Quickbooks 2006 or 2005 Contractor Edition

Thoughts about what exactly?

I don't use 2005 or 2006 but I seriously doubt they have done any improvements or added any Construction related features.

The Construction Edition is a marketing gimmick targeted for people who are very likely not computer literate and not able to tell that the CE is exactly the same version like the main versions with a few menu options arranged differently and called with a different name.

The two or three features relating to Construction in CE, like a couple of special reports, change orders, etc, are so inadequate that I seriously doubt they are used by even a 10% of CE users.

For a program that can't even sort correctly, there's no hope that Intuit will ever have any interest in implementing decent Construction related features. Quickbooks is not good for job costing related businesses like Construction where everything revolves around a Job and not a date. It can keep track of invoices and bill payments and the like, very basic bookkeeping for very basic needs, but it can't produce reports that are sensible for a Construction related business.

Meaning, if the regular version is OK for you then CE has nothing to offer unless you are so lucky as to find the half-assed attempts at one or two extra reports exactly what you were looking for, but I doubt it.

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Version 2006 should be out in early November.

Thank you Alan and Nospam for your replies. I am currently using QB Pro

2002 and they no longer offer updates for it so I find myself in need of another accounting software for our small construction company. I am considering either QB Pro 2006 or CE 2006. Thank you for your input. Elaine

I don't know if they still give out demos. If you can get one for CE get it and see if the (non) features are worth it but it's unlikely. They're mostly after the additional $150 from people that can't tell the difference. When you see how they have implemented Change Orders you'll see what I mean.

They still can't show what job a bill is for on open bills reports.

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Don't you get it? No one except you cares.

Out of curiosity "Nospam" what accounting software do you currently use that does everything you need it to do.

Thanks

No software package on the face of the earth will ever do now, or in the future what he wants. Hejust loves to complain.

Intuit's "MasterBuilder" will do what you want, but it's not inexpensive. I paid $5600 for my version. It has a steep learning curve and the data entry is a bit cumbersome compared to QB, but for construction, it is light years ahead of QB.

Thanks for the reply, but thats a little more than I care to spend. Thanks again.

None. All have shortcomings. But the ones in Quickbooks are the worst. Any 1st year student in programming can immediately see the horrid level of quality that Quickbooks is.

As far as Construction specific features, it's even worse.

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It's not that nobody cares, Mr Cheerleader. It's because most QB's users are ignorant (as I am about electrical circuits) and don't know that it is trivial for a program to show what job a bill is for.

It's unthinkable that someone who runs a Construction, Remodeling, etc, company does not want to see what job his/her open bills are for. But first of all they don't take the time to complain, and second Construction people are generally computer illiterate and don't know that this information is easy to put on a piece of paper.

Now go cheer.

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That's the fingerprint of Intuit incompetence - as expected.

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