VersionTracker Subsumed into CNET Downloads
Thanks to Ted Landau for pointing out the story behind the shutdown of VersionTracker, which readers had started to ask us about. CNET, which acquired VersionTracker several years ago, is merging VersionTracker into CNET Downloads. It doesn't look like the overall functionality will change much, but the VersionTracker name will go away.
I like http://MacUpdate.com rather than the old Versiontracker.
The last time I checked, I found a couple of apps that only one or the other site tracked. Can't remember what they were, but chose VT Pro because of it at the time.
I'm trying, but not a big fan of CNET TechTracker. Probably try a MacUpdate subscription instead myself.
Agreed,
Gave up on VT several years ago.
It may not change much except for surrounding every paragraph with 50 ads and requiring 10 clicks to accumulate any useful information. They made MacFixit completely useless and continue to charge me 50 buck a year for subscription I've tried to tried to cancel 3 times. Had to have my cc co stop accepting charges from them.
Speaking as a developer, I think CNET is a huge step down from the original VersionTracker. They didn't manage to move any of our applications over correctly, making changes and notifying them of updates is amazingly difficult and seldom works the first time, and their tech support people don't seem to care at all.
I'm done with CNET--they can pick up my changes from MacUpdate if they want them.
Sad to see another example of the dilution of the Mac brand. CNET completely destroyed Ted Landau's great MacFixIt site. And there is no doubt that they will again take another valuable service to the Mac community, VersionTracker, and add it to the visual nightmare and confusing mess that Windows computers offer. Unfortunately, Apple has a hand in all this too, by becoming a phone and music player company, relegating the Mac OS to backseat status in its priority list. I have a sad feeling that one of these days we'll all wake up and find the Mac OS gone and integrated into one big "Windows OS for everybody" world!
Mac developers can directly reach the editors at VersionTracker / CNET Downloads by using this email address:
[email protected]
Thankfully, Kurt Christensen and Dan Daranciang of VersionTracker remain at Downloads.com, keeping the place reasonably sane. I've admired their work for many years. The new site has some bugs and quirks, but the learning curve is short and I still enjoy using it for software updates and reviews.