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Type of site | Software versioning tracker |
|---|---|
| Owner | CNET |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | 1995; 30 years ago (1995) |
| Current status | Integrated intoDownload.com |
VersionTracker was awebsite that trackedsoftware releases andversioning. It began as aMac OS software tracker, eventually expanding intoMac OS X,iPhone,Microsoft Windows andPalm OS software.
VersionTracker did not host the majority of the software listed - it merely linked to them.
Browsing and searching the database was free. Paid users had access to a streamlined download process and theVersionTracker Pro software application. VersionTracker Pro tracked software versions on the user's computer and compared those versions to VersionTracker's database.
VersionTracker was created by Kurt Christensen, a Sacramento, CA native in 1995. It started as an Apple-only site but eventually expanded to include software related to the Microsoft Windows andPalm Pilot platforms.
Upon the advent ofMac OS X, the Macintosh section was split intoClassic Mac OS and a section devoted to software for the new operating system. As releases of software for the older Mac OS dried up, its section was discontinued.
In August 2007, VersionTracker and sister sitesMacFixIt andiPhone Atlas becameCNET sites.[1] CNET's Download.com promotes VersionTracker heavily on its website, through ads and following file downloads, although without specifically referencing its ownership ofCNET.
On September 7, 2010, VersionTracker became fully integrated into the CNET site structure and merged withDownload.com. The software update tracking features are all still available, but the old layout is no longer used. Daily updates for programs are listed, and users can download CNET's TechTracker utility for maintaining their installed software through the Download.com site. The VersionTracker URL is no longer active.
The old VersionTracker Pro utility (TechTracker's predecessor) has been known to have had the lowest rating of 1 star for a long time to this day, even after being heavily promoted by CNET.[2] The new version of the software has been heavily overhauled and integrates with the CNET account and website. There are currently no equivalent star ratings for the new version of the software.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has various posts from former VersionTracker users who seem to be migrating toMacUpdate rather than using CNET, which no longer includes the wealth of information formerly available at VersionTracker after 15 years of user reviews.[3]
As always-onbroadband internet connections became the norm, developers began incorporating update-checking features directly into their applications, reducing the audience for sites like VersionTracker.App stores like theMac App Store, in which applications can be searched, purchased, and kept up to date, further reduced the audience for VersionTracker, and download sites in general.
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