Have you been to VersionTracker.com lately? If you try today, you'll be redirected to the CNET site, where you'll get a brief explanation that the venerable VersionTracker site is now a branded part of the CNET empire.

VersionTracker Pro, a paid feature, will be discontinued after the current subscriptions run out. The VersionTracker newsletters will continue, but they will be rebranded as CNET products. CNET has put up a page explaining the changes.

This process actually began in 2007, when CNET acquired VersionTracker, MacFixIt, and iPhone Atlas. VersionTracker goes back to 1995, when it was a Mac only site. Over time, the content expanded to include Windows software. The familiar layout of VersionTracker has been changed, and it may startle a few users. I don't think MacFixIt was improved any by the CNET takeover, and I don't have high hopes for VersionTracker, either, but I'm going to keep an open mind.

CNET was acquired by CBS two years ago. Other than the irritating and frequent plugs for CBS TV, the site is still useful and continues to aggressively cover all things related to tech.

If you need an alternative to VersionTracker, MacUpdate is still around, and AppFresh (based on i use this) and Logiciel are worth a look. There is also a Dashboard Widget called App Update that will check for software updates.

[via Daring Fireball]

TUAWVersionTracker.com officially 'absorbed' by CNET originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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