Things like more advanced search capabilities don’t become necessary until you have a larger number of projects. Also, the way project data is organized changes when you are taking about a larger number of projects and resources involved.

There is definitely a balance between simplicity and functionality. You need to find the tool with the right balance that works for you. [Caveat: I work for a company that makes project management software.]

You're right, when you've got one or two small projects you simply don't want to see any complexity! But when you've got a few running, a few collaborators and the projects themselves are more complex, you need to be able to have a few more features. I understand Basecamp still gets a lot of new sigups every week, so would never consider expanding their basic product in fear of confusing the 'newbies', but after this amount of time, I would have thought a few advanced features you can switch on would be a reality. 

Maybe it's time to look for alternatives – I see project management systems are cropping up daily, anyone got any reccomendations? 

You should give TeamWork Live a try: http://www.teamworklive.com

TeamWork Live is a hosted project management and team collaboration app aimed at Basecamp users who have outgrown Basecamp. We have had many happy Basecamp converts since our launch in June. You’ll find all the features of Basecamp (except time-tracking and client/employee roles, both of which we are currently working on) and many others aimed at making you more productive. Some features include the ability to comment and attach files/info with the task itself, contextual messaging, email blast to the entire team (with file attachments), a full-search engine, personal/shared calendars, and more. I think you will find that it addresses many of your frustrations with Basecamp. Feel free to contact me if you need more info.

Tuyen

Building complex software is akin to asking Microsoft to make Office a single program. Or combining Photoshop and Illustrator and InDesign all in one.

I think software can be complex, but it just has to do that one thing very well.

Once a web app or any app for that matter treads into the territory of being able to do two things, and then three, it suddenly introduces new reasons why it doesn’t work for people.

Gives them more reasons not to use your product — because it did one thing that they need, but then maybe it also did something they didn’t need.

I suppose what I'm after is the next level of 'simplicity that offers functionality'. A few different views on projects, or in my case, 1 new view – that of each tasks status. Tis a tricky business… :)

What I would like to add: If you simplify what you offer into sets of tasks, you can probably build a custom application that will streamline your whole business. We are doing that now. Simplicity is needed in the business, not necessarily in the software.

That said, we are building the software to be simple as well.

I am always taken back by the rigid opinions and near fundamentalism that arises among technology folk.

Glad to see you dared to be a heretic!

Thanks for offering up the conversation – Mike