ATL259

ATL259: The Dead Pool

ATL259 – The Dead Pool

Episode Summary

In this memorable and surprisingly emotional episode of the Accounting Technology Lab, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley reflect on the “dead pool” of accounting and business software — products that have already disappeared or are approaching end-of-life support. The conversation blends humor, nostalgia, and serious operational warnings for accounting firms still relying on aging technology.

The hosts honor legacy products such as Microsoft Office Accounting, Creative Solutions Accounting, Great Plains, QuickBooks Point of Sale, Peachtree for DOS, and many others that shaped the accounting profession over decades. They also discuss looming deadlines for products including Microsoft Publisher, Office 2021, Windows 10, and File Cabinet CS from Thomson Reuters.

A major focus of the episode is the hidden danger of delayed software migrations. Brian explains the enormous complexity firms may face when converting legacy document management systems, especially File Cabinet CS, where documents are stored page-by-page as images requiring reconstruction and re-indexing.

The hosts warn that firms are “burning daylight” if they wait too long to begin planning these migrations.

The episode ultimately serves as both a tribute to past innovations and a practical wake-up call for firms needing to modernize before support deadlines create operational disasters.

Catchy Quotes

Time	Quote
00:00	“This is a sad day. We're here to celebrate the dead pool.”
03:52	“Being right and accurate isn’t always enough.”
06:31	“Microsoft Publisher files will not be readable by the surviving products.”
11:46	“You’re running out of daylight.”
12:20	“I lost half my bee colonies this winter because I didn’t get the chores done.”
13:34	“This is not an asset that you want to gamble with.”
16:12	“This is an IED that can blow up your entire season next year.”
17:32	“You’re burning daylight if you’re not looking at this right now.”
18:05	“The cost of using AI to do these conversions is high.”
18:42	“We have learned from many and stood on the shoulders of giants.”

Products, Services, and Companies Mentioned

Product / Company	X	Facebook	LinkedIn	Instagram
CPA Practice Advisor	@CPAPracticeAdv	facebook.com/cpapracticeadvisor	linkedin.com/company/cpa-practice-advisor	@cpapracticeadvisor
Thomson Reuters	@ThomsonReuters	facebook.com/thomsonreuters	linkedin.com/company/thomson-reuters	@thomsonreuters
Microsoft	@Microsoft	facebook.com/Microsoft	linkedin.com/company/microsoft	@microsoft
Intuit	@Intuit	facebook.com/Intuit	linkedin.com/company/intuit	@intuit
QuickBooks	@QuickBooks	facebook.com/QuickBooks	linkedin.com/showcase/quickbooks	@quickbooks
Quicken	@Quicken	facebook.com/Quicken	linkedin.com/company/quicken	@quickenloans
SAP	@SAP	facebook.com/SAP	linkedin.com/company/sap	@sap
Dynamics 365	@MSDynamics365	facebook.com/MicrosoftDynamics365	linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-dynamics-365	@microsoft
Lisio	@LiscioApp	facebook.com/liscioapp	linkedin.com/company/liscio	@liscioapp
Teams	@MicrosoftTeams	facebook.com/MicrosoftTeams	linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-teams	@microsoft365
SharePoint	@SharePoint	facebook.com/Microsoft365	linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-sharepoint	@microsoft365
Claude	@AnthropicAI	facebook.com/AnthropicAI	linkedin.com/company/anthropicresearch	@anthropicai
ChatGPT / OpenAI	@OpenAI	facebook.com/OpenAI	linkedin.com/company/openai	@openai

Suggested Hashtags

#AccountingTechnology  
#CPA  
#TaxTechnology  
#DocumentManagement  
#AccountingFirms  
#Cybersecurity  
#Windows10  
#Microsoft  
#QuickBooks  
#FileCabinetCS  
#AI  
#AccountingAI  
#FirmManagement  
#TechnologyLeadership  
#CPAPracticeAdvisor