SimpleActivityLogger

Though it lacks the comprehensive features of more robust monitoring utilities, SimpleActivityLogger tracks basic system operations and costs nothing. The program employs a small, basic, Windows-style interface to set up monitoring options. After that, you work with a basic text file of results. SimpleActivityLogger tracks system start and shutdown, shell start, user logon and logoff, computer lock and unlock, and screensaver start and stop. You can't, however, set it to monitor any particular application. The log file is not password-protected, and it's easily opened with any text reader. Note that this is not a keylogger nor a spy program. Though it works in the background and can't be detected using the Task Manager, it's not invisible to intermediate or power users. The publisher suggests using it to track billable hours or monitor a shared computer, though it's probably not the best choice for either task. We can't think of anyone who would need this precise set of features, but SimpleActivityLogger is a reasonable choice for anyone who does.