OpenProj for Project Management

I had the opportunity the other day to test out OpenProj, an open source project management tool. I was sent a MS Project (.MPP) file to review a project plan for a website development effort but did not have MS Project installed on my laptop. Unlike some other MS applications like Powerpoint, Microsoft does not have a viewer app available for MS Project files. Enter Serena's OpenProj software, a free open source alternative to MS Project. After downloading the OpenProj software and installing on my Windows XP laptop, I was able to not only easily open the .MPP file but was also able to modify the project milestones and view all of the project details. While I didn't have a chance to test them, other open source options for project management are DotProject and Open Workbench. For collaborative project management in a hosted environment, I'd also recommend taking a close look at BaseCamp's software-as-a-service solution which starts at only $24/mo. for 15 projects, 3GB of storage and unlimited users. Also worth a close look is Zoho Project, part of the comprehensive suite of SaaS apps from Zoho.com.