Open Letter to Novell

Dear Novell,

During the past couple years, I have had many long-term Novell customers
switch to Microsoft Windows 2003 Server because of incompatibilities with
just a single application:
QuickBooks

Older versions of QuickBooks worked adequately with Novell servers, but
beginning with QuickBooks Pro 2006, a change in the company data file format
created an SQL-related incompatibility.  You should know that Intuit forces
their customers to regularly upgrade their software if they use QuickBooks
for payroll preparation.  Therefore, these customers cannot stay on
QuickBooks 2005 forever.

I'm uncertain as to what the market share is for the QuickBooks product, but
among my clients, it's huge.

I have several clients presently running a peer-to-peer network alongside
their Novell network, in hopes that either Novell or Intuit will provide a
solution.  This workaround will not last forever, as my work is now being
criticized by MS consultants, who suggest a new server is in order.

Is there anything you can do to help?  The workaround listed here is not a
satisfactory long-term solution:
http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/pages/knowledgebasearticle/1000759
Please do not suggest that they switch to a different accounting package, or
purchase a more expensive QuickBooks product.

Sincerely,
Robert Carroll, CPA

On Thu, 15 May 2008 17:31:55 +0000, Wallgames.com wrote:

> Please do not suggest that they switch to a different accounting package,
> or purchase a more expensive QuickBooks product.

We're using QB Premier 2006 and have had all sorts of problems, many of
which are due to the fact that the company file is stored on a NetWare
server.  That's why we're actually looking into moving to QB Enterprise. 
Yes, it's more expensive, but it fully supports Linux.  IMO that's the
real solution.  I'm not sure there's much Novell can do to force Intuit to
support NetWare when everyone is supporting NetWare less and less.

-- 
Joe
"Those of you who think you know everything are annoying to those of us who
do."

This might be interesting to you... 
'Novell Unveils Workgroup Suite for Small Businesses'
(http://tinyurl.com/68heah)


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Wallgames.com wrote:

> Older versions of QuickBooks worked adequately with Novell servers, but
> beginning with QuickBooks Pro 2006, a change in the company data file
> format
> created an SQL-related incompatibility.  You should know that Intuit
> forces their customers to regularly upgrade their software if they use
> QuickBooks
> for payroll preparation.  Therefore, these customers cannot stay on
> QuickBooks 2005 forever.
> 

<soapbox>

Slightly off topic but this particular example could be used as another
argument to why proprietary file formats are bad. IT managers need to wake
up to the fact that their IT strategy decisions should not be made by the
whims of companies that tie you into their proprietary file formats. A
change to a file format should not force you to upgrade their product and
also make you change the underlying Operating System to support it.

</soapbox>

<duck> Ducking the possible thwack as this is bordering on political
</duck>

J
-- 
Pye, James Pye, chmod 007, The Ultimate Open Source

You know it's going to be a bad day when you hear

Jim Pye,
> 
> Slightly off topic but this particular example could be used as another
> argument to why proprietary file formats are bad. IT managers need to wake
> up to the fact that their IT strategy decisions should not be made by the
> whims of companies that tie you into their proprietary file formats. A
> change to a file format should not force you to upgrade their product and
> also make you change the underlying Operating System to support it.
> 

> <duck> Ducking the possible thwack as this is bordering on political
</duck>
> 

1) It's IT politics, so I don't think it's nearly as inflammatory as the 
other kind.

2) I think that, with at most two exceptions ;-), we all agree with the 
opinion put forth.