This story will be adapted for Leander Kahney's forthcoming book about the Macintosh culture, The Cult of Macintosh*, to be published later this year by No Starch Press.C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\EvtEng.exeĬ:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\S24EvMon.exeĬ:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\WLKeeper.exeĬ:\Program Files\CheckPoint\SecuRemote\bin\SR_Service.exeĬ:\Program Files\CheckPoint\SecuRemote\bin\SR_WatchDog.exeĬ:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir Desktop\sched.exeĬ:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir Desktop\avguard.exeĬ:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXEĬ:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$MICROSOFTBCM\Binn\sqlservr.exeĬ:\Program Files\Dell\NICCONFIGSVC\NICCONFIGSVC.exeĬ:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\RegSrvc.exeĬ:\Program Files\Spyware Doctor\pctsAuxs.exeĬ:\Program Files\Spyware Doctor\pctsSvc.exeĬ:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\ZcfgSvc.exeĬ:\Program Files\CheckPoint\SecuRemote\bin\SR_GUI.ExeĬ:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\ifrmewrk.exeĬ:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel\atiptaxx.exeĬ:\Program Files\Dell\Media Experience\PCMService.exeĬ:\Program Files\Dell\QuickSet\quickset.exeĬ:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\DVDLauncher.exeĬ:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer\RealPlay.exeĬ:\PROGRA~1\MUSICM~1\MUSICM~2\mm_tray.exeĬ:\Program Files\Google\Google Desktop Search\GoogleDesktop.exeĬ:\Program Files\Corel\Corel Photo Album 6\MediaDetect.exeĬ:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint\ipoint.exeĬ:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exeĬ:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir Desktop\avgnt.exeĬ:\Program Files\Spyware Doctor\pctsTray.exeĬ:\Program Files\Microsoft Location Finder\LocationFinder.exeĬ:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\isuspm.exeĬ:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exeĬ:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\cc0a1d4d-863d-4e1c-a25d-1e5f0acf3c83.exeĬ:\Program Files\MUSICMATCH\Musicmatch Jukebox\mim.exeĬ:\Program Files\Digital Line Detect\DLG.exeĬ:\Program Files\Google\Google Desktop Search\GoogleDesktopIndex.exeĬ:\Program Files\TechTracker\VersionTracker Pro\VersionTrackerPro.exeĬ:\PROGRA~1\Intel\Wireless\Bin\1XConfig.exeĬ:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exeĬ:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\OUTLOOK.EXEĬ:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\WINWORD.EXEĬ:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXEĬ:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exeĬ:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe He consults for a number of local businesses and writes software reviews for Mac magazines. I know this because I use them all the time and I'm eager to know if there's an update."Īchuff has a professional interest in staying on top of the latest software. Internet Explorer is 5.1, QuickTime Player is 5.0.2, Picture Viewer is 5.0.1, TechTool Pro is 3.0.5, Stuffit Expander is 6.5.1, Toast Deluxe is 4.1.3 and Toast Titanium is 5.1.2. "File Buddy is at 6.1.7," he said during a phone interview from his home in Philadelphia. In fact, Achuff knows the version numbers of about 200 different pieces of software. "He probably e-mails me once a week with little things like, 'That software wasn't version 2.1, it was 2.1.1,'" Schray said. "Every time I boot up it's right there in front of my face," he said.Īchuff is so knowledgeable about VersionTracker that he lets Schray know if the site missed an update or made a mistake. In fact, Achuff's browser is loaded into his startup folder, so that when he boots up his computer, the site launches automatically. That sense of discovery is important to Achuff who, naturally, has VersionTracker as his homepage. "The pro tool makes it unnecessary to visit the site 10 times a day," Schray said. But auto updates aren't very popular at VersionTracker. The site has a "pro" service that tracks updates automatically, much like Apple's Auto Update built into the Mac OS. VersionTracker is supported by advertising and sponsorships. It's unpredictable, and people are forced to keep checking back if they want to keep on top of it all. Instead of reading the headlines, they pop over to us," he said.īut perhaps the real reason people return so often is the site's irregular schedule. Schray, who describes himself as a "former addict" (being hired was "a dream come true," he said), thinks a lot of people visit as a diversion. Just reading them alone is probably a hobby or an addiction for some people." "People leave all kinds of comments: good, bad, funny, informative and insulting. "The forums have become quite a community," said Marcus Conge, a design professor at Rochester Institute of Technology and a frequent VersionTracker user. VersionTracker also provides a community area, where users post software reviews and troubleshooting tips. It attracts about 200,000 regular Windows users. Schray said VersionTracker lists about 12,000 software applications, including Palm and Windows programs.
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