title: Advice on what platform and technology to use: distributed bookkeeping app
body: <p>I have an opportunity to learn some new tech to write this code. Basic requirements:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>users in various locations worldwide</li>
  <li>user control: control who can see, edit, approve various sheets/accounts/transactions within a sheet</li>
  <li>parse bank statement files into the system</li>
  <li>generate reports</li>
  <li>robust logging: who enters, edits, approves transactions</li>
  <li>secure, reliable data storage</li>
  <li>ability to serve from the Internet, or a local network web server</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I was going to use a Google Docs Spreadsheet with scripts, but I can't see the user control being rigid enough.</p>
  
  <p>At the moment I am leaning towards Java Servlets and JSP with Google App Engine.</p>
  
  <p>What would you use?</p>