The History of Computerized Accounting
Accounting software has changed throughout history. Some computerized systems and software of historical importance include Ada's original computing machine, the IBM 9Pac, Peachtree software, and Quicken software.
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The First Computing Machine
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The first computing machine ever created was used for accounting. Countess Ada Lovelace worked on a general purpose computing engine. Along with the mathematicians Charles Babbage and Louis Menebria, Ada's writings describe how the computing engine operates and what it can calculate. As the first description of how to build a computer, this is the basis of computerized accounting.
IBM 9Pac
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After World War II, large-scale computerized accounting systems were available in the United States. The IBM 9Pac was one of the first programming systems used by business employees that did not require large amounts of specialized programming knowledge. A 9Pac manual from 1961 explains that this system could be used to add up the amounts of sales recorded by each salesman at a company. Many modern accounting systems are derivatives of IBM's computerized accounting software.
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SAP
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SAP is a German software company, founded by German computer programmers who left IBM. SAP focuses on large-scale business software. In 1973, the company offered its first software release, called SAP R/1. SAP added additional elements to its software packages to create systems to aid in executive decision making, as well as components that allow automated financial transactions. SAP's original customers were German industrial corporations, and the company is now one of the largest worldwide vendors of computerized accounting software.
Peachtree
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Peachtree was one of the first publicly available computerized accounting programs. The company was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, which is famous for its peaches. Peachtree was first sold in 1976 at the Computer System Center, a computer store in Atlanta where the software creators worked. Since it was included with the original IBM PC as well as sold in stores, Peachtree was the first accounting program that was widely known among the general public.
Intuit
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Quicken is a computerized accounting program for personal finance. According to its creator, the business software firm Intuit, Quicken was introduced in 1983 and simplified functions such as reconciling checkbooks and tracking budgets. Intuit also introduced Quickbooks, a more comprehensive small business accounting program, and Turbo Tax, an automated program to calculate federal and state income taxes.
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References
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