In the late 1980s, just after I started my Canberra Computer Accounting Software consultancy, I fell in love with NewViews! It had been developed and was sold by Q.W Page Associates of Toronto. Those Canadians are pretty smart when it comes to recording their loonies!
It was a dream-come-true accounting software for the accountant who had been handed the proverbial shoebox full of invoices, receipts, cheque stubs, and back-of-an-envelope scribbles from which to construct a set of financial books. One could dive right in and start recording from any point for any period as NewViews was totally flexible and non-modular. It offered the feel and flexibility of an endless array of spreadsheets while preserving the integrity of Pacioli's double-entry bookkeeping - click here for Pacioli's 'Treatise' - and an unalterable audit trail.
The flexibility came with a trade-off, however, as NewViews was perceived by some to have a long learning curve, and to require a greater investment of time and effort to create a customized accounting solution. In a software review published in InfoWorld, NewViews was compared to "going to a tailor and handing him a bolt of cloth and a pair of scissors. The result will suit you perfectly, but at a greater cost of time and effort than if it was ready-made."
I took to NewViews immediately and found it a pleasure to use and I did a lot of bespoke-tailoring with it! I am pleased to see that it is still alive and well today!
