Hello, downloaders!
We want to let you know about a change you'll start to see when you download software from us over the next few weeks. CNET Download.com recently started using a new piece of software to help deliver our downloads. This new software is called the CNET Download.com Installer and it adds an extra layer of security and reliability to downloads that come from CNET.
Mac users downloading free screensavers and a video converter app from several popular download sites also got spyware that installs a back door, collects data, and sends encrypted information to remote servers, security company Intego said on Tuesday.
The high-risk spyware, dubbed OSX/OpinionSpy, was being installed along with nearly 30 screensavers developed by a company called 7art and an app called MishInc FLV to MP3, according to a list compiled by Intego.
They were found on Softpedia, MacUpdate, and CNET-owned VersionTracker, according to a post on Intego's Mac Security Blog.
VersionTracker had removed all of the items on … Read more
Download has an opinionated, intelligent, attractive (ok, now I'm just brown-nosing) user base, which is what makes user reviews on Download my favorite feature of our site by far. Sure we have our own software-obsessed editors who review this stuff for a living, but if you want color commentary, or maybe if you just like ALL CAPS, the user reviews are where the action is.
It's for this reason that we decided to spend some time improving the experience of viewing and navigating user reviews on Download. The first phase of this project went live this week and … Read more
Dear CNET Download.com readers,
Today, reviews on CNET Download.com are changing in a small but significant way. Since we began reviewing software nearly eight years ago, we have reviewed only the trial version of any software title that was also available for purchase.
For all software reviews going forward, we will evaluate and rate software based on its full version rather than just its trial version, judging an application's effectiveness as a complete piece of software. However, we will continue to highlight and discuss the limitations of a piece of software's trial version. You can read … Read more
To make it easier to see what an application looks like before going to the trouble of downloading and installing it, we've made a number of improvements to the way we show screenshots on Download.
First, we took every screenshot we've ever received from a software publisher over the past 13 years (anyone remember Doom 95?) and reprocessed it for improved clarity. Then we created a larger preview version of each screenshot and moved it to the top of the product page.
Finally, we no longer send you to a new page when you want to view a … Read more
Back in the old days of CNET, we had a product I loved called CNET Catchup. It scanned your computer and told you which software on it had updates available. I'm happy to report that we've brought the function back, in a completely new product called TechTracker.
It's a free app. It will scan your PC (at regular intervals if you like) and tell you what you have that's old or out of date. It gives you links to updates as well as user reviews of the apps. Updates come to you from our Download.com … Read more
If you read CNET's hardware reviews, you've probably seen the CNET Editors' Choice award appear from time to time. The badge has always denoted our editors' favorite products--best-of-breed technology that stands apart from the competition.
Today, we're pleased to extend the CNET Editors' Choice badge to software listed on CNET Download.com.
We're introducing the award on 23 products, each a clear leader in its category. We determine award winners on a case-by-case basis, and we always mark the award with the month and date so that you know when the software in question won the … Read more
Webware 100 voting is now open
I'm happy to announce that we have opened the voting for the 2009 Webware 100 awards. This is our annual program in which CNET readers select the top Web 2.0 apps and services from our hand-picked list of 300 finalists.
Vote now!
This year--the third year we've done the Webware 100--we had about 5,000 qualifying submissions from which we selected the final 300. These are 300 very strong Web apps, spread into 10 groups of 30 each. We have a new arrangement of voting categories this year, including the important … Read more
Dear users,
Over the past months, we've been hard at work redesigning our site. You may have got a sneak peak at our new look and feel or you may be seeing it for the first time today. Either way, we hope that you enjoy the smoother, sleeker, and easier-to-navigate pages.
Wondering what, exactly, has changed? Here's a brief tour:
Easier-to-find content: We've reexamined our site layout to make it easier to find the software that matters to you. We've moved our Most Popular software lists front-and-center so that you can see which titles currently top … Read more
Here's the deal:
You (the beloved Download user, the reason we're here) are out there somewhere, while I (Greg Penhaligon, product manager of Download) am way up here, sequestered in the crystalline fortress that makes up the Download Control Center. My job is to make Download into the best site of it's kind for you, but what is that exactly? What do you want? I converse with some of you in the forums, read your occasionally expletive-laden emails to customer service, but we've never had a proper way to keep you up-to-date with what we're … Read more
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