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Millions of people use and develop open source software for a variety of reasons, ranging from ethical considerations to practical issues.

Typically, the first benefit associated with open source software is the fact that it is distributed either free of charge or at a very low cost. However, the advantages of open source software don't stop with this characteristic.

Bug-fixing

When a flaw is detected in proprietary software, only the original developers can fix them. In the case of open source software, bugs are easier to spot and can be rapidly dealt with because many users can see and change the code. This rule also applies to security flaws. Although open source programs can be more vulnerable to hackers, security flaws in open source software are usually fixed more quickly that those of closed source software, before real damage is done.

Less Marketing Pressure

Marketing pressure is less of an issue with open source software as there is no proprietor pushing for strict delivery deadlines. Generally, open source programs are delivered incrementally, by the "release early, release often" rule, which allows users to find bugs quickly and offer improvement ideas.

Customization

Commercial software can only be customized or adjusted within the limits set by the proprietor. Open source software can be customized by anyone to meet any user requirements.

Less Risk of Product Discontinuation

When a commercial software vendor goes bankrupt, their software products often cease to be available and their users have to switch products, which can be quite costly. With open source software, this risk is minimized. As the source code is nobody's property, any parties interested in a product's survival can pick it up and support it.

Less Risk of Vendor Lock-in

Companies are 'locked-in' to software programs when switching to another vendor offering equivalent products becomes too expensive. While closed-source software vendors often make their products incompatible with products offered by their competitors, open source applications typically have standard formats and there is less risk of being 'locked-in' by a vendor.

In sum, the functionality and usability of most open source programs are not inferior to their proprietary counterparts. Further, such programs are constantly being improved by programmers around the world. In fact, there are no real advantages to using proprietary software over the open source solutions.

Open Source Time Tracking Software

In the current economic environment small companies are trying to economize on everything and boost productivity at the same time. Due to the issue of insufficient budgeting, they want their employees to save more while still meeting the company's objectives and expectations. As a result, professionals including designers, developers, copywriters, marketers who bill on an hourly basis have an additional headache of having to track every minute of billable time. All it takes to cure this headache is to give open source time tracking software a try.

There is an awful lot of open source time tracking solutions available on the Internet, which are classified according to different specifications and features. They are also known as project management software, web based time clock software, pc time clock software, expense tracking software, task management software, time recording software, time management software, etc.

Anuko Time Tracker is a user-friendly web-based application for tracking time and managing projects. Geared toward businesses of all shapes and sizes, this open source solution allows you to track work time employees or teammates spend on any project or task that you need to keep a record on. Free hosting, ease of use, open source code, intuitive interface, quality support, and reliability are good reasons for giving this application a try.

In addition to these advantages, there are many useful features that make Anuko Time Tracker a good solution in a huge landscape of available project management programs. These features include:

The ability to track time from any computer with the Internet connection and a web browser.
The option of assigning users to groups (Manager, Co-Manager, and User).
Creating clear and relevant reports which can be viewed online, downloaded as spreadsheets and even sent by e-mail straight from the program interface.
Interfaces in 23 languages.
Generating billing invoices.

Rachota Timetracker is a great time tracking tool to work with. Although its interface might seem a bit complicated, the program is simple to use and has a number of useful features. For instance, you can define your working hours and get notified when they are not reached or when you worked over time. The program comes equipped with an effective Analytics tool which lets you compare the amount of time spent and tasks performed. Developed in Java, this application runs on all major platforms.

Baralga is an easy-to use and lightweight open source time tracker with a standard set of features which enables users to save as much time for time tracking as possible. This solution is great for those who simply need to record the hours spent on every task.

Kimai is an open source timetracker which can be installed as a web service or as a single-user program on one's local workstation. It should be noted that users without PHP knowledge might find it confusing to install Kimai. However, latest versions of this solution come with an installer that simplifies the process and explains problems.

If you're looking for an open source project management web-based solution with integrated time tracking, you might like Redmine. Based on Ruby on Rails framework, this program supports multiple projects and allows you to assign different users to each project and turn certain features on and off.

Find an open source time tracker that meets your needs and give it a whirl. You will see how easy it is to get rid of the burden of using traditional time-consuming time tracking methods. The most difficult part is to figure out how to spend your newly discovered free time.