Using a bug tracker or still trying to make sense of the thousands of post it notes on the back of your monitor? JetBrains has an update to its YouTrack bug and issue tracker and it's aimed at programmers with fingers.

If you're not using a bug tracker of some sort then the programs you produce are either small and unsuccessful or you just let bugs go. The idea of using a database style application to document and follow the progress of bugs is an obvious one but it can be difficult to make the application fit the task. Bugs are varied and what you need to record to document them can be complex and even more varied.

JetBrains. best known for Resharper and IntelliJ IDEA, has just released YouTrack 2.0 - a bug and general issue tracker described as "a keyboard-centric bug and issue tracking system". In this day and age of GUIs and gesture-based UX it is a brave company which emphasises the keyboard, but in this case it is appropriate. Bugs and bug tracking is a matter of text entry and manipulation and so far no one has found a really good alternative to the keyboard. The people at JetBrains aim to make YouTrack into something that you can integrate with like a comfortable code editor.

The key features that make YouTrack different are the ability to perform near natural language search with query completion to find information on bugs; the ability define and use keyboard short cuts; and the ability to work with multiple records in one batch operation. The overall UI design is simplified to the point where most functions can be achieved using just two controls - a search box and command window.

Version 2.0 extends the basic facilities to include custom attributes so that you can tailor the record keeping, and data processing to fit what you are working on and client demands. It also makes it easier to migrate from other bug tracking systems including any free form post it note non-system you may be failing to operating at the moment. 

Another new feature is improved security. The fact that bug and issue reports often contain private and sensitive information is something that many programmers never even notice let alone tend to forget.  YouTrack introduces access control by letting users strengthen permissions for individual issues that contain non-public data, without limiting access to the whole project.

Given we are programmers you can't expect us to not want to change things, and a new REST based API makes it possible to perform batch updates programmatically. You can also submit issues from any web page without explicitly opening YouTrack using the new Create Issue bookmarklet.

For more information: http://www.jetbrains.com/youtrack/
YouTrack is available for a free 60-day evaluation.

YouTrack 2.0 is available in three editions:

• Starter Edition: Best fit for small teams; limited to 10 projects and 10 user accounts; doesn't support LDAP authentication; priced at $149.
• Professional Edition: Ideal for medium teams; limited to 20 projects and 20 user accounts; doesn't support LDAP authentication; priced at $300.
• Enterprise Edition: Everything a large team needs; full functionality for any number of projects and users; priced at $1,200.

We all know that the summer is a slow time for programming, so to get you back of the beach and dealing with bugs as is right and proper JetBrains is also offering a special summer offer: 25% OFF on all YouTrack editions.

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