On 26/11/2008 14:23:56, Mark Rogers wrote:
I have just found out that a client is looking at bug/issue management systems,
...
Are there any good FOSS alternatives I should suggest to them or should I stay out of their way? I suspect that none of the off-the- shelf packages will do what they want and a FOSS option would make it easier to modify, but the other suggestion of building something from scratch will probably be a big uphill struggle unless it turns out they have very simple needs.
I am not an expert on these systems but there is a big Wikipedia comparison here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Comparison_of_issue_tracking_systems
I am pretty sure it was in connection with one of the proprietary systems of this kind I heard of a company spending much time and money customising the system to their own requirements then to find:
1. Their customisations had become the property of the original supplier.
2. The supplier changed direction so they were stuck using a very old version or re-doing their customisation.
Compare with an FOSS system:
1. Even a license like the GPL only becomes "viral" when you chose to distribute the changed version.
2. If you do decide to contribute your changes back you may be able to influence future development and even get someone else to maintain your customised code for you.
Regards, Steve.