Second that!

This has been suggested many times.

This is the very reason I haven't given up my other ticket system.

Can we not add this by adding it to a form attached to the ticket?  (Version 1.9)Create a list of statusesCreate a new, or edit an existing, formAdd a section break (e.g. Office Use Only)add a new list item  Ticket StatusConfigure it to use the new list.If you want the status to be internal only check the internal box, mark it as required.

Here are my issues with your suggestion:1. It's not a truly integrated solution.  a. It wont be displayed on the open ticket list .  b. you would not be able to sort by the status anywhere .2. It would not let clients easily see the status of their ticket unless it was added to the email templates or if they logged in and looked a ticket value in the ui (most users here do not log in).3. It would not allow firing off any kind of events (close ticket if no client response in X time, send reminder email if no client response in X time, etc) with out editing the source.Sure you could add a field to store the information, but that's about 20% of what this feature should actually have.