Free replacement for Microsoft Project
Posted 23 August 2007 at 8:40AM by Simon Dickson in IT systems and support
An increasingly obvious gap in the open-source software offering has been a replacement for Microsoft Project. Free downloads such as OpenOffice do an admirable job of matching (and sometimes beating) the functionality of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the rest; but so far, there hasn't been a suitable substitute for Project - and hence no way to avoid the hefty 400-odd quid licence fee.
Not before time, along comes OpenProj, promising to completely replace the functionality of Microsoft's project management tool - with the added benefit of running on Windows, Mac and Linux. For most people, Microsoft Project is a means of building and amending Gantt charts - with bars showing the tasks required, the sequence in which they happen, and which tasks are dependent on which others. Although it's still in its beta phase, OpenProj does an equally fine job. As you'd expect, OpenProj is able to read files produced using Microsoft Project, with good results judging by my initial testing.
OpenProj may well be the missing piece in the jigsaw - but for small businesses, is it a jigsaw worth completing? Even in larger organisations, there's a definite trend towards more lightweight and agile project management. BT's own Workspace product lets you share files, manage scheduling, assign tasks and hold discussions, all through your web browser - and it's free in the first instance. Basecamp has a devoted following, particularly in the online field, with all sorts of 'web 2.0' tools and tricks; there's also Active Collab, which began as a free replacement for Basecamp, but will shortly be introducing a commercial version.
Tags: activecollab, basecamp, bt workspace, microsoft, ms project, OpenOffice.org, openproj, project management
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Comments
2. At August 23, 2007 2:28 PM, Mark Thorpe wrote:
Having never used project, i dont know why i read this particular blog entry....however, thought I'd highlight a mistake.....shame on you Simon....your firefox grammer checker should have spotted this!
"BT's own Workspace product gives you lets you share files,"
3. At August 24, 2007 9:33 AM, Mr. Ken Kennedy..... wrote:
Project is indeed good to save drawing our tiresome charts, however i agree when there are online sites where multiple users can access it makes working much more efficient and effective. I havent used Project in years, mainly due to the systems not too dissimilar to the BT Workspaces.
KENNEDY.
4. At August 24, 2007 3:18 PM, Marc Ferguson wrote:
Definitely good to see developments like this for small business in particular, as ridiculously priced software has ruled the market for too long.
RE: Mr Thorpe - Perhaps your firefox checker should have spotted the error in your grammAr. ;]
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1. At August 23, 2007 12:50 PM, John Robinson wrote: