OpenUru.org

Several groupware packages for project management are under evaluation.

Some of the details about evaluation efforts are falling back in the pages of the OpenURU.org Resources & Tools thread. Rather than try to manage a split of that thread, or wait until the evaluation process is complete, this forum is opened for evaluation discussion. With several packages to test, this will probably not be a short process as we all have other things to do in real life with our spare time besides Uru. So when you have opportunities, please try out these software packages and discuss observations here.

The currently active test instances are:

Open Project - http://foundry.openuru.org/po
dotProject - http://foundry.openuru.org/dotproject
PHProjekt - http://groupware.openuru.org

Please feel free to volunteer as resource admins and managers for these evaluations. Rarified is currently, and generously, the driving force behind the Open Project and dotProject test instances. Ned has provided the PHProjekt test instance which has been put under the OpenURU.org domain. He says he can help and rarified has volunteered as an admin for that too.

Basecamp. Basecamp. Basecamp. Basecamp. Basecamp. Basecamp.

It comes at a cost and is therefore unattractive to non-commercial ventures.

There is a free option but it is pretty limited (only one project?). The only way I've ever seen Basecamp run is as a remote leased service rather than a local install.

I'm a bit late checking in on this. My only excuse is a general malaise due in part to the absolute absence of any activity from Cyan that has kept me away from the forums lately.

I've had experience primarily with Microsoft Project, although I've looked at many (commercial) project management systems over the years. So far, here, I've looked briefly at dot project and ]open project[. I get a page load error with phprojekt.

From my limited look, I far and away prefer dot project. The UI is easily understood, and the task editor looks good. I couldn't figure out how to set up dependencies in ]open project[.

I'll try to play with these packages some more over the next week and come back with a more complete recommendation. If no one objects, I may enter a real project from work to compare with MS Project.

Walt

walts wrote:I get a page load error with phprojekt.

PHProjekt has been moved to http://Groupware.OpenURU.org. It is currently empty of data, but we'll get started on that soon.

The 'Groupware' subdomain is where the project management software selected through the evaluation process - though not necessarily PHProjekt - will eventually reside.

walts wrote:If no one objects, I may enter a real project from work to compare with MS Project.Walt

Go for it! It's been on my mind for a while that we need standard metrics to do proper evaluations of things like this to facilitate good comparisons. It would be a piece of work on somebody's part, or a significant group effort. I know we all have real lives so I haven't tried to push the idea of doing anything more than winging it on these evaluations. But if any of you have the time, or are already equipped with a standard test projects, please feel free to ask for access to enter them into the three current evaluations.

Just as an aside, and I know you know, but I think it should be pointed out that MS Project is a desktop app which would not help as a collaborative tool for the community unless we go with MS Project Pro and put up an Office Project Server. Yikes. But it would make for a good reference set.

JW,

Could you edit the first message in this topic to keep up to date with the subdomains
you've been adding for evaluation? I'm starting to lose count

I edited the first post a couple of days ago.

That makes two project management packages under evaluation on your server and one here - all on this domain.

Or would you actually like a full subdomain list with associated resources?

The newest subdomain is blogs.OpenURU.org which is just for eventual blog use as its own resource for project journalism - not anything about the groupware evaluations. (There might be some discussion elsewhere about whether a CMS package would be better than specialized blog package.)

After searching on the web, and looking these over... they stink. There appears to be better ones that aren't so much geared toward businesses needing a free way to keep track of their employees. (which is what I feel these are, and it turns me off)

So far, I've been looking at this website to check new ones out: http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/sh ... =Groupware

They seem to have an extensive list and maybe we need to broaden our horizons on what we're looking for in a system

So far just two that have stuck out to me not only for their simplicity, but also ease of use, as well as enjoyment of use are: http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/de ... me=Streber firstly, and http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/de ... Collabtive secondly.

Perhaps we should look at the size that projects demand, and let them have a choice between two management systems based on their needs. But what those two are, we'll need to determine.