Hasn't anybody other than me barfed after viewing MacUpdate's newly rolled-out home page?

What on Earth are they thinking?

PS: I'm unable to log in...anybody else?

If you can't log in, how did you post that you couldn't?

I am probably missing your point, because I don’t see what’s new or different at MU. AFAICT, what I see has been like this for quite a while, and it doesn’t particularly bother me (I tend to ignore page ’environment’ and focus on finding the stuff I’m looking for). As to what ‘they’ are thinking, I suppose I’m just as clueless as you. Finally, I haven’t tried to login there (or do you mean here at FTM? That's obviously fine), as I never do. I’ll leave that to the more intrepid…

I think that Artie meant that he couldn't log into MacUpdate.

I was able to log in. Other than color and font styles, looks as cluttered and overwhelming as ever.

Still good for what it is, though.

That turned out to be a glitch.

Either one of my extensions didn't load or I had them disabled, and I saw content that I hadn't seen in ages and thought it was new.

Sorry for any confusion.

That's correct, Jon, but after a few days and several unrewarding back and forth emails with MacUpdate's team I'm now able to log in. (I've been experiencing ongoing cookie problems with MU since last summer, and the best I've been able to get out of them is suggestions that haven't worked.)

Good point, Ira. I stopped using Macupdate for downloading anything about 2 months, due to their "forced" use of their installer. Also, they are not necessarily current with updates. I have instead downloaded third party updates directly from the actual developer's/company's site. That is safer and cleaner.

The primary purpose it serves, at least for me, is that a number of updates are current, and it provides me with a list of any I might need. For example, today there is a new update for the excellent scanning software VueScan listed there, and I will soon get it from the developer's site.

I agree with your approach and that is how I use MacUpdate too—find out what's new then download from the developer when possible.

Here's a more glaring example. MacUpdate shows the "latest version" of Office 2011 to be 14.6.1:

http://www.macupdate.com/find/mac/Office%202011

Yet, version 14.6.2 came out on March 2nd, and now I see that version 14.6.3 came out earlier this month! (I had already downloaded 14.6.2 back in March, and have just downloaded 14.6.3).

If MacUpdate (which I never consult) is generally far behind the times, why is anybody using it, especially those who ultimately revert to the original distributor to acquire the update?

I have a handful of applications which regularly or frequently update their versions (eg, MS Office for Mac 2011, Shockwave Flash, Java Runtime, Firefox, Thunderbird), and it only takes a few moments to check them all directly — which I may do every week or so. (I check Firefox's Add-ons more frequently while I'm using the browser, which adds no time or inconvenience at all.) If there is any update, it then just takes a single click to download it.

That seems to be a far more efficient method of getting updates. So why take a "detour"?

MacUpdate is not generally that far behind, some apps do not notify that an update is available, and if nothing else, it provides a list of "what is going on out there" in the realm of software. It is actually the latter that can be most useful.

Good points, grelber. There are some instances where listed updates are very, very current, and thus it provides a "lazy" way to seeing which updates are available. But, even if all of them were current (my example above shows why that is not true), the idea of having to use their "forced" installer is just plain unacceptable.

As for checking each application for updates, some of them (like 1Password) inform users of updates right away, even without launching the application. Others will let you know of an update when you launch the program (such was the case for me for Onyx which I launched on Saturday to start my weekly disk cleanup/maintenance/repair, and backup, processing. It let me know that a new version was available (EtreCheck does the same). Yet, MacUpdate did not show that newer version of Onyx until today). Then, of course, when one starts the app, a number of them have a "Check for Updates" option. And then finally, one can do a search on their own.

In summary, you are correct. I guess it's kind of force of habit for me.

Yes, Ira, all true, and especially with providing a list of "what is going on out there". Also, as you so correctly point out, some apps do not notify one when an update is available, unless one selects "Check for Updates" (assuming the app has that choice; not all do).