Let's help the project to go on!

pietro14 commented 2 years ago

It's so sad to see gnucash-android abandoned...

The app was downloaded more than 100.000 times on the Play Store and more than 6500 users reviewed it, giving on average 4.2 stars.

Maybe @codinguser could give writing permissions to @slak44 or @JeanGarf who have contributed a lot in the last year, as it is here reported:

https://github.com/codinguser/gnucash-android/pull/882#issue-642035617

(the last commit was on Jun 8, 2021)

Independent improvements of @slak44 are here: https://github.com/slak44/gnucash-android

Looking at old contributors, maybe @rivaldi8, @aint, @jorgeml are still interested to help?

I added gnucash-android to this list of projects in need of maintainers here: https://github.com/pickhardt/maintainers-wanted/pull/57#issue-1205617267

Any other idea that could help? Lots of people use the app! Maybe we could help with donations as well.

arozaqf commented 2 years ago

it's license restricted missing original author. maybe gnucash desktop could help about license agreement?

pietro14 commented 2 years ago

@arozaqf you may be right.

Maybe the developers of the GnuCash Developers organization who are maintaining Gnucash Desktop could help? @jralls, @cstim, @gjanssens, and @fellen

jralls commented 2 years ago

Not sure what you're asking for. Changing the license for the current code requires permission from everyone listed in CONTRIBUTORS.md, but the license allows you to use a different license for your derivative work as long as you abide by the terms of the Apache license for the code in this repository.

jralls commented 2 years ago

@pietro14 You are being extremely rude. Please stop pinging everyone you think might ever have contributed something to GnuCash or GCfA.

yarons commented 2 years ago

Good luck with that, sorry that I can't help.

jdavisp3 commented 2 years ago

I didn't even know there was an Android version of GnuCash 😄 That's pretty cool, but I sure don't have time to pick it up.

jsled commented 2 years ago

Pietro @.***> writes:

And some more contributors of Gnucash Desktop who may be interested to help:

Don't do this. :P

If I had the time and interest to be involved with GnuCash, I'd involved with GnuCash.

-- …jsled https://asynchronous.org

pnemonic78 commented 2 years ago

I wouldn’t mind managing the project, but we need a few things from the original owner(s):

Keystore passwords to sign the APK.
Permissions to publish the app in Play Store

JeanGarf commented 2 years ago

Hi everybody,

I'm very pleased to see that some people appreciate GnuCash for Android (as well as GnuCash)

I contributed few months ago to get a version fitting my needs and without bugs on Samsung Galaxy Note 8. However, it seems that my enhancements don't work on some other devices (see #882).

I'm not a strong Android developer and don't know how to run UI Test. I also don't have lot of time anymore to contribute again and therefore can't be a project manager. However, I'm OK to help a little to get my contributions to work on other devices, but I need help to know how to do that.

Best regards,

arozaqf commented 2 years ago

a new effort to port gnucash https://github.com/nicktylah/gnucash-mobile/

jralls commented 2 years ago

a new effort to port gnucash

No, the readme is pretty explicit that it's not a port of GnuCash. It's a mobile data-entry tool that creates CSVs that one GnuCash can import.

gutierri commented 2 years ago

The author has not been active for a long time. It can be a complicated task to retrieve data from existing publications. An alternative is to launch a "GnuCash 2" on the F-Droid.

We can create an organization and fork this project. It has good open PR to apply.

jralls commented 2 years ago

Please be sure to name your project something that makes it clear it's not a GnuCash port so that users won't be confused. GnuCash-Android-2 or GnuCash-for-Android-2 would be fine.

linas commented 2 years ago

Names: How about "GnuCash Entry"? Or "GnuCash Receipts" ? Or "GnuCash Records" ?

It's already obvious (I presume) that its for Android, so you don't need that in the name. The above three names are trying to capture the idea that it generates CSV's (without using technical jargon "CSV") and that these can be auto-imported during android sync..

JeanGarf commented 2 years ago

gnucash-android at start was a tool for GnuCash PC data-entry purpose.

However today, it can also be used to manage a small personal accounting without GnuCash PC. Therefore, Names like "GnuCash Entry", "GnuCash Receipts" or "GnuCash Records" are a little too narrow.

About gnucash-mobile, I don't know this app.

jralls commented 2 years ago

If it no longer needs GnuCash then its name shouldn't include GnuCash at all. You can say that it exports to and imports from GnuCash.

fellen commented 2 years ago

The reason is: We often get bug reports belonging to "Gnucash for Android", can nothing do, and are annoyed.

gutierri commented 2 years ago

The name issue was to clarify that it may not be possible to retrieve the gnucash-android name on publishing platforms, given that the original author has no recent activity.

I think the important point here is how we can organize and bring together interested and willing colleagues for a new development path for this application in an open and active space for that.

Gnucash-android works by itself without the PC, yes, but that doesn't mean it isn't a companion for the desktop. And I believe the idea of the app is to keep in sync with desktop resources.

djbrown commented 2 years ago

Just now I tried to reach out to @codinguser , but even his mailbox is dead :-/

I guess the only two options would be to either create an official fork of this project or start a new one

kpgmr72 commented 2 years ago

Re: a name for a fork of this project - GnuCash Mini ?

jralls commented 2 years ago

That would be misleading.

yarons commented 2 years ago

How about GnuCash-Pocket?

It's a double meaning because it's where you store your phone but also some of your money.

JeanGarf commented 2 years ago

Smart !!!

Le 20 août 2022 21:18:38 GMT+02:00, Yaron Shahrabani @.***> a écrit :

How about GnuCash-Pocket?

It's a double meaning because it's where you store your phone but also some of your money.

-- Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/codinguser/gnucash-android/issues/913#issuecomment-1221390625 You are receiving this because you were mentioned.

Message ID: @.***> -- Envoyé de mon appareil Android avec Courriel K-9 Mail. Veuillez excuser ma brièveté.

gutierri commented 2 years ago

GNUCash Pocket seems to be a great option. Github has a voting feature, we could use it giving positive or negative.

I believe the next step would be to create the organization and open it up to the members most interested in collaborating and putting ideas forward. Apparently we are interested in helping to manage the project. I'm willing to help with that too.

XilinJia commented 2 years ago

Hi, very encouraging to see the enthusiasts.

I am new to GnuCash, but I made a fork and spent a day to update the package. So far, it's updated to SDK 33, Gradle 7.5.1, Androidx, and all dependencies are updated to current.

See: https://github.com/XilinJia/gnucash-android

Due to compile errors, at the moment a couple OwnCloud functionalities are disabled. Also, a couple routines under androidTest module are turned off.

There is an issue of duplicate class regarding apache common-logging when build apk. At the moment, I manually removed the class from external library org.slf4j:jcl-over-slf4j:1.7.36

The debug app runs fine so far on my phone.

I'd like to put more effort into it.

One thing I would like is to gradually transition it to Kotlin, and Jetpack Compose. Anyone would voice some kind opinions.

I would also like to see having the mobile app work somehow synchronously with GnuCash desktop.

I would also like to contribute to GnuCash desktop, particularly on business features.

Again, I am new to both packages, and would love any suggestions, advice, and collaborations.

XilinJia commented 2 years ago

In my fork (https://github.com/XilinJia/gnucash-android-kotlin), most codes are now in Kotlin. The package builds under Kotlin 1.7.10

djbrown commented 2 years ago

To get this party started I have created an organization GnuCash-Pocket and added @pietro14 @pnemonic78 @JeanGarf @gutierri @XilinJia as members. Does anyone of you want to be owner too?

Currently I could think of four underlying issues we should discuss upfront before any code work: scope, name, stack, organisation/roles I suggest using the org discussion for those.

I also created a Discord Server for chatting and simple communication.

This is just to take initiative and get us started. Nothing is set in stone. What do you think? Did I miss anything?

Everyone interested in contributing in any way is highly welcome 😉

gutierri commented 2 years ago

We can discuss it here and take it to the new organization. As I have no experience with discord and would not want to have a separate, asynchronous channel to discuss this, as tempting as it may seem these chat outlets tend to lose information over time.

I took the initiative to fork the repository there. And thanks @djbrown for the initiative.

