rayzoredge 2 Report post Posted March 4, 2009 To be more descriptive...I'm trying to use WINE to run Peachtree Quantum 2009 accounting software on a PC to test whether our company can use Linux on our new server due in May of this year. I've successfully updated WINE to version 1.16 (latest and greatest) and successfully ran the installer (after hours of fidgeting with trial and error with Pervasive SQL) . However, the installer insists on conducting a network test to complete installation, which it fails because a firewall is preventing Peachtree services from functioning correctly. I know that WINE doesn't imitate the Windows environment (or maybe I'm wrong?), and I know that Peachtree detects the "presence" of XP's firewall, but of course I can't change the exceptions to it because it doesn't exist. I've tried various compatibility modes (of which Windows XP and later only work with the Peachtree installer), all the way up to Windows Server 2008. I've also tried modifying the firewall settings for Ubuntu using ufw, and even just disabling it. I also tried Firestarter with no luck. I am rather stuck as to what to try next to get this to work.I am using Peachtree Quantum 2009 (by Sage) and Ubuntu 8.04. (The reason why I'm using 8.04 and not 8.10 is because my tc1100 doesn't like Intrepid.) I updated everything I could using the Update Manager and WINE's repository. Any insight? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rvalkass 5 Report post Posted March 4, 2009 I presume it is using some odd way of testing firewall settings that WINE doesn't use in the same way as Windows. I'd contact the creators of the accounting software for more help, and to inquire about a Linux version - if people never ask, they won't know there is a demand. Contacting the WINE developers, or reporting your experiences to the community, could help progress on getting it working, although it may take a while.Your other alternative is to use some other accounting software. There are plenty of free double-entry accounting applications for Linux that run natively and work just fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayzoredge 2 Report post Posted March 4, 2009 I'll be calling them on Friday to discuss the details and to see if they can help me with this venture. Intially, I avoided it because I had a feeling that they were going to give me the workaround that there is no Linux support, which would mean 10-15 minutes of wasted elevator music and a 30 second-long call before a hang-up.I actually am starting a maintainer's gig at WineHQ (which is still to be reviewed and approved, as I posted it yesterday), and I hope to be able to throw some contribution as to getting this thing working. A tester in the past got Peachtree Premium Accounting 2006 to work pretty well, so I will be striving to make this work as well.I could throw out the suggestion also to try free accounting software alternatives too, but there's also the argument that our existing databases are already Peachtree-based, that everyone who works with Peachtree would have to be retrained, etc. (The company has been working with the Peachtree legacy since 1999, I believe.) And it may be apples to oranges, but the last time I tried a free alternative to Microsoft Money for my own financial tracking, it was vastly underpowered and very much lacking in the feature department. (I think it was GnuCash and/or KMoney that I tried.) I'm not saying that they suck, but it might be insufficient for the application of a small business's accounting needs. And even if there was a good Linux alternative, there's the even-harder part of swaying the company to switch over and be retrained with new software. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rvalkass 5 Report post Posted March 4, 2009 I'll be calling them on Friday to discuss the details and to see if they can help me with this venture. Intially, I avoided it because I had a feeling that they were going to give me the workaround that there is no Linux support, which would mean 10-15 minutes of wasted elevator music and a 30 second-long call before a hang-up.If that is the case then you can keep asking to talk to their technical team, and keep working your way up the chain until you get someone who can give you an answer. You might even be able to get through to someone related to development who could help you out with why the software won't run with WINE.I could throw out the suggestion also to try free accounting software alternatives too, but there's also the argument that our existing databases are already Peachtree-based, that everyone who works with Peachtree would have to be retrained, etc. (The company has been working with the Peachtree legacy since 1999, I believe.) And it may be apples to oranges, but the last time I tried a free alternative to Microsoft Money for my own financial tracking, it was vastly underpowered and very much lacking in the feature department. (I think it was GnuCash and/or KMoney that I tried.) I'm not saying that they suck, but it might be insufficient for the application of a small business's accounting needs. And even if there was a good Linux alternative, there's the even-harder part of swaying the company to switch over and be retrained with new software.Both GNUCash and KMyMoney have come on leaps and bounds recently. I currently use both of them: KMyMoney for my personal finances and GNUCash for my web design business's accounts. I would say that they are suited for the tasks I am using them for. KMyMoney is much more personal, while GNUCash features advanced things not required by a home user, and business-specific features.The cost of retraining is always an issue for the people who have to consider such a switch, but you have to also consider that all upgrades and future editions of the software are free. Your OS is free, your software free, and you are also more able to talk to the developers of the software if there is a feature you want or something that you want changed in the GUI for example, which is something most large software companies don't offer. The money saved from a future of software licenses usually easily offsets the one-off cost of retraining, with money to spare in all future years.Rather than this going into a pro/anti Linux discussion (perhaps another topic...) the simple answer is that WINE doesn't emulate the firewall, so the only option is to contact Peachtree/Sage and the WINE community to see if help can be offered. I have found that older versions of their software worked under WINE with no problems, so it might just be a small problem that can easily be solved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayzoredge 2 Report post Posted March 9, 2009 Is there a way to get the Peachtree installation under WINE to see my Pervasive SQL server running within Ubuntu (Linux Server Edition). So far I've got nothing. I've talked to Peachtree tech support and that's what they suggest that I do... after the many reminders of how "Peachtree is a Windows program." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
