File Hippo update checker

[jdh]

File Hippo update checker may be helpful in keeping non-Microsoft programs on your Windows PC patched with security and other fixes.

It is still in BETA and requires MS .Net framework 2

I did not try it yet because I am scared to download and install .Net 2 on my old Windows 98 PC.

Perhaps somebody with Windows XP might want to give it a try?

It claims to require no other installation besides placing the program on your Windows desktop (or some other folder). However, I suppose that with XP and other Win NT derivatives one must be logged in as an ADMIN , at least before attempting to install any updates which one may have found and downloaded from File Hippo. Site claims this program to neither access nor store any personal info of user.

http://filehippo.com

DH

[Judy G. Russell]

File Hippo update checker may be helpful in keeping non-Microsoft programs on your Windows PC patched with security and other fixes.I'm always a little leery of such places. It's not that I think software publishers do any better, but when a place says it won't even consider what a software publisher submits...?

[jdh]

I'm always a little leery of such places. It's not that I think software publishers do any better, but when a place says it won't even consider what a software publisher submits...?

I assume you refer to this:

"Software Submissions
We do not take software submissions from publishers. The site is user focused, we analyse the software market daily for popular software to add. "

http://filehippo.com/info/about/

To me it would seem economically impossible for such a company to accept software submissions, because File Hippo claims that one of their emphases is on quality and how could they afford to pay for the resources to evaluate submitted software ?

Seems to me they are taking a reasonable approach and letting market popularity be the main gauge of "quality", which while perhaps not ideal, at least is better than some alternatives. For example, TUCOWS has a lot of stuff, but a lot of it is out of date and/or limited or even shoddy.

I haven't looked much at C/NET's download.com recently. Perhaps they have an update checker, I wonder?

DH

[jdh]

It is still in BETA and requires MS .Net framework 2

I did not try it yet because I am scared to download and install .Net 2 on my old Windows 98 PC.


System requirements for .Net framework 2 on x86 is 280Mb disk space. And I get almost nothing for it. I think I'll wait.

DH

[Judy G. Russell]

File Hippo claims that one of their emphases is on quality and how could they afford to pay for the resources to evaluate submitted software ?How can they afford to evaluate ANY software, submitted or not?

[jdh]

How can they afford to evaluate ANY software, submitted or not?

I assume that FileHippo might not actually evaluate software per se, instead perhaps relying on third party file download frequency statistics to "measure" software "quality". However, File Hippo does have some screen shots, which might come from actual in-house installations and/or from off the web.

TUCOWS.com apparently does actually install and rate software, but the versions described/reviewed on TUCOWS sometimes (often?) are not the latest.

DOWNLOAD.com usually has the latest versions of software and does guarantee software to be virus free. According to File Hippo "Terms and Conditions" I see no mention about viruses and they say software is furnished "AS IS".

Unlike TUCOWS and DOWNLOAD, File Hippo apparently has a lot of beta versions and also old versions.

So I have found File Hippo useful in the past when I was looking for old versions but having a hard time finding the desired old version on the actual software manufacturer's web site.

If I was using Windows XP, I probably would install the File Hippo update checker, since I figure it'd save time compared to trying to track critical updates on mfg. web site or Internet Storm Center, etc.

DH

[jdh]

BTW some software re-distributed by File Hippo may be illegal (e.g. copyright violations). For example, I looked up "Real Alternative" on Wikipedia, which claimed that "Real Alternative" illegally repackaged DLL's from Real Media player.

DH

[Judy G. Russell]

I have found File Hippo useful in the past when I was looking for old versions but having a hard time finding the desired old version on the actual software manufacturer's web site.It seems to me I once knew of a site that collected archive versions of software and could be trusted. For the life of me I can't find it now...

[earler]

The best sites for software are, in my opinion:

www.majorgeeks.com

fileforum.betanews.com

[earler]

I think that whoever wrote that in wikipedia is mistaken. The real alternative and the quick time alternative are offered by other good sites.

[ndebord]

It seems to me I once knew of a site that collected archive versions of software and could be trusted. For the life of me I can't find it now...


Judy,

Perhaps this is the site?

http://www.oldversion.com/

[Judy G. Russell]

Judy,

Perhaps this is the site?

http://www.oldversion.com/Could be. I just don't recall. I'm starting more and more to suffer from CRS (can't remember sh.....)