Accounting software now available for the nonaccountant.The emergence of the powerful personal computer is changing the way small business owners do their accounting. As paper-based bookkeeping starts to pass into history, the flickering glow of a computer screen is becoming as common in the back room of a typical mom-and-pop shop as in the accounting office of a large corporation. Entrepreneurs have discovered computers and the new accounting software improve the ways they run their businesses, which, in turn, improves their chances of success. Early accounting programs for small business were scaled-down versions of big business software-- suffused suf·fuse tr.v. suf·fused, suf·fus·ing, suf·fus·es To spread through or over, as with liquid, color, or light: "The sky above the roof is suffused with deep colors" with technical jargon and processes that only a trained accountant could handle. Today's crop of programs changes that. The software now is designed for the business owner who has little or no background in bookkeeping or accounting. Many of the programs are menu-driven, even avoiding such terms as debit and credit. That's not to say these programs are watered-down accounting programs. Most contain powerful accounting modules, with one big difference. The programs' interfaces-those parts of the software the user sees on the screen--have been modified to be not only less intimidating, but technically helpful as well. Procedures have been simplified; many of them have been designed so a user can work intuitively, hardly needing the detailed documentation; jargon has been eliminated; and context-sensitive help Context-sensitive help is a kind of online help that is obtained from a specific point in the state of the software, providing help for the situation that is associated with that state. screens, available with the touch of a button, bring up instant assistance. The bottom line is nearly anyone in business-with or without accounting or even bookkeeping training--can keep a competent set of books. While some CPAs see the advent of such software as a competitive threat, others see it as a business booster. "If my small business clients can learn to keep their books with such software, I can give them more sophisticated business advice,'' says Donald Hunt, a partner of Anderson Hunt Anderson Hunt (born in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired American basketball player, perhaps best known as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels shooting guard when the Rebels won the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and appeared in the Final Four in 1991. & Co., Atlanta. Adds James C. Metzler, a partner of Gaines, Emhof, Metzler & Kriner, Buffalo, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : "We should be giving seminars on this software to our smaller clients so they can use computers more effectively. In the long run, it will mean more business for us." Following are some of the leading small business accounting programs on the market, all selling for less than $350. Access to Platinum for DOS, Version 2.5 Platinum Desktop Software, Inc. 15615 Alton Parkway, #300 Irvine, California Irvine is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28 1971, the 69.7 square mile (180.5 km²) city has a population of 202,079 (as of 2007). 92718 (800) 999-1891 Price: $169 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.0 or later Access to Platinum for Windows, Version 2.5 Platinum Desktop Software, Inc. 15615 Alton Parkway, #300 Irvine, California 92718 (800) 999-1891 Price: $249 Requirements: 3 megabytes RAM, DOS 3.0 or later, Windows ACCPAC ACCPAC Accounts Package ACCPAC Accounting Package Simply Accounting for Windows, Version 1.0 Computer Associates International, Inc. 1240 McKay Drive San Jose, California San Jose (IPA: /ˌsænhoʊˈzeɪ/) is the third-largest city in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Santa Clara County. 95131 (800) 531-5236; (408) 432-1727 Price: $199 Requirements: 1 megabyte RAM, DOS 3.1 or later, Windows Act 1 Plus, Version 8.2 Cougar Mountain Software Cougar Mountain Software is a privately-held company based in Boise, Idaho that markets accounting software to small to mid-sized companies. History Founded by Bob Gossett back in 1982, the company celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2007. , Inc. 2609 Kootenai Street Boise, Idaho “Boise” redirects here. For other uses, see Boise (disambiguation). Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the county seat of Ada County and the principal city of the Boise metropolitan area. 83707 (800) 388-3038 Price: $199.50 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later BusinessVision II, Version 2.5 BusinessVision Management Systems, Inc. 5000 Birch Street Birch Street may refer to:
Newport Beach, California Newport Harbor redirects here. For the MTV reality series, see . Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, 10 miles south of downtown Santa Ana. 92660 (800) 433-3384; (714) 476-3770 Price: $225 Requirements: 420 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later DacEasy Accounting, Version 4.2 DacEasy, Inc. 17950 Preston Road, #800 Dallas, Texas “Dallas” redirects here. For other uses, see Dallas (disambiguation). The City of Dallas (pronounced [ˈdæl.əs] or [ˈdæl. 75252 (800) 322-3279 Price: $149.95; Bonus Pack (with DacEasy Payroll), $199.95 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later General Business System CYMA Systems, Inc. 1400 East Southern Avenue Tempe, Arizona 85282 (800) 292-2962; (602) 831-2607 Price: $295 Requirements: 256 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.0 or later Manage Complete, Version 2.0 Management Information Software, Inc. 3301 Gandy Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33611 (800) 825-5647 Price: $299.95 Requirements: 1 megabyte RAM, DOS 5.0 or later Manage Small Business, Version 2.0 Management Information Software, Inc. 3301 Gandy Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33611 (800) 825-5647 Price: $149.95 Requirements: 1 megabyte RAM, DOS 5.0 or later Microsoft Money, Version 1.0 Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington 98052 (800) 426-9400 Price: $69.95 Requirements: 1 megabyte RAM, DOS 3.1 or later, Windows M.Y.O.B., Version 2.0 Teleware, Inc. 300 Roundhill Drive Rockaway, New Jersey
Rockaway is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,473. 07866 (800) 322-6962; (201) 586-2200 Price: $249 Requirements: 2 megabytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later, Windows One-Write Plus, Version 3.0 Meca Software, Inc. 55 Walls Drive Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 (800) 388-8000; (203) 256-5000 Price: basic accounting, $129.95; payroll, $69.95; the complete package, $199.95 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later Pacioli 2000, Version 2.0 M-USA Business Systems, Inc. 15806 Midway Road Dallas, Texas 75244 (800) 777-4287; (214) 386-6100 Price: $49.95 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 2.1 or later PC/MRP, Version 4.34 Software Arts Consulting P.O. Box 3621 Santa Clara, California Santa Clara, California (IPA: /ˌsæntəˈklærə/) , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. 95051 (408) 248-6445 Price: $179 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.3 or later Peachtree Basic Accounting Peachtree Software 1505 Pavilion Place Norcross, Georgia 30093 (800) 247-3224; (404) 564-5800 Price: $99 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later Peachtree Accounting for Windows (formerly Crystal Accounting) Peachtree Software 1505 Pavilion Place Norcross, Georgia 30093 (800) 247-3224; (404) 564-5800 Price: $99 Requirements: 1 megabyte RAM, DOS 3.1 or later, Windows QuickBooks Intuit 155 Lindfield Avenue P.O. Box 3014 Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California in the United States of America. It is located at latitude 37°29' North, longitude 122°9' East. Menlo Park had 30,785 inhabitants as of the 2000 U.S. Census. 94026 (800) 624-8742; (415) 322-0573 Price: $139.95; with QuickPay (payroll), $179.95 Requirements: 512 kilobytes RAM, DOS 2.0 or later Quicken Intuit 155 Lindfield Avenue P.O. Box 3014 Menlo Park, California 94026 (800) 624-8742; (415) 322-0573 Price: $69.95 Requirements: 512 kilobytes RAM, DOS 2.0 or later Quicken for Windows Intuit 155 Lindfield Avenue P.O. Box 3014 Menlo Park, California 94026 (800) 624-8742; (415) 322-0573 Price: $69.95 Requirements: 2 megabytes RAM, DOS 3.0 or later, Windows StageSoft Accounting for Small Business StageSoft, Inc. 5439 Beaumont Center Boulevard Suite 1050 Tampa, Florida 33634 (800) 858-7638; (813) 888-8251 Price: $249; with StagePAY Payroll, $349 (ALAN and a UNIX/XENIX version are available.) Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.1 or later; MGA (1) (Monochrome Graphics Adapter) A display adapter that employs Hercules Graphics, combining graphics and text on a monochrome monitor. (2) (Matrox Graphics Accelerator) A trade name used by Matrox Graphics Inc. , CGA (Color/Graphics Adapter) The first video display standard for the IBM PC. This low-resolution system was superseded by EGA and then VGA. CGA required a digital RGB Color Display monitor. See PC display modes. CGA - Color Graphics Adapter , EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adapter) An early IBM video display standard that provided medium-resolution text and graphics. It required a digital RGB Enhanced Color Display or equivalent monitor and was superseded by VGA. EGA - Enhanced Graphics Adapter , VGA (Video Graphics Array) The display standard for the PC. All PC display adapters support VGA, and Windows machines boot up in "VGA mode" before switching to higher resolutions. required for graphs Takin' Care of Business, Version 2.0 Hooper International, Inc. P.O. Box 50200 Colorado Springs, Colorado The City of Colorado Springs is the second most populous city (after Denver) in the state of Colorado and the 48th most populous city in the United States.[4] The city is the county seat of El Paso County. 80949 (800) 245-7789; (719) 528-6500 Price: $149.95; deluxe package (with payroll, inventory, point-of-sale), $299.95 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 4.0 or later Teknon Accounting, Version 1.03 Teknon Corporation 8603 East Royal Palm Road Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 (800) 899-8603; (602) 596-1500 Price: $249 Requirements: 640 kilobytes RAM, DOS 3.3 or later, mouse Stanley Zarowin is a Journal senior editor. |
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