PRepS is a Problem Reporting System. PRepS is designed around the bug tracking needs of small to medium sized software projects. However, PRepS may be flexible enough to be used for other types of problem or status tracking. For example, PRepS could be setup to track things that need fixing around the house. Be creative.
PRepS uses a simple client-server architecture. The server consists of the database schema, and the stored procedures that are used by the database. The client consists of the user interface.
This architecture allows for a large variety of options when it comes to how PRepS is installed and used. PRepS can be installed on a stand-alone Linux box, where the client and server are the same machine, or it can be installed on a large network where the server resides on one machine, and the users connect to the database from several different machines across the network.
libPRepS is a library the PRepS needs in order to work. libPRepS started as a library of C code that is called from the database via triggers. In other words, it was a server side library only.
libPRepS has since grown to include routines that are used by the client as well as the server. The client routines contained in libPRepS are all routines that are independant of the particular user interface. This should make the creation of new user interfaces (for exmaple, a KDE based UI, a Gnome based UI, and text based UI, etc.) easier. However, I have not actually put that theory to the test yet.
Perhaps you should, perhaps you shouldn't. It really depends upon your situation, and on what you plan to use the tool for. As I see it, PRepS is much easier to use the Gnats. However, Gnats is a much better tool to use if you are going to be taking bug reports from users around the globe. The reason for that is simple. Gnats takes it's bug reports via e-mail, PRepS does not. PRepS is really designed for use in situations where all users are on one network, and the database server will be accessable to all those users.
My suggestion to you is to evaluate what you have available to you. Then, determine what best fits your needs, and use it.
This is a work in progress. Actually, everything including PRepS itself is a work in progress. If you think something needs to be covered better in the documentation, if you have a question that is not answered, or if you have any suggestions at all, please feel free to e-mail me