Author Topic: jv16 Powertools 2014- Endorse Study Results Before They're Published?! (Read 16776 times)

J-Mac · « **on:** September 22, 2013, 10:53 AM »

I received a very interesting email message from Macecraft Software today. They are the developers of jv16 Powertools. Here is the body of the email:

We are about to release jv16 PowerTools 2014 and at the same time our new
registry cleaner comparison study featuring the new 2014 version.

This time we did what no one else have dared: We ran benchmarks before and
after cleaning a dirty computer with jv16 PowerTools 2014 to see if it can
show measurable results in the computer's performance. And the results are
interesting!

However, we want the entire World to hear about this. So, we are asking you
to help to spread the word. We will release the benchmark study only after
it gets your support.

To support it in social media, please join our Thunderclap campaign:
http://thndr.it/16h1oPh

Thunderclap is a crowd-speaking platform that helps people be heard by
saying something together. If enough people support our campaign,
Thunderclap will blast out a timed Facebook Post or Tweet from all of us,
creating a wave of attention to the benchmark study. And no, it doesn't
cost a thing.

So they want me to publicly support the results of this performance study, but they won't allow me to see the results unless I declare my support first.

The reply posted by the developer when a user posted objections on their forum wasn’t very reassuring. See it here:

http://www.macecraft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5400&p=32983#p32983

Here's the quote:

Alright, if you do not want to join the campaign to give the benchmark study some publicity, you do not have to.

I previously used jv16 Powertools for years, though I haven't used it for the past three or four years. This is a first for me!

Jim

Renegade · « **Reply #1 on:** September 22, 2013, 11:09 AM »

Seems like a wrong-headed approach. Jury is out though.

Curt · « **Reply #2 on:** September 22, 2013, 01:10 PM »

bizarre!

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2013, 08:34 PM »

how strange.

J-Mac · « **Reply #4 on:** September 22, 2013, 08:41 PM »

how strange.
-mouser (September 22, 2013, 08:34 PM)

bizarre!
-Curt (September 22, 2013, 01:10 PM)

Isn't it? I have been a member of that forum for a long time - since back when jv16 was a free software - and I have always felt the devs there were top rate. This is just baffling to me!

Perhaps they hired a publicity "expert" or something who cooked this up?

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #5 on:** September 25, 2013, 05:28 AM »

Well, after receiving a number of other posts complaining about the above circumstances (requiring "endorsement" of their study prior to releasing it), Macecraft Software finally did go ahead and release the study freely. It can be found here: http://www.macecraft.com/registry-cleaner-benchmark-study/

The study basically shows that Windows 7 startup times decreased by 20% after cleaning the registry with jv16 Power Tools 2014. They claim that startup time decreased from 100 seconds to 47 seconds, which sounds unbelievable. Too good to be true?

Charts and graphs and screenshots available at the above link.

Thanks!

Jim

cyberdiva · « **Reply #6 on:** September 25, 2013, 07:55 AM »

Thanks, Jim, for calling this to everyone's attention. I first followed your link to the study and then went to the JVPowerTools forum. One poster had pointed out that "You specify are that the most aggressive registry cleaning option was chosen. Macecraft consistently warns users against using that option. It would be a more convincing study if the results were compared to the way real users would use the program." The developer replied: "With the PowerTools 2014 version, we have changed the way the more aggressive scan options work and changed the warnings from "do not use this" to more like "you can use this option if you know what you are doing"."

I still think the point raised by the poster is a good one. My impression is that a lot of people who use registry cleaners (including me) do NOT feel totally comfortable messing around with the Registry. Even with the change to the 2014 version, I suspect many (most?) people will still opt for a setting less strong than "aggressive," and that a study using a less aggressive study would be more useful, or at least also useful.

40hz · « **Reply #7 on:** September 25, 2013, 08:58 AM »

@J-Mac: you and others must have touched a nerve. The link to your comments (http://www.macecraft...0&p=32983#p32983) along with the rest of that thread have apparently since been removed from the Macecraft forum.

That's a kinda jive thing to do even if they did publicly release their study after the fact. $:-\$

MilesAhead · « **Reply #8 on:** September 25, 2013, 09:14 AM »

Well, after receiving a number of other posts complaining about the above circumstances (requiring "endorsement" of their study prior to releasing it), Macecraft Software finally did go ahead and release the study freely. It can be found here: http://www.macecraft.com/registry-cleaner-benchmark-study/

The study basically shows that Windows 7 startup times decreased by 20% after cleaning the registry with jv16 Power Tools 2014. They claim that startup time decreased from 100 seconds to 47 seconds, which sounds unbelievable. Too good to be true?
-J-Mac (September 25, 2013, 05:28 AM)

The only way I can conceive getting that number is if the system times out waiting to load drivers that are no longer there. I had a similar experience when I removed norton AV from my system. On a Vista 64 bit machine my boot up time was about 120 seconds. I looked at the boot log and there were several time outs waiting for Norton drivers to load. I had tor run the Norton Removal tool 3 or 4 times. I may have used CCleaner registry cleanup also... I don't remember.

edit: in any case I think I got my cold boot time down to about 72 seconds from 120. The machine had a "fake raid" controller so it was going to boot on the slow side no matter what.

Tuxman · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2013, 09:45 AM »

Sigh. Back in the early 2000s, when the Powertools were sane...

J-Mac · « **Reply #10 on:** September 25, 2013, 10:39 AM »

@J-Mac: you and others must have touched a nerve. The link to your comments (http://www.macecraft...0&p=32983#p32983) along with the rest of that thread have apparently since been removed from the Macecraft forum.

That's a kinda jive thing to do even if they did publicly release their study after the fact. $:-\$
-40hz (September 25, 2013, 08:58 AM)

Darn! You're right!

Says my last post was in 2010; doesn’t show my post from yesterday at all.

Jive isn't the right word...

Thank you.

Jim

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #11 on:** September 25, 2013, 11:45 AM »

Sounds to me like they are beginning to dig themselves a PR sinkhole. What's a bit dangerous to me is this seems to be an emