As a user of Quickbooks 2007 and 2009 after it, I was looking forward to trying out the latest and greatest version to resolve some nagging issues that I had with the 2009 version (some of which were carry-overs from 2007 that I figured would be fixed in 2009) and gain much-needed compatibility with Windows 7.

Most importantly, I wanted to have complete compatibility with Windows 7 (64 bit). While QB2009 worked for the most part, it was not able to generate PDF files and it was a little fussy about applying updates without running in Administrator mode. Generating PDF's is how I generate invoices and send them out by E-Mail, so this is an important feature for me.

On that point, I was very happy when QB2010 installed on both Windows 7 RC and the release version successfully. Unfortunately, a subsequent update caused PDF generation to fail. This update (R5) was done by Intuit on December 29, 2009, and nearly 3 months later, it has not been fixed. Fortunately, there is documentation in Intuit's support site about a workaround that is successful.

For them to break functionality and then not fix it after more than two months is inappropriate, and it calls into question what they might break in future revision updates. I will definitely think twice when any new updates are flagged and check around before applying them.

Aside from that, how does Quickbooks 2010 work?

Sadly, some nagging interface issues have existed in Quickbooks since at least the 2007 version and the company shows no sign of improving them.

For example, the process of entering billable time is very clunky. The fields do not default to a preset value, or even the last value entered. For a sole proprietor, there is never a need to enter a different person for whom time record applies. Rather than default to the only employee name present in the Employees list, the drop-down insists on looking through all of the "Other Names" for possible matches. My name is listed above the "other names" but as I type, it ignores my name at the top of the list and shows the first match to the letters typed until enough of my name has been typed to exclude all other possibilities. A small issue, sure, but aggravating nonetheless.

As a long-time Quicken user, my first impression of Quickbooks 2007 was that it was years behind Quicken 2006 in interface design. Dialogs look like they were designed when Windows 3.1 was all the rage. Being a business tool, I don't need or want animated clip art or unnecessary visual elements, but isn't it possible to introduce user interface elements that would make the dialogs more visually effective and maybe even a little more appealing?

In addition to a visual design that looks very dated, there are interface elements that are not suitably-sized for their contents. An example of this is in the "Make Deposits" dialog. The "Deposit to" drop-down box is so small that the names of the accounts do not fit. This makes it difficult to distinguish between accounts that may have similar beginnings with account numbers at the end. This forces me to change how I do things instead of the software adapting to my needs. The dialog has plenty of horizontal space, so expanding that field would not be a problem. The program is littered with examples like this, and I will not belabor the point by providing more examples.

The time it takes Quickbooks to start and load a company file got longer from 2009 to 2010 as well. I'm not able to time-test between them, but the startup time is excruciating (~30-45 seconds), and it prevents me from being able to pop into the program, do a little data entry and get back out again and return to other tasks.

Should a Quickbooks 2009 user upgrade?

At this point, I would say no. Unless you need a feature that was introduced in 2010. Since I received 2010 at the same time that Windows 7 was officially released, I don't have any experience running QB 2009 under the released version of Windows 7. It's possible that the PDF generation issues in 2009 can be fixed with the same workaround that is necessary for R5 release of 2010.

I have found no compelling features in 2010 that were not in 2009. Everyone uses this program differently, so what may be inconsequential to me may be vitally important to someone else. However, based on my usage needs, so little has changed between Quickbooks 2007 and 2010 that Intuit should be embarrassed to continue charging $150+ for each incremental upgrade they release each year.

That said, however, Quickbooks 2010 does serve my needs. I am now entrenched in the program far enough that I would not be interested in moving to a different tool unless there was a significant reason to do so. The time and effort that would take would need to be compensated by a large benefit in usability, features, and/or productivity in my workflow.

While I will check out the inevitable release of Quickbooks 2011 in the hopes that some of these issues will be addressed, they will need to impress me with what I see before I would shell out another $150 for a new version.
As a user of Quickbooks 2007 and 2009 after it, I was looking forward to trying out the latest and greatest version to resolve some nagging issues that I had with the 2009 version (some of which were carry-overs from 2007 that I figured would be fixed in 2009) and gain much-needed compatibility with Windows 7. Most importantly, I wanted to have complete compatibility with Windows 7 (64 bit). While QB2009 worked for the most part, it was not able to generate PDF files and it was a little fussy about applying updates without running in Administrator mode. Generating PDF's is how I generate invoices and send them out by E-Mail, so this is an important feature for me. On that point, I was very happy when QB2010 installed on both Windows 7 RC and the release version successfully. Unfortunately, a subsequent update caused PDF generation to fail. This update (R5) was done by Intuit on December 29, 2009, and nearly 3 months later, it has not been fixed. Fortunately, there is documentation in Intuit's support site about a workaround that is successful. For them to break functionality and then not fix it after more than two months is inappropriate, and it calls into question what they might break in future revision updates. I will definitely think twice when any new updates are flagged and check around before applying them. Aside from that, how does Quickbooks 2010 work? Sadly, some nagging interface issues have existed in Quickbooks since at least the 2007 version and the company shows no sign of improving them. For example, the process of entering billable time is very clunky. The fields do not default to a preset value, or even the last value entered. For a sole proprietor, there is never a need to enter a different person for whom time record applies. Rather than default to the only employee name present in the Employees list, the drop-down insists on looking through all of the "Other Names" for possible matches. My name is listed above the "other names" but as I type, it ignores my name at the top of the list and shows the first match to the letters typed until enough of my name has been typed to exclude all other possibilities. A small issue, sure, but aggravating nonetheless. As a long-time Quicken user, my first impression of Quickbooks 2007 was that it was years behind Quicken 2006 in interface design. Dialogs look like they were designed when Windows 3. 1 was all the rage. Being a business tool, I don't need or want animated clip art or unnecessary visual elements, but isn't it possible to introduce user interface elements that would make the dialogs more visually effective and maybe even a little more appealing? In addition to a visual design that looks very dated, there are interface elements that are not suitably-sized for their contents. An example of this is in the "Make Deposits" dialog. The "Deposit to" drop-down box is so small that the names of the accounts do not fit. This makes it difficult to distinguish between accounts that may have similar beginnings with account numbers at the end. This forces me to change how I do things instead of the software adapting to my needs. The dialog has plenty of horizontal space, so expanding that field would not be a problem. The program is littered with examples like this, and I will not belabor the point by providing more examples. The time it takes Quickbooks to start and load a company file got longer from 2009 to 2010 as well. I'm not able to time-test between them, but the startup time is excruciating (~30-45 seconds), and it prevents me from being able to pop into the program, do a little data entry and get back out again and return to other tasks. Should a Quickbooks 2009 user upgrade? At this point, I would say no. Unless you need a feature that was introduced in 2010. Since I received 2010 at the same time that Windows 7 was officially released, I don't have any experience running QB 2009 under the released version of Windows 7. It's possible that the PDF generation issues in 2009 can be fixed with the same workaround that is necessary for R5 release of 2010. I have found no compelling features in 2010 that were not in 2009. Everyone uses this program differently, so what may be inconsequential to me may be vitally important to someone else. However, based on my usage needs, so little has changed between Quickbooks 2007 and 2010 that Intuit should be embarrassed to continue charging $150+ for each incremental upgrade they release each year. That said, however, Quickbooks 2010 does serve my needs. I am now entrenched in the program far enough that I would not be interested in moving to a different tool unless there was a significant reason to do so. The time and effort that would take would need to be compensated by a large benefit in usability, features, and/or productivity in my workflow. While I will check out the inevitable release of Quickbooks 2011 in the hopes that some of these issues will be addressed, they will need to impress me with what I see before I would shell out another $150 for a new version.