ZDNet Discontinues AppWatch

Adam J. Richter writes: "Citing "today's economic climate", ZDNet has discontinued AppWatch.com, a software release tracking site similar to freshmeat.net, but covering only free software (usually GPL compatible) and having an automated update detector, making it very current with low noise. AppWatch was originally an independent site created by developer John D. Rowell. Before anyone flames ZDNet, consider that it may be that even a 100% share of ad revenues would not have been sufficient to retain John and his staff in comparison to other opportunities. John and an assistant were originally working on AppWatch for free, and ZDNet did a good thing by arranging so that they could get paid for it, probably saving the site at the time. Both parties were doing something positive, and the fact that they had to stop does not mean that they have done something negative. I, for one, hope to see AppWatch.com continued in one form or another."

Comments

VersionTracker

[cshotton]

There are dozens of these sites. VersionTracker.Com is one of my favorites, since it covers all of the major operating systems and lets you formulate your own queries.

and CNET shut down 'webware'

[jqh1]

After I tried submitting a free web service to Webware, I got this email message:

Dear Provider,

Thanks for submitting your product or service to be listed in the Webware.com directory. However, Webware.com will cease publication on August 31, 2001, so we are unable to list your product at this time.

If you have a downloadable version of your product, please submit it to Download.com.

The Webware.com team

What else do you need?

[shokk]

What do you need in AppWatch that Freshmeat didn't provide? Being that AppWatch, specializing in listing free software, is providing a subset of what Freshmeat lists, couldn't Freshmeat just provide a filter for searches based on licensing that would just give you the same functionality? They already keep track of license types, and this type of filterng is available in the advanced version of the simple search they now have on their home page when you register.

Freshmeat always seems timely and deals in all the apps I use, even some really minor ones that I don't think I'd ever use. Always used them, so here's hoping they don't suffer the same demise. I see a long painful road of this ahead of us and the few willing to starve a little for their cause are going to make it to the end.

Re:What else do you need?

[Vapula]

Redundancy...

Relying on only one source is risky... Freshmeat could turn commercial and ask for a subscription in order to consult their services, or could dissappear... an that don't even take in account the fact that they may have hardware problems and be out of service for several days or weeks.

The whole point bout a technology such as internet is that it allows tu implement redundancy easily (mirror or alternate sites/programs providng the same service).

Re:What else do you need?

[shokk]

Ah, then an extraction operation is in order. Is there such a thing as Freshcode so that it can immediately be dupicated elsewhere? The value, I feel, is not in something like Freshcode (if it exists), but in the staff that searches the net and populates the pages with usable information.

You'll note that Freshmeat handles more than just what is available for Debian, so you fall under the contingency "what if the Debian caretakers all spontaneously combust" or something more realistic. I realise that Debian would be harder to kill since it is using the Internet in its proper distributed sense rather than a certain rouge chapeaux'd stock, but there are environments where Linux itself, in any of its forms, is not an option.

Re:What else do you need?

[bagder]

What do you need in AppWatch that Freshmeat didn't provide?

AppWatch figures out about updates automaticly.

As users, we may not care, but as developers, we think that service is priceless. I don't have to announce my new releases, just upload them and all is fine!

Re:What else do you need?

[Adam J. Richter]

What do you need in AppWatch that Freshmeat didn't provide?

I would like a license filter or license ranking option and an automated update detector such as jdwhatsnew, ideally while still allowing user submitted updates.

On freshmeat, the updates that you see are generally very current, but, to the best of my knowledge, you only see what people submit. For example, to pick on myself, I see that I have been remiss in submitting an update for the freshmeat entry for the July 17 release of version 1.6 of dvdtape. AppWatch's automated release monitoring provided more uniformity. As the amount of software scales up so that it's more work to double check for updates by visiting individual web sites, the value of this automation increases. Imagine if text search engines only updated from manual submissions.

By the way, I read Freshmeat daily in addition to AppWatch, but I would usually start with appwatch for its update speed and focus on the type of software that I am most interested in. Then, I would typically visit freshmeat to see what appwatch did not cover and check out the unfree or GPL incompatible software (which I am also interested in monitoring after I've seen what's new in the GPL compatible space). I imagine that people with other copyright preferences might also like a copyright policy filter or prioritizer.

Re:What else do you need?

[Khalid]

Yeah this is the problem with Freshmeat, if people forgot to submit their software or their new realease it WON'T appear of freasmeat. Sourceforge people where working on an automatic Freashmeat integration so that every software release will automatically appear on Freashmeat, but as always with Sourceforge it takes a eternity to be done.

Projects die. Software doesn't.

[YKnot]

When a project is discontinued, there's only one right thing to do: Release the source. This way others can pick up where you left. Maybe others have the time and the energy to take over what you couldn't afford to continue. The problem with commercial investments in spare time projects is that source code immediately becomes valuable and is less likely to be disclosed.

AppWatch is better organised than Freshmeat

[Flammon]

AppWatch is like Google for finding free software; the search results are usually very accurate to what is intended.

Freshmeat is more like AltaVista, there's a ton of stuff, but the search results are not pertinent.

I hope AppWatch can continue operating without ZD or they will me missed.

I agree

[macdaddy]

I was just getting ready to post about it. I love VT. It's been my default page now since at least '97. It's a great site. I haven't used the Windows side of it since I am a Mac guy (does the nick give it away) so I can't comment on it much. If it's as complete as the Mac site, it's well worth a look. Freshmeat.net will always be my *nix site but VT is my Mac site.

Try FileFlash

[antdude]

I like FileFlash for Windows applications. :)