Hello All,<br><br>For lack of a better forum, I've posted this here. 
Hope nobody minds!<br><br>Some background first: I've worked for two software companies, and a municipality, and have written bug tracking / service request systems for all three. I've also done some research into commercial packages that do the same. I've come to the opinion that commercial packages come in three varieties: 1) Web based "rented" services, for distributed development projects. 2) Locally run "high end" (high dollar) packages that are extremely flexible/configurable, with all the support bells and whistles you'd expect. 3) Locally run shareware, or "low end" (low dollar) packages, which may be as technically excellent as the "high end" types, but tend to lack the support, and in some cases the flexibility.<br><br>My question is this: Would it be worth my while to develop another bug tracking package? In other words, what is the opinion of commercially available packages? Is there room for improvement in this market? Am I preparing to launch a futile mission?<br><br>I feel I have the experience to develop a superior product. Given that the three places I have worked professionally have all opted to developed in-house solutions, I'm inclined to think there is a demand for this kind of tool. The fact of the matter is though, I've never worked anywhere that has used a commercial package, so I don't know how satisfied any given company may be with what's available. I don't know if it was simply dumb luck that my three employers created their own solutions.<br><br>Any comments would be appreciated.<br><br>Thanks in advance,<br>Beau<br> <p>Beau Jackson<br><a href=mailto:bjackson@bloomington.in.us>bjackson@bloomington.in.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>
Hope nobody minds!<br><br>Some background first: I've worked for two software companies, and a municipality, and have written bug tracking / service request systems for all three. I've also done some research into commercial packages that do the same. I've come to the opinion that commercial packages come in three varieties: 1) Web based "rented" services, for distributed development projects. 2) Locally run "high end" (high dollar) packages that are extremely flexible/configurable, with all the support bells and whistles you'd expect. 3) Locally run shareware, or "low end" (low dollar) packages, which may be as technically excellent as the "high end" types, but tend to lack the support, and in some cases the flexibility.<br><br>My question is this: Would it be worth my while to develop another bug tracking package? In other words, what is the opinion of commercially available packages? Is there room for improvement in this market? Am I preparing to launch a futile mission?<br><br>I feel I have the experience to develop a superior product. Given that the three places I have worked professionally have all opted to developed in-house solutions, I'm inclined to think there is a demand for this kind of tool. The fact of the matter is though, I've never worked anywhere that has used a commercial package, so I don't know how satisfied any given company may be with what's available. I don't know if it was simply dumb luck that my three employers created their own solutions.<br><br>Any comments would be appreciated.<br><br>Thanks in advance,<br>Beau<br> <p>Beau Jackson<br><a href=mailto:bjackson@bloomington.in.us>bjackson@bloomington.in.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br> 
