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My Girlfriend helps a bit, but for the most part, it's myself working.

I do transportation modeling, anywhere from modeling traffic flows, traffic impact studies, transit studies, safety impact studies, to transportation policy.

The tools I can't live without are:

  • Ubuntu
    • QGIS
    • PostgreSQL and PostGIS
    • Grass
    • SKype
    • Codeweaver that runs MsOffice 2007
    • EDIT ADDED: PyDev/Eclipse
    • EDIT ADDED: Gnome DO
  • VirtualBox - Win Vista
    • Microsoft Office 2007
    • CAD and Transportation Software I use
    • Adobe Acrobat

I currently do most if not all of the business work through Excel and Word. I live in Canada and I was wondering what are some of the products you use for business purposes: inventory, invoicing, tendering, backup, email logs, data interoperability.

What are some of the proprietary or open-source tools that'll make my life easier? The more tools and suggestions you mention, the better as I'm willing to try a solution at least once.

EDIT Concerning the comment some of the issues I have difficulties with include:

  • Optimize my project organization: in a lot of my projects, the input data is similar, but the clients and project are different, so a good file/project manager
  • My invoice system is basically an excel workbook per year, and each tab represents a new invoice. The same goes to bids and inventory.
  • I use Gnome Do for logging in project hours, but a lot of times, I forget to turn it on.
  • I use PGadmin III to manage my postgresql, It'll be nice if there were addons to that.
  • A good organization system, that is dedicated to organizing projects

I hope that answers the comment

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I think if you're looking for tools and software but you don't know what need or problem you're trying to solve, you're going about it backwards... – ahockley Sep 14 '09 at 15:55
If your primary environment is ubuntu, why are you using Excel & Word rather than open office? Very few people I work with are even aware that most of the 'excel' files they receive from me we actually generated by open office. – DaveParillo Sep 16 '09 at 15:03
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2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

If you open to using Gnome, have you considered GnuCash? I've used it for myself, but my needs are very basic, so YMMV. It's laid out according to the typical simple gnome style, but I found it very useful for invoicing especially. Reads QIF if you're exchanging with quickbooks or your bank.

You can use it like you'd use a checkbook:

Checking account example

But you can orgainize you data any way you like:

GnuCash in Ubuntu

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up vote 1 down vote

Quickbooks or any accounting package...

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