Gnucash or equiv. (pref. GNUCASH) on Mac 10.4
 

Hello,
I've used Gnucash on a ubuntu bootdisk (on windows), but REALLY want to simplify and just get it up and running on my mac os x 10.4 (Intel chip). I've tried a few distros, 1.8 and 2.2, etc. but none seem to work. I've instaleld X11 and fink and it just bugs up. There seem to be doubts of installing Gnucash on an intel-based mac. Anyone know how to install that awesome program? Or of another non-quicken financial program for the mac capable of importing gnucash data files? It's such a MASSIVE hassle to get out the windows computer, boot off ubuntu cd, reinstall gnucash, and then load the saved data files every time (about a 20 minute process) I need to update financial info.

Thanks. Really Appreciate. "Woot, Woot! and Cheers" to all macs.

Have you seen this?
http://homepage.mac.com/elliottmce/gnucash_guide/
or this?
http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/MacOSXInstallation

Unfortunately, yes, I've tried using both of those sites as guides, and possibly unbeknownst to you, neither of those links support Intel-based mac installation of gnucash, which, apparently is only compatible with gnucash 2.0+. Michael Elliot's site gave directions and bugs came up outside the parameters of his suggestions and the wiki page is irrelevant for intel-based macs (which don't run 1.8). The intel-based installation page is :
http://www.captnswing.net/2006/07/gn...ntel-macs.html
, but it's pretty complicated. For example, are each of those commands a seperate command line you enter in terminal to be followed by "enter"??

For example: Is that 7 commands or 8? Where does each end command start and end? For a newb, that's VERY unhelpful. You might as well just rewrite the program.

Is this the right inerpretation for that?
??I can't tell each seperate command from each other.

Is there a simpler way of installing gnucash on an intel-based mac?

Thanks

Looks to me like:

Read problem with the first line!

Yes. You copy/paste each command (each command is given it's own line of text) into your Terminal program and hit your Return key at the end of that command. Terminal is found in /Applications/Utilities.

There are 6 lines. So there are 6 commands. (To be way-too-precise, there are more than that, since the 6th line has three commands on it, each separated by semicolons. But you still just copy/paste that text onto your own Terminal command line and hit Return at the end of it--even though it contains 3 commands you can treat it as a single command.)

There are some excellent tutorials about how the command line works that you can read.

OS X FAQ Learning Center

Unix FAQ at Mac OS X Hints forum

Trevor

I think this is where he gets into trouble. If you copy the first line as one line, you end up with this:
curl -O http://heanet.dl.sourceforge.net/sou...-Installer.dmg

Since there no file named "sou...-Installer.dmg" on the server, it will fail. What he needs to do is type curl<space>-O<space> into the terminal and then copy/paste the link into the terminal to get this:

curl -O http://heanet.dl.sourceforge.net/sou...-Installer.dmg

Note that even here, they look the same until you mouse over them. Then you can see that the addresses are different.

Presumably, he copied from the site to which he linked, which has the complete path. I don't think he was copying from the forum post he made here and pasting that into Terminal. I think you're introducing some confusion here.

Yes, but if you copy the words: copy -O and you try to copy the link at the same time, it will copy the text of the link and not the actual link.

Thanks. Apparently, I've come across as much more of a newb than I really am. I've written "how-tos" on unix (and, thus, terminal) basic command line usage and have pretty thorough java, javascript, and c programming experience. I'm well aware of how semi-colons separate commands and the like. It's difficult to tell whether or not your attempting to patronize or clarify. However, I've cut and pasted those commands and it bugged up.

I want to know the details of the commands i've cut and pasted which is why it's difficult to cut and paste those cryptic commands.

That is all accurate.

Just a heads up for future advice you give. It's obvious that I've already accessed terminal and used it to attempt to enter these commands, so trying to describe to someone where Terminal (a VERY common application with an intermediate to advanced Mac work) is located instantly comes across as either 1)patronizing or 2)negligent and unaware of the situation upon which you've tried to give advice.

Just a heads up.

I was attempting to clarify. But if you're familiar with the command line, I'm curious why you don't know how many commands are shown?

For example, you wrote:
This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what a command even IS on the command line. There's nothing at all wrong with that, anyone who has never used Unix (or DOS or CP/M, or any command line) could easily not understand what constitutes a command. But it's hard to understand how someone who has written UNIX how-tos could misunderstand where each command begins and ends.

Perhaps I am still not understanding exactly what information you are looking for. If that is the case, please ask again, using a lot more words, and I will be happy to explain further.

Details of those commands can be found on their respective manual pages. So the following commands will give you details of the commands shown:

man curl
man hdid
man installer
man diskutil
man rm
man fink
man apt-get

If you have specific questions about those commands, you can ask here.

Trevor

That may be accurate, but the results will be the same. If you copy this entire line as is and paste it anywhere:

some text and some link.

then you will end up with:

some text and some link.

You need to copy the link separately using control- or right-click.

I know you were attempting to clarify, not patronize, but it could be misconstrued to that.

Secondly, if you're trying to convince me that I don't understand the concept of a "unix command", you're wrong, a moron, insulting or just operating from an agenda to frustrate people. I don't really like you from this discourse already, but you're the only one responding at this point, so I have no other choice. It sounds like you were insinuating that I didn't write "linux howtos", which is in itself a pretty insulting and dubious insinuation. Even though I am NO WAY a unix/linux expert (possibly advanced beginner to intermedite or somethign), I did write very introductory "howtos", found here "http://linuxgeekoid.blogspot.com/2007/08/fundamentals-rmcpmv-to-advanced.html". Again, I don't take highly to doubt and frankly think you're a "time-waster" someone who never provides any solutions, and just tries to point out faults in people. Instead of trying to convince me of something that is not true (that I don't know what a command is, which I do), why don't you insert the correct seperations in that excerpt???, You've doubted the legitimacy of what I've said, so again, I don't really have an interest in your opinions, or views whatsoever. I am, however, interested in getting gnucash to work and one to do that is if you'd "correct" the command lines I wrote. Of the commands I was unfamilar, i obviously got confused on that. I'll try to CLEAR. Where does each command start and stop in this (I know my numbering is wrong, so fix it!! instead of just writing back saying it's wrong!) as that would help me with this installation process!
Of those commands, I know sudo, installer, eject, apt-get update, selfupdate, rm. I think "curl", "hdid", "fink" and a few others threw me off.

Of course, "man pages" always do the trick for clarifying that. thanks for the reminder on that.

When I get a chance, I'll distill those commands and if I have any specific questions regarding them, I'll ask, but the MAIN PURPOSE of this thread is to get gnucash up and running on my mac!!! I'd very much like to do that. First off, is it possible to install gnucash on intel-based 2.16 core-due macbook running os x 10.4? I've heard so much controversy about if it's possible or not to install any gnucash versions on an intel-based mac, I am not clear if it's possible. Who has done it? i need to talk to someone who has already accomplished what I am trying to do.

I suggest you take a look at the number of posts Trevor has, then consider that most, if not all of those posts are to provide constructive help on a wide variety of questions, and those posts have generated a very positive response. If anyone is wrong or anything similar here, it isn't him. ;)

I am much more likely to be wrong in any given instance, and less tolerant at the same time. :eek:

While I understand that in publishing, editors, copy editors, and proof readers don't always understand the subject they're dealing with, writers should know their subject.

You can't expect that some one on this or any other forum will drop what they're doing to install gnucash on an Intel system just to prove to you that it can be done. This is especially true when you apparently haven't entered the commands correctly. Maybe you need to go back and read your own writing, before attempting this install.

What has me confused is that the lines of commands (8 to be exact), are simply for installing FINK, not GnuCash. The lines also complicate what could be done in 3 steps in OS X GUI; Download the Fink Installer, auto-mounts from browser, Double-click installer, eject the image.

Once Fink is installed, you'll want to install FinkCommander; A GUI Package Manager for Fink. Locate GnuCash in the list and have the utility satisfy any other required installs and, after a few dozen minutes of compiling, you're ready to use your package.

Command line is great. It has its place. But when something is accomplished so much simpler from GUI, why spend the hours trying to do it through command-line?

OK.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything, just explaining why I responded with detailed directions, since you were questioning that.

I've explained where the commands begin and end in post #5 above. Also, cwtnospam did it above as well.

However, perhaps I was not clear above, so I will number here where the commands begin and end (of course, if you copy/paste to the command line, don't include the numbers, just the commands):

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. By the way, perhaps easier directions for installing fink are here: http://www.finkproject.org/download/...php?phpLang=en

The directions you are following from here are more Terminal-centric perhaps than they need to be.

