Graphic Images Using InkScape
- •Using a Scanner
- •Checking Scanner Compatibility
- •Scanning an Image
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Playing Music and Videos
- •Legal Restrictions
- •Playing Music Files
- •Playing Music using Rhythmbox
- •Playing and Extracting Audio CDs
- •Playing Audio CDs
- •Extracting Audio CDs
- •Burning Audio CDs
- •Playing Proprietary Multimedia Formats
- •Using an iPod
- •Playing Music Using an iPod
- •Creating and Editing Audio Files
- •Creating Audio Files
- •Editing Audio Files
- •Playing DVDs
- •Playing DVDs in Totem Movie Player
- •Backing up DVDs
- •Playing Online Media
- •Watching Videos in a Web Browser
- •Editing Videos
- •Editing videos using Pitivi video editor
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
- •Ubuntu Help and Support
- •Introduction
- •System Documentation
- •Online Documentation
- •Community Support
- •Mailing Lists
- •Web Forums
- •IRC Channels
- •LoCo Teams
- •The Ubuntu Team Wiki
- •Launchpad
- •Launchpad Technical Answers
- •Launchpad Bug Tracker: Malone
- •Shipit
- •The Fridge
- •Paid For Commercial Services
- •Professional Support Services from Canonical
- •The Canonical Marketplace
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Partitioning and Booting
- •What is Partitioning
- •Creating a Partition
- •Installing GParted by Using Synaptic Package Manager
- •Partitioning Using Gparted
- •Boot-up Options
- •Changing the Default Operating System at Boot
- •Lesson Summary
- •Review Exercise
- •Lab Exercise
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Figure 4.99: Final Equations
4.7 Additional Applications
4.7.1GnuCash Accounting
GnuCash is an application that helps you track home or small business finances. Instead of tracking all your expenses on paper, you can use GnuCash to ensure that you don’t lose any information at the end of the month. All details of income and expenditure can be managed with this utility. Using GnuCash, a small business can track its customers as well as its vendors by entering their details. You can also create a monthly profit/loss report for your business.
GnuCash can store and manage the details of all your bank accounts in one place. GnuCash is based on double-entry bookkeeping (the sort that trained, professional accountants use) to ensure balanced accounts and accurate reports.
GnuCash is easy to use and can be tailored as per your needs.
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Figure 4.100: The GnuCash Accounting Application
Key Features of the GnuCash Application Using GnuCash is like filling your personal finance information in a register but in a more organised way. The following features make GnuCash a very useful, powerful, yet flexible software programme:
•Easy-to-Use Interface: The interface of GnuCash is as simple to use as keeping records on a piece of paper. It also has a Quick-Fill feature, which means that as soon as you type a few characters, GnuCash scans its list and completes the entry automatically. If you use an entry on a regular basis, you don’t need to type it every time.
•Double Entry System: Following the principles of double-entry accounting, in GnuCash each transaction has to be mentioned in two places -- debit in one account and credit in another. This means that the difference between income and expenses exactly equals the sum of all assets and equity. This will help you verify that you have entered the details of the income and expenses accurately, which, in turn, will also help you track all expenses.
•Reports: You can generate a vast range of reports using GnuCash. Home users can generate a Budget report, which will give them a clear view of the income and expenses for the month. You can also generate a Tax report for calculating tax based on tax-related income and expenses. A vast range of Business reports, such as Customer and Vendor reports, can also be generated. Another report that can be generated is the Assets and Liabilities report, which includes the balance sheet.
•Multi-Currency Transaction Handling: You need not worry about transactions in different currencies; GnuCash automatically handles currency conversions. In addition, GnuCash provides menus and pop-up windows in different languages.
•The Reconcile Window: GnuCash provides the Reconcile window, which contains the balances of all your accounts. As a result, you don’t have to check the balances in various registers. Using this window, you can easily validate bank statements.
•Split Transactions: The split transaction feature allows you to split a transaction into multiple amounts and categories. For example, you purchase a few things, which can be divided into different categories, from a store. Here, the main transaction is the amount spent on the purchase of these items, and the split transaction consists of the entries of all the items on the split transaction editor screen. You can re-check the main transaction at any time by simply displaying the split transaction entries.
•HBCI Support: GnuCash also supports the German Home Banking Computer Information (HBCI) protocol. This feature is useful for German users who need not enter the details of their bank account manually. They can directly perform online bank account transfers, download bank statements and make direct debits.
•Scheduled Transactions: Users can schedule transactions in GnuCash as per their requirements, and they can also set a reminder for the transactions. This feature does not require you to remember which transaction needs to run at what time. The