VersionTracker.com

feynmanfeynman
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Who else is sad to see the direction CNet took versiontracker.com? I use to go to that site for a nice, uncluttered experience to look for existing software updates and to see if there was any cool new Mac shareware. Now it's just a hassle to navigate and not really worth visiting. Just a rant here but a valid one, IMO.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    rokcet scientistrokcet scientist Posts: 962member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Feynman View Post


    Who else is sad to see the direction CNet took versiontracker.com? I use to go to that site for a nice, uncluttered experience to look for existing software updates and to see if there was any cool new Mac shareware. Now it's just a hassle to navigate and not really worth visiting. Just a rant here but a valid one, IMO.



    Amen!

    What happened to Versiontracker.com is a preview of what eventually will be the fate of every (initially) sympathetic internet initiative: it will be gobbled up, defaced, and made unsympathetic by the big bullies. A.k.a. it will be commercialized and intrinsically marginalized.



    The good news is that there is now room for a new sympathetic initiative...
  • Reply 2 of 4
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,320moderator
    The Mac App Store would have killed it anyway so at least they'll have made money this way. In the interim, macupdate.com is the place to go but it won't last long. The biggest plus to the Mac App Store will be regular but unobtrusive update notifications.
  • Reply 3 of 4
    feynmanfeynman Posts: 1,087member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    The Mac App Store would have killed it anyway so at least they'll have made money this way. In the interim, macupdate.com is the place to go but it won't last long. The biggest plus to the Mac App Store will be regular but unobtrusive update notifications.



    I suppose but I dunno how many small shareware developers will go with the Mac App Store if it's going to dive into their pockets.



    Another gripe I have about the new VersionTracker is their slang. They no longer call it shareware, it's now "Free To Try". What kind of non sense is that?
  • Reply 4 of 4
    rokcet scientistrokcet scientist Posts: 962member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Feynman View Post


    I suppose but I dunno how many small shareware developers will go with the Mac App Store if it's going to dive into their pockets.



    If the experience with iTunes and the App Store is anything to go by I bet Apple will shave off at least a third of revenue, from the viewpoint of the developers, or add a third to the cost, from the viewpoint of the users. I.o.w. Apple screws everybody it can, and walks away with a ton of cash!

    Quote:

    Another gripe I have about the new VersionTracker is their slang. They no longer call it shareware, it's now "Free To Try". What kind of non sense is that?



    That's marketing newspeak of course, because it sounds almost as "free", but isn't.
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