Programs like TimeSlips have been with us for quite some time, and their purpose is to keep track of the time you spend on any project so you can (hopefully) bill a client for your work. While TimeSlips has always worked well, it does require that you keep track of your time – something attorneys and accountants, as an example, must learn to do all the time.
   The Vakcer Project Tracker, however, does things a little differently. It keeps track of all the programs on your computer that you might use in a project (several hundred of them), lets you set an hourly rate for using that program, and then compiles your costs automatically.
   It is very much a detail-oriented program and its major product is a printout. Therefore, aside from some general summary information (see the screen shot above) little of the detail is presented on the screen. But, of course, you can print out your reports whenever necessary.
   I was most impressed with Project Tracker. It was able to differentitate between whether a program was being used or was merely open on the screen and it kept up with everything flawlessly. As you can also see from the screen shot above, you can set different rates for each software application you use. In testing Project Tracker, I assigned per hour rates based on the complexity of the program: a way to recover some of my learning time.
   If you do graphic design, writing, CAD, or any of a multiplicity of tasks on your computer for clients, Project Tracker is an excellent way to keep track of what you do and how much it costs to do it.

   Link to the Vakcer Project Tracker web site.