OldVersion.com

URL	OldVersion.com
Slogan	Because newer is not always better
Type of site	Freeware/shareware archive of old software versions
Registration	Optional (to post on forum).
Available language(s)	English
Created by	Alex Levine, Igor Dolgalev
Launched	May 31, 2001[1]
Alexa rank	34,447 (November 2011[update])[2]

OldVersion.com is an archive website that stores and distributes older versions of primarily Internet-related PC and Macintosh freeware and shareware application software. Alex Levine and Igor Dolgalev^[3] founded the site in 2001.^[4]

Levine created the site because "Companies make a lot of new versions. They're not always better for the consumer." As reported in the Wall Street Journal, " 'Users often try to downgrade when they find confusing changes in a new version or encounter software bugs, or just decide they want to go back to a more familiar version,' said David Smith, an analyst at research firm Gartner. 'Often, they discover that the downgrade process is complicated, if not impossible.' "^[4]

When OldVersion.com was launched it offered 80 versions of 14 programs.^[3] By 2005 over 500 versions were posted.^[5] By 28 August 2007 this had grown to 2388 versions of 179 programs, in categories such as "graphics", "file-sharing", "security" and "enterprise".^[6][7] The site also carries 600+ versions of 35 Macintosh programs.^[8]

PC World has labeled the site "a treasure trove ... of older-but-better software";^[9] the National Review calls OldVersion.com a "champion" for "software conservatives".^[10]

See also

• Abandonware
• Legacy code
• Planned obsolescence
• Technology acceptance model
• Switching barriers

References

1. ^ Oldversion.com Whois record. godaddy.com. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
2. ^ "Oldversion.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/OldVersion.com. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Pamela LiCalzi O'Connell (2001-11-08). "Online Diary - Oldies but Goodies". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9402E6D81139F93BA35752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2009-06-29. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Andrew Lavallee (2006-03-07). "Unhappy Upgrades: Software Users Seek Help 'Downgrading' Their PCs". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114117101940985905-tMpK9H381GBBvXAp6u1kNj1URxo_20070306.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ Andy Rathbone (2005-12-23). PCs: The Missing Manual. Pogue Press. p. 536. ISBN 0596100930. http://books.google.com/books?id=NvYlz7YlCAwC&pg=PA536&dq=oldversion.com&hl=en&ei=ZaMwTNqfD-fnnQf-vpD3Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=oldversion.com&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
6. ^ "Oldversion.com as of 2007-08-28". oldversion.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070828202817/http://oldversion.com/. Retrieved 2008-03-01. 
7. ^ Jennifer L. DeLeo (2008-10-20). "Old Software Versions We Want Back". PC Magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=233135,00.asp?hidPrint=true. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
8. ^ Mac.OldVersion.com website mac.oldversion.com. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
9. ^ Preston Gralla (2007-09-30). "Before They Spoiled the Software". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137703/article.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
10. ^ Rami Genauer (2005-03-28). "Older Is Better: Software conservatives have a home in Oldversion.com". National Review. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/genauer200503280737.asp. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• OldVersion.com