WARNING -- version 0.1 is totally unusable, it will neither compile
under any existing Modula-2 compiler nor will it work.
It simply needs porting to Linux.

README for gnu fibu (gfibu) (C) 1985-1998 Thomas Schoebel-Theuer
	(schoebel@informatik.uni-stuttgart.de)

This bookkeeping software by double entry has been originally written
by me for a small business in Stuttgart, who made accounting for other
(partly even large) firms. Note that I wrote this (amoung other software)
during my student time to keep me alive. Also note that it had to run
under 640K DOS, with reasonable performance even on an 4.77MHz XT, and
with ~1 Meg of Disk space for 10000 entries, so you could store
enough instances of firms on a 20 or 40MB disk that was standard in 1985
when the system was designed (just in case you wonder on programming style).

Originally the contract with this business did not allow me to
distribute this software, but after they nearly went out of business
because the chief got very ill, I could get a new contract with them
that gives me back the full right to do with my software what I want.

There are some concepts that are unique to the world of accounting
software. For example, I don't know of any other software predating
this one where you can date back your entries arbitrarily as is
possible here -- in fact, the process of balancing has been abolished
at all, simply because a single entry will automatically update all
balances for all dates after the predated entry. Further, there is no
concept of a bookkeeping period -- you can query for a "balance" for an
arbitrary date in the past, yielding the same result as if you had
entered your entries correctly in date order and balanced thereafter.
By taking the difference of balances for two different dates, you
simply can lay an arbitrary period system over the time axis like you want.
Also, the concept of virtual summarizing accounts using ? and * wildcards
as well as set union, difference and intersection seems to be unique
for it's time of invention. There are also other features that may
appear futuristic to those who know the business administration side
of bookkeeping.

Nevertheless, this software implemented basics of database transactions
with background execution of printing in 640K memory.

So I donate this to the public, in the hope that it will change the
well-established world of financial software.

June 1998, Thomas Schoebel-Theuer

Private snailmail address:
Dr. Thomas Schoebel-Theuer
Europaplatz 4
D-70565 Stuttgart
Germany