I don't know. But the page linked to above at captnswing.net blog seems to imply that the answer is yes.

Perhaps Frank at captnswing.net would be a good person for you to talk with then.

Trevor

Sweet. THANKs, trevor. That's the clarification I was trying to get. I understand that it sounds funny that I've written (albeit casual and rudimentary) mini into howtos on basic unix commands, but couldn't figure out the separate command lines in the gnucash installation, but I think writing those howtos were also more of a way for me to learn those steps myself (kind of a sharing/learning combo). Nevertheless, I'll give those commands a go, and see if I can install the bloody thing.

All commands worked except #6.

And to get an answer from that previous question (to ensure all of this is worthwhile), is it possible to install gnucash (any vesion) on an intel-based mac running os x 10.4? Has anyoner verified that and have done that?

Thanks

Wait, just to clarify, I've installed fink before. But when I try to install gnucash from it, I get errors.

When using the selfupdate-cvs command in the fink GUI, I get asked to do the default or select an option a few times, but don't know what to select. Should I select "default" everytime?

Unless this gets installed soon, despite how much l like gnucash, it's looking line quicken. I've already spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to install this. Not cutting bait quite yet, but getting close, if I can't install soon.

I've got
to show up in fink, what now?

When I go to download the gnucash package it seems to stall at :


Get:45 http://bindist.finkmirrors.net 10.4/release/main scrollkeeper 0.3.12-2 [244kB]
Get:46 http://bindist.finkmirrors.net 10.4/release/main tetex-texmf 3.0-1 [148MB]

Yeah, when I try to install gnucash from fink, it install for about a good 20 minutes and then in the process I get this error:
Any ideas? Apparently some other dependent files need to be installed? How do I resolve this?

This implies that the directory /sw/bin is not correctly in your PATH, since both fink and apt-get should be inside /sw/bin. You can either add /sw/bin to your PATH in your bash startup script (like ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile for two examples), or else begin those commands with the path. Adding /sw/bin to your PATH is preferred, but a bit harder.

If you go the easy route of adding /sw/bin to the front of those commands, then that sixth command will become
6. Trevor

Which appears to imdicate that you didn't finish the job of installing Fink - the last part (as in the Fink instructions) is to run a command that adds commands to your shell config files to set up Fink (PATH among other things).

I'm not a fink guru, but 'could not resolve inconsistent dependencies' means that some of the packages that you are downloading are dependent on different versions of some other things.

However, if I'm reading the above correctly, the inconsistent dependencies are in a general update of all your installed fink applications, not specifically in gnucash.

If you've already got fink installed, even if it's not the latest version of everything, why don't you try to install JUST gnucash right now.

The simple command would be
...but I haven't read all of the instructional links, so maybe that's too easy and won't work?

Trevor

after fink install gnucash, I get this:

I punched in those suggested commands, and then redid install gnucash, and it's making progress...we'l see what happens.

Yeah, after reading up on, and personally experiencing, "dependency hell" in linux and unix, I know it can be quite an ordeal. In a nutshell, it's difficult to install but also to "uninstall" some packages in linux/unix because other packages may be dependent upon them.

I've just done a series of install attempts from terminal and/or from fink, directly. gnucash "might" be installed. I can't really tell (who can with dependencies considered). If I try to install it from fink, it says the latest version is already installed (but this shows up as 1.8.12-11, which I'm pretty sure is not the most recent version. nevertheless, how would I "run" gncuash if it were installed. A search for "gnucash" applications pulls up nothing, but there are a few gnucash folders in the /sw directory.

**** GNUCASH ON MAC. This has consumed WAY too many hours of my life just trying to install. I'm using Mac Quicken. this thread is closed.

You would normally type the name of the gnucash program on the command-line (in Terminal). You would of course need to know the name of this executable. I don't think it is likely to be an "application" in the sense that term is used in OS X and that might be why you didn't find it via your search.
The term "application" in OS X usually refers to apps that run via double-clicking from Finder and that have a GUI that uses Apple's standard Aqua environment - not X11 programs.

Most X11 applications with a "front-end" have double-clickable icons. The bulk of the program will be stored in pieces throughout the Fink packages, but run from the front-end application. You will need to use apt-get (or, my preferred Fink-Commander) to locate the front-end for the program though.

This step-by-step should help you finish getting GnuCash up and running.