@node Introduction, Top Level, GNU Free Documentation License, Top
@unnumbered Introduction

@strong{This whole document is completely outdated. Don't read this. All
function names and every described structure has changed
completely. Only read this if you want to know how gnucash looked like
in 1999. This is completely outdated!}

This document defines the design and architecture of the GnuCash
program, an application for tracking finances. GnuCash is composed
of several subsystems or modules. This document describes each module,
specifying its interface and, where appropriate, its implementation,
as well as describing the interactions between each module.

@unnumberedsec Who Should Read This Document?

Anyone who plans on making a significant change or addition to GnuCash's
functionality should read this document. By adhering to the structure
presented here, your contribution will be more likely to work correctly
with existing and future features.

@unnumberedsec Goals

GnuCash is intended to be a finance and accounting program for
individuals and small businesses. As such, it should have the
following primary features:

@itemize

@item
A sound underlying model for financial entities such as currencies,
transactions, and accounts.

@item
A user interface which provides an efficient way to accomplish
common tasks, such as transaction entry, account reconciliation,
etc.

@item
The ability to generate and print standard financial reports
such as Income Statements, Balance Sheets, etc.

@item
The ability to generate and print graphs of financial information.

@end itemize

A more comprehensive list of current and planned features for GnuCash
is located at @uref{http://cvs.gnucash.org/linux/gnucash/projects.html}.