ActiveCollab is an easy to use, web based, open source collaboration and project management tool. Set up an environment where you, your team and your clients can collaborate on active projects using a set of simple, functional tools. 100% free!

My experience installing, using, some advantages and disadvantages:

– Very easy to install especially if you used WAMP to install Apache, MySQL, PHP in one shot. It has simple and friendly installation. After installing it say to your c:webappsactivecollab, just point your browser to it and the setup page will show up asking you a few installation questions.

– The system is simple and easy to use.

– You can have client companies and as many projects as you need, add users and give them permissions.

– You can add milestones and tasks. Tasks can be related to a specific milestone and assigned to a specific person. The idea of havig deadline to milestones only is simple. Tasks are done or not, no deadline or duration assigned to it. We can name it management by objectives, I think Agile teams will like this simplicity.

– It have a message features which you can use it like a blog. You can add message and anyone can add notes. The feature is totally under control by the assigned permissions.

– You can have attachments, and folders. Files have revisions, so you can track file changes. You can enable comments on files uploaded. This feature alone deserve using ActiveCollab.

– You can search if the simple browsing they have did not help you find what you want.

– Fast, and stable, actually I fond no problem using it.

Disadvantages:
– Although milestones and tasks are nicely done, you miss having metrics, like task estimates and actual effort spent. But they are working to improve it.

– This is the light version, they are planning to have commercial version, I am afraid in the future that, all nice features to be in the commercial version.

I enjoyed experiencing this tool and hope some of you find it useful.