"Currency" account type documentation is misleading

[Malcolm Parsons]

The gnucash documentation contains this:

              <row>
                <entry><para>Currency</para></entry>
                <entry><para>Currency Accounts are used for trading currencies.</para></entry>
              </row>

This is misleading, as Currency accounts can no longer be created, and trading currencies is done using the Currency Transfer pane on the Transfer Funds Window.

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu intrepid (development branch)
Release: 8.10

$ apt-cache policy gnucash-docs
gnucash-docs:
  Installed: 2.2.0-3
  Candidate: 2.2.0-3
  Version table:
 *** 2.2.0-3 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com intrepid/universe Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

Do you mean that this functionnality existed in the past and is now unavailable? If yes, can you say which version of gnucash had that functionnality?

[Malcolm Parsons (malcolm-parsons)]

Yes, this functionality used to exist in gnucash.

I first used it in August 2000.
I last used it in March 2003.
I was using Debian unstable in 2003, so it was probably gnucash 1.8.2.

The current documentation does still document the Currency account type:

Help_ch_Account-Actions.xml:
              <row>
                <entry><para>Currency</para></entry>
                <entry><para>Currency Accounts are used for trading currencies.</para></entry>
              </row>

I found this in the source:

guint32
xaccAccountTypesValid(void)
{
    guint32 mask = (1 << NUM_ACCOUNT_TYPES) - 1;
    mask &= ~((1 << ACCT_TYPE_CURRENCY) | /* DEPRECATED */
              (1 << ACCT_TYPE_ROOT)); /* ROOT */

    return mask;
}

So maybe the functionality was replaced, but the old documentation remained.

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

Did you open a bug upstream? Ubuntu is a distribution, we "distribute" opensource software and make it widely available. However, even if ubuntu continuously help upstream projects, it does not develop these softwares by itself. Therefore, if you want this issue to get more visibility, can you open a bug in gnucash bug tracking system? http://bugzilla.gnome.org/

Once you reported this bug upstream, you can link it to the ubuntu launchpad bug if you want.

Also, I found this that might be relevant to this bug report : http://svn.gnucash.org/docs/HEAD/currencies.html

[Malcolm Parsons (malcolm-parsons)]

not a software bug

[Malcolm Parsons (malcolm-parsons)]

Suggested description of currency account type:

              <row>
                <entry><para>Currency</para></entry>
                <entry><para>Currency Accounts were used for trading currencies, but have
                 been replaced by the Currency Transfer pane on the Transfer Funds Window
                 (<xref linkend="trans-win-enter"></xref>).</para></entry>
              </row>

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

Malcolm Parsons : As I suggested above, can you get in touch with gnucash developers so this get fixed in their documentation? Fixing this problem in upstream gnucash project is the right solution as it will apply to all linux distributions as well as the Windows gnucash documentation. Having this patch only in ubuntu and only for C locale does not really make sense. Can you forward your improvement to gnucash developers?

Thanks for the time you spend to improve gnucash!

[Malcolm Parsons (malcolm-parsons)]

Saïvann Carignan : I agree that this bug is not a result of the Ubuntu packaging of gnucash.

I don't understand why I am being asked to perform bug triage on bugs I submit.

If you're triaging this bug, please mark it as confirmed
    https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToTriage#Confirming
and forward it upstream
    https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToTriage#Forwarding%20upstream

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

Malcolm Parsons : I'm giving you the information you need to make sure that your contribution can give results. As I said, this bug report does not need to stay open for ubuntu, we can keep it open but that won't help it to get fixed upstream, which is the real goal here. Since you are the contributor and that you know the problem very well, I invite you to do so. Of course I can do it for you, but that won't help you to learn how to contribute to upstream projects. Also, your patch only apply for C locale, so you will probably need to get in touch with people who write the gnucash documentation to improve what you have done so far.

[Malcolm Parsons (malcolm-parsons)]

Saïvann Carignan : I'm giving you the information you need to make sure that you are actually contributing to Ubuntu.

At the moment you are saying "Ubuntu is not interested in your problem, please talk to someone else".

It is the responsibility of the bug triager to make sure that the bug is submitted upstream:
    http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2001/05/msg01514.html

Do not try to pass the buck.

If you do not have time to forward it upstream, then open an upstream task without a bug watch:
    https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToTriage#Marking%20a%20Bug%20as%20Requiring%20Forwarding

I'm certainly not suggesting that this patch be applied to Ubuntu immediately, or that it be applied upstream without considering translations.

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

If you don't have time or don't want to forward your contribution to upstream developers, please simply mention it. However don't assume that I "must" do it or don't turn your sentences to a personal attack, don't forget that this is community collaboration. Your comments are not collaborative and respectful : http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct

I use to triage bugs, and I often forward bugs upstream. In this particular case, I already mentioned that your work might require you to work with upstream gnucash people so if you're not willing to collaborate with them so your contribution can get improved and included in gnucash, I will still forward your patches to gnucash but I can predict that something will be missing in the bug report : you. I'm asking you to work with gnucash developers in respect of the work you already done, not because I don't want to do it. It would have been pretty easier to forward it upstream without a word than trying to explain you why your contribution is important.

Your patch fixes documentation, so that's the kind of thing that often requires discussion. If your patch would fix a crash bug, all required steps would already have been taken to test it and consider it for upstream gnucash and for ubuntu. However code and documentation are different things, and uploading this change in ubuntu only is just counterproductive for both ubuntu and gnucash. Don't forget that ubuntu is a distribution. The goal is to work with upstream projects, not only to work on ubuntu.

So I'm forwarding your bug upstream, it will take 3 minutes. Don't forget that the most important if you want to help gnucash project is your own collaboration.

[Saivann Carignan (oxmosys)]

Upstream developers applied your contribution to gnucash trunk, thanks you very much for your work!

[Micha Lenk (micha)]

The upstream bug was fixed in 2008. Ubuntu precise now ships gnucash-docs 2.4.1, which was released in July 2011. Hence I consider this bug fixed.