In today’s world, open source technologies have become more than just an option – they’ve become an extremely viable, widely used solution for a multitude of developers, designers and workers online.

With that in mind, today we’re introducing a new version of Work View and Tracker for the Linux platform alongside several other key upgrades across the site. (Tracker is also currently available for Windows and Mac OSX platforms.)

What is Work View™?

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Work View to begin with, here’s a brief introduction: The Work View system is a safe, efficient, and optional way for employers and providers to collaborate and work together online.

With the upgraded Tracker application, providers can stream screenshots of their work directly to the Workroom while employers can view the work in real time and provide timely feedback on the job as it occurs. Additionally, employers can verify the number of hours worked with a visual timesheet while providers that opt in to utilize the feature are protected by the The Elance Hourly Work Guarantee, which guarantees payment for documented hours. (For more on Work View, please view this blog post and these help topics.)