Install homebank with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• homebank

Project history

The official About page gives HomeBank one of the richer origin stories in this batch. Doyen describes writing a BASIC console application on an Amstrad CPC6128 in 1985, porting a console app to AmigaBasic around 1990, then starting a C application for personal accounting on Amiga in March 1995 after not finding a suitable replacement.

The first Amiga public release, version 1.0, arrived on January 2, 1998 under a shareware license. In May 2004, version 3.0 moved to a freeware license and Doyen started a complete GNU/Linux rewrite in C and GTK+. The project then entered its cross-platform era: a first GNU/Linux release in September 2006, Mac OS via MacPorts in August 2007, Microsoft Windows in May 2008, and a GTK+ 3 migration in February 2015.

Adoption history

HomeBank adoption grew from a single-developer personal tool into a widely packaged personal-finance application. Launchpad records the project as registered by Maxime Doyen in May 2007, lists Git as the version-control system, shows C and GTK as programming languages, and exposes bugs, translations, questions, packages in distributions, and code branches.

The official download page says HomeBank is available in most GNU/Linux distributions as a native package, while macOS installation is handled through Homebrew or MacPorts. The supplied package facts also show distribution through Linux package managers, Windows package managers, and macOS package managers, which matches HomeBank's cross-platform desktop-app identity.

How it is used

HomeBank is used to manage personal accounts, transactions, budgets, scheduled transactions, reports, imports, and exports. Official feature docs mention QIF, OFX, QFX, and CSV import, duplicate detection, account types, scheduled transactions, category splits, internal transfers, tags, budgets, dynamic reports, charts, and an XML account data file for portability.

Package-manager users care less about a shell interface and more about getting a working GTK desktop app with the right platform integration. On macOS, Homebrew and MacPorts fill that role; on Linux, distro packages are common; on Windows, the official installer includes GTK binaries and a portable option.

Why package nerds care

HomeBank is package-nerd significant because it is an old-school cross-platform desktop app with a long personal history, GTK dependencies, translation and support infrastructure, and many downstream package channels. It is the kind of app where packaging determines whether non-Linux users can easily try it.

It also shows why package databases should not assume every brew formula is a command-line tool. HomeBank has a Homebrew formula and an executable name, but its cultural role is personal finance GUI software with portable data files, not a shell utility.

Timeline

• 1985: Doyen coded a BASIC pocket-money application on Amstrad CPC6128.
• 1995: HomeBank's Amiga C development began for personal accounting needs.
• 1998: HomeBank 1.0 public Amiga release under shareware license.
• 2004: HomeBank 3.0 moved to freeware and a GNU/Linux C/GTK rewrite began.
• 2006: First GNU/Linux release after alpha releases.
• 2007: Launchpad project registered and Mac OS availability via MacPorts arrived.
• 2008: Native Microsoft Windows availability arrived.
• 2015: HomeBank 5.0 migrated to GTK+ 3.x.

Related projects

• Launchpad is central to HomeBank's development infrastructure for code, bugs, translations, answers, and distribution package tracking. GTK is the main toolkit lineage named by the official history and Launchpad metadata. MacPorts and Homebrew are explicitly named by upstream as macOS installation paths.

Sources

• https://launchpad.net/homebank - official Launchpad project metadata for maintainer, registration, code, language, packages, and translations.
• https://www.gethomebank.org/en/about.php - official project history and license page.
• https://www.gethomebank.org/en/downloads.php - official download and package-channel notes.
• https://www.gethomebank.org/en/features.php - official feature and data-file notes.
• https://www.gethomebank.org/en/index.php - official project overview, maturity statement, and platform notes.