On 12/23/2009 01:55 AM, Rene Rasmussen wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:08:40 -0500
> Denis Kobozev <d.v.kobo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 7:12 PM, Logan Rathbone <popro...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> David, are you running (Arch) Linux in your law office?  If so,
>>> could you describe your experiences?  What do you use for time and
>>> billing?
>>
>> I too would be interested to hear about solutions for billing and
>> keeping track of time on Linux. I do freelance web development and
>> have to record my working hours and send invoices to clients. Right
>> now I just write down my working hours in a plain text file and use an
>> OpenOffice template for invoices.
>>
>> Denis.
> 
> I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. It needs a LAMP server
> to run, but can then be used from a browser.
> 
> http://bambooinvoice.org/
> 
> 

Rene, all,

What drove my decision of using eGroupWare as the core of our office was 
basically 2 things, (1) it was an open-source solution, and (2) is was LAMP. I 
tried all of the groupware packages back in the 2005 timeframe and settled on 
eGroupWare. All I can say -- is "I guessed right!" The package was just pre 
1.0.0 at the time, but it looked and worked better than phpGroupware and the 
other two at the time.

The bet was that: egw was going to remain actively developed and prevent any 
interruption in work flow when the project faded away and you were left holding 
the bag. I cannot say enough good things about Ralf Becker, Lars Kneschke, and 
the rest that put this package together and have kept it up to date.

For all the packages that try to be a "one stop shop" I usually find that 
trying to combine all your calendar, address, email, projects, time tracking, 
knowledge base, etc... just turns into a wholly mess. Egw has done a good job 
to keep it well put together. The only weak area is the email client they 
include "felamimail" which is just a simple no frills package with some good 
integration (email or cc: to your todo list, etc..). But, honestly, if there 
was one area that was a little light, I would rather it be email, because I 
don't really care about any bundled package, I'll be using tbird or kmail 
anyway. The rest of the package is just -- well incredible.

Egw has good time tracking/billing data capture and storage. The limitation is 
with the printing of invoices, etc.. I have used the project and timesheet 
print-to-pdf routine for billing directly in cases where billing isn't that 
extensive or formal. However, it all has to go into quickbooks at the end.

If you are looking for a rock-solid groupware package, give egw a try. I'm 
still amazed at how much it can do, and I'm even more amazed at what it has the 
potential to do.


-- 
David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E.
Rankin Law Firm, PLLC
510 Ochiltree Street
Nacogdoches, Texas 75961
Telephone: (936) 715-9333
Facsimile: (936) 715-9339
www.rankinlawfirm.com

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