My initial proposal would be something like:

Apply the changes (PR) to the new tree

Generate installable builds (alphas) via github actions and releases

Move current bug reports as target to next release

avecz commented 2 years ago

hello guys,

years ago I gave a little help translating the strings to brazilian-portuguese. Back then we used Crowdin for that: https://crowdin.com/project/gnucash-android

I could help with that again, if nobody else is available for brazilian-portuguese. But also, maybe I could help in other ways too. I'm an accountant / BI developer (mainly Qlik Sense, a little of Python and very very little of powershell).

djbrown commented 2 years ago

I opened a thread on the gnucash-devel mailing list to ask what would be necessary to move an official fork of this repo the gnucash org.

djbrown commented 2 years ago

@pedroabel I added you to the GnuCash-Pocket org. Do you still have access to the crowdin project, so we can reuse that?

avecz commented 2 years ago

thanks @djbrown . I have only the public access, unfortunatelly.

comradekingu commented 2 years ago

Please don't use Crowdin. I can help getting things set up on https://hosted.weblate.org/projects/gnucash/

jralls commented 2 years ago

@comradekingu You may not.

comradekingu commented 2 years ago

https://hosted.weblate.org then. Can I link to the project from https://hosted.weblate.org/projects/gnucash?

jralls commented 2 years ago

No. It's far too early to resume promoting GfA on GnuCash assets.

gutierri commented 2 years ago

support the idea of migrating to weblate! It's much simpler to translate there. I'm just not sure how to simply migrate it.

@djbrown created a repository, we can take advantage and put that there as a talking point.

pbneves commented 2 years ago

Hi, I've, in the past, translated the app to Portuguese (PT-pt) and I'm available to help also. I'm still using the app to record my expenses, and after that exporting via QIF to desktop version. This is my main use for the android version.

djbrown commented 2 years ago

I asked the GnuCash devs what would be necessary for the future project and maintainers to join the GnuCash community. They gave reasonable feedback - even beyond ❤️ - which made me rethink more generally. Most concerns were already on my list and I tried to discuss them as GitHub discussions, but they're so basic we should keep it here.

I will try to summarize the concerns, give my opinion and suggest sensible actions. Please let's first commit on a common understanding and approach - which may take some time to settle 😉 maybe even weeks

Engage in IRC Channel

see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/IRC personally at first I used KiwiIRC on web browser, now Thunderbird also I deleted the discord server in favour of IRC 🙌

Engage in Mailing Lists

https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists sign up and respond to questions and discussions about this project on gnucash-devel and gnucash-user I already signed up and will engage in discussions there too, but currently discussions are mainly on GitHub. after things have settled we should switch to the appropriate mailing lists, or at least ensure that new concerns on the mailing lists find its way to the mobile maintainers.

Clarify the Scope

According to Google Play reviews, most people use the app to enter transactions on the go and then import them to the desktop program. Therefore the product has to be completely compatible and integratable with GnuCash. One could also use it for simple standalone accounting, but there are better alternatives for that. Also it is not an Android port or mobile version of GnuCash. There are noway near as many features in the app. That might change some day, but strongly depends on what the users want.

Rename the Project

So far the name "GnuCash Pocket" has won with an absolute majority amongst all the proposed names, kudos to @yarons 🎊 I think it's great and makes the scope much more transparent: small, mobile, wallet, complementary, compatible I will contact the devs via mailing list and ask them if they like that name too.

We could then start renaming as following (proposal by @pnemonic78 ❤):

product name: GnuCash for Android -> GnuCash Pocket
project name: gnucash-android -> gnucash-pocket
technical name: org.gnucash.android -> org.gnucash.pocket

Update the Support Channel

There 3 abandonned supprort channels: GitHub Issues, UserVoice, Google+ Community

For the legacy Google+ Community (service discontinued) I started https://github.com/GnuCash-Pocket/gnucash-android/issues/4 in order to obtain historical knowledge for maintenance.
For UserVoice I would ask the GnuCash team, how they use it and whether they think it makes sense to keep this option available for users. I personally don't see much value in UserVoice, since users can just as well propose ideas through a custom GitHub Issue Template or mailing list. Sure those are a bit more nerdy, but the user base is too 🤓 and UserVoice needs registration too, so it's not more lightweight or easy to use..
For legacy GitHub Issues: We should keep the old issues in this project and guide new comments or issues to the future project. Alternatively, we can try to migrate, but that would be a bit more complex and not of much value. The only way we can interact with existing Issues here is via comments or emoji reactions. We could use reactions to organize the relevant issues and then automatically replicate and commet them as moved. Irrelevant issues could be commented as closed. Automation could be achieved via the GitHub API.

Integrate with GnuCash

We should use shared code for core functionality with GnuCash. There are many good reasons and concrete ideas, but we should tackle this one when the project is established and working. I will create an issue for that though.

djbrown commented 2 years ago

Also @gutierri i promoted you as maintainer in the new org. are you willing to occupy that role with me?

I have listed the current team members and their roles here: https://github.com/GnuCash-Pocket/gnucash-android/wiki/Contributors

Core Team

@djbrown: 👷‍♂️ maintainer @gutierri: 👷‍♂️ maintainer @pnemonic78: 📅 project manager @XilinJia: 👨‍💻 developer

Translation

@comradekingu: 🌎 translation coordination, weblate admin @pedroabel: translator 🇧🇷 pt-BR @pbneves: translator 🇵🇹 pt-PT

seanomat commented 2 years ago

Just wanted to let y'all know: I am so thankful, that you picked up this project. I heavily rely on gnucash (desktop and mobile) and was really worried after this project has been stale for such a long time.

milotype commented 2 years ago

I can help with Croatian translations (which I've done in the past for both projects …)

If possible, it would be good if the new project GnuCash-Pocket could at least share the glossary (or identical source strings) of the project GnuCash on Hosted Weblate. This would help to have identical wording betweeen the apps.

But, it may depend upon the translation licences of the two projects. I'm no lawyer, so I don't know if my suggestion is legit.

lxbzmy commented 2 years ago

+1 l can translate zh-cn

Milo Ivir @.***> 于 2022年10月1日周六 22:43写道：

I can help with Croatian translations (which I've done in the past for both projects …)

If possible, it would be good if the new project GnuCash-Pocket could at least share the glossary (or identical source strings) of the project GnuCash on Hosted Weblate. This would help to have identical wording betweeen the apps.

But, it may depend upon the translation licences of the two projects. I'm no lawyer, so I don't know if my suggestion is legit.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/codinguser/gnucash-android/issues/913#issuecomment-1264385194, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAQ3HTJF2XU3Y7MEZBOUVSDWBBEZ7ANCNFSM5TQTJN6A . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: @.***>

savornicesei commented 2 years ago

I suggest continuing the conversation in the new org and project so that it gains traction. As a GnuCash user, thank you all for the initiative!

Kaligula0 commented 2 years ago

In my fork (https://github.com/XilinJia/gnucash-android-kotlin), most codes are now in Kotlin. The package builds under Kotlin 1.7.10

Are you, XilinJia, interested in participating in GnuCash Pocket as it is arising now? Or maybe you want to develop it only by yourself? Because I see that djbrown claimed you as a developer, not even asking you how you see yourself in this starting project.

Kaligula0 commented 2 years ago

BTW, I will translate pl-PL. Sometimes could help with coding, too, but I'm lame in Java/Kotlin (bug fixes rather than developing).

fellen commented 2 years ago

Conditons of a free hosted weblate project: https://hosted.weblate.org/hosting/ like one of the accepted licenses.

BTW most translators should drop the country code. There are a few exceptions like pt-BR (different words) or zh-* (different writing). Else you would exclude users from other countries. As an example see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_where_Portuguese_is_an_official_language

yarons commented 2 years ago

@fellen I think it supports both methods but changing it is generally a more convenient and standard approach.

XilinJia commented 2 years ago

In my fork (https://github.com/XilinJia/gnucash-android-kotlin), most codes are now in Kotlin. The package builds under Kotlin 1.7.10

Are you, XilinJia, interested in participating in GnuCash Pocket as it is arising now? Or maybe you want to develop it only by yourself? Because I see that djbrown calimed you as a developer, not even asking you how you see yourself in this starting project.

Hi @Kaligula0, I agreed to join the new project and would like to contribute. I am not exactly sure as to what's expected from me as a "developer", but I am willing to contribute some non-trivial effort.

The work in my fork has been done when the project is idle. There are quite substantial updates. Once the project gets going, I hope to get it merged so we can start with an updated code base.

yarons commented 2 years ago

I think it would be better to make sure we're all synced about that and that your changes are accepted before dealing with all that, BTW are your build instructions submitted to F-Droid/GitHub Actions/etc.? Does that make sense @XilinJia ?

codinguser / gnucash-android