I have integrated a new website with this one, BugTracker.NET, an open source, defect tracking system. I need a way for clients to report issues and view the their status. My search began with a list of items I desired.

What I Wanted:

1. Existing solution – I don’t want to write my own
2. Open source (free)
3. Intuitive user interface
4. Preferably ASP.NET
5. Ability to track issues, notify users
6. XML file based – preferably no database

I found a number of solutions I liked, and one that met 83% of my criteria. BugTracker.NET suits my current needs, and took less than two hours to download, understand, and customize for my site. It uses a SQL database, so I finally have that SQL dependency I have avoided for so long.

Fabrice Marguerie provides a list of defect tracking products on this weblog. I looked at a number of those products, as well as solutions found on SourceForge.net. I narrowed my decision down to Gemini, FogBugz, Bugzilla, and BugTracker.NET. The price of BugTracker.NET and Bugzilla narrowed my vote down to two. Since BugTracker.NET is written in ASP.NET, I new this would integrate easily with my website.

View BugTracker.NET’s features on their website. For an open source, easy to use, defect tracking system, this one meets my needs and exceeds my expectations, as well as allowing me to save time and money.