Poll: Which website do you use to find Mac applications?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Which website do you use to find Mac applications? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=395)

[Viv]

Wow! first vote and first post that never happened before:-)

But on topic, Cnet bugs me with their hidden agenda all the time.

Viv

[slowtreme]

I voted versiontracker, but I meant to vote suprnova.org :o

[Bear]

1) Apple - Mac OS X Downloads - http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
2) MacOrchid - http://www.macorchard.com/

Without the first the list is definatly lacking. The second just makes it more complete.

[wrldwzrd89]

1) Apple - Mac OS X Downloads - http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
2) MacOrchid - http://www.macorchard.com/

Without the first the list is definatly lacking. The second just makes it more complete.
I agree! Apple's Mac OS X Downloads section should have been included; I do use that service sometimes. I usually check VersionTracker, so that's what I voted. Oh, and here's a tip for those of you struggling to spell a certain word correctly - it's "definitely". I've noticed this mistake LOTS of times on these forums.

[wordmunger]

I don't like to install a lot of dinky little apps on my computer, so I don't use any of those sites.

[sinbushar]

i only use macupdate and apple's suggested downloads...i feel dirty every time i try using either version tracker or cnet downloads... :( its like i need a shower...and need to burn my clothes..and steam clean my computer

by the way...take a listen to "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter...its a really cool song

enjoy boys and girls and no response

-adel

[edenwaith]

This is a good poll. It should help free/shareware developers to gauge where to list their software. I had a few items at download.com, but their service went to crap several years ago, and even worse, now it seems that they expect people to pay for every submission. The last time I updated anything, it took download.com over SIX MONTHS to get it updated on the web site. Hey, Tucows is slow, but not as slow as that!

I prefer places like Mac Update, Version Tracker, MacShareware, and for games, Mac Game Files.

[mac15]

What mac user uses download.com? I try to use macupdate as much as I can but I usually end up using versiontracker.

[MattG]

Versiontracker is great. I never knew about it until I started using Macs; now I use it for both Mac and Windows software.

[macdong]

versiontracker.com, hands down :cool:

[~Shard~]

Another vote fer versiontracker - I can usually find everything I need right there without the need to look elsewhere. If I can't find something on versiontracker for some reason, I'll just Google what I'm looking for and grab it from wherever. :cool:

[Chealion]

I prefer MacUpdate heads and shoulders above VersionTracker, as it loads faster and has less ads. I use both, as VersionTracker seems to have better reviews (and crappier at times too) then what MacUpdate has.

[Stella]

MacUpdate / Versiontracker..

Download.com is a horrid UI...

[wdlove]

I use VersionTracker Pro. :)

[pimentoLoaf]

Apple's own download section.

Commercial apps from Apple's store, or MacZone (where I have bought in the past).

[MacFan25]

I use Versiontracker. It always seems to have what I want.

[iMeowbot]

It's a lot easier to navigate to the developer's own pages from macupdate than it is from versiontracker, which seems bent on keeping you inside their pages. Just for that, macupdate gets my eyeballs.

[Nermal]

I use Google. I just type a brief description of what I want, followed by the word "mac", and it usually finds something :)

Out of the choices listed however, I tend to use VersionTracker the most.

[sjk]

I prefer MacUpdate heads and shoulders above VersionTracker, as it loads faster and has less ads. I use both, as VersionTracker seems to have better reviews (and crappier at times too) then what MacUpdate has.Yeah, MacUpdate loads significantly faster than VersionTracker with Safari (with cable broadband) and is generally "cleaner", both in look and function. VT behaves inconsistently (e.g. brings up a different review page after clicking a "Was this helpful?" link), has star ratings for apps that don't have any feedback, displays some "random" default number of feedback entries, chokes the database if you have too many alert items and times out when you try to edit it, and other misc. bugs and sloppiness. Whatever "improvements" there've been have been overshadowed by problems.

I still primarily (and stubbornly) use VT because it always seemed more complete than MU and has more reviews (useful and useless, with inconsistent quality) but because of VT's unfixed problems and other issues I'm starting to migrate to mostly using MU, especially since now it seems to list most of the software I'd be interested in.

[L2GX]

I only use www to get updates if a program takes me there-
all other soft is peer-to-peer.
It can be used for more than just illegal stuff you know.

[wrldwzrd89]

I only use www to get updates if a program takes me there-
all other soft is peer-to-peer.
It can be used for more than just illegal stuff you know.
I don't like peer-to-peer (P2P) software; I've never used it and never will use it. I'd much rather use MacUpdate or VersionTracker than stinky P2P software. Plus, I'd rather not have to deal with the spyware and bloatware that P2P apps are notorious for.

[coolsoldier]

I swear by MacUpdate. It's generally easier to use and cleaner, they seem to have mostly the same titles as VersionTracker. There aren't as many reviews, but I generally find that the reviews on MacUpdate more useful than the reviews on VersionTracker. (Also, MacUpdate doesn't have click-through pages to download, and has a much better Sherlock channel)

[Santaduck]

Most of the discussion (and votes) seem to be toward VT & MU.

1) DL.com question
As a creature of habit, I have usually stuck with whatever I *happened* to discover first that worked... and that was download.com.

I'd be curious to hear why people actively dislike using DL.com, or the advantages of the others. Mostly I care about selection and lack of annoyances (e.g. fileplanet). I'll check DL then check VT. Reviews I could care less for, b/c who knows if it was a n00b or a vet who wrote it. I don't find DL.com cumbersome, incomplete, nor annoying.

2) Versiontracker: It's in the name-- why don't they actually provide the DL's for the previous versions? Sometimes for compatibility reasons I needed an older version, and its description is there, but the download is not.

3) Sherlock Channels mentioned above
Also, I'd always gotten by without using sherlock for anything except hard disk searches; I'd be curious to hear if sherlock channels really help in the quest to download software.

4) Legit p2p: P2P is good for the release date of large packages when standard methods are over-capacity, for example I used BT on the day when Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo was released. Speaking of games: macgamefiles.com

4) Apple: can be hard to find updates some times via their search functions, like the last security update (04/05), or when trying to find windows utilities (e.g. windows airport admin).

[encro]

MacUpdate:

It's fast loading, has a consistent display and has direct URL's for "More Information" unlike VT and its unnecessary complicated snail/slug code. grrr!

The only downside is not as much obscure software is listed.

[schatten]

VersionTracker is my third choice, after Apple's own Mac OS X Downloads ( www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ ) and Mac OS X Apps ( www.macosxapps.com/ ) for the obscure stuff. As far as quality goes, I think VersionTracker is probably the best. Guess I ought to use it more. :)

[sjk]

... after Apple's own Mac OS X Downloads ( www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/Or Mac OS X Software... under the Apple menu on 10.3; not sure about 10.2. Not as much there as other sites but the descriptions and screenshots are nice. Probably the best place for new OS X users to start.

[PickledSquirrel]

Well, here's usually loads of nice links around in the forums for a newbie to learn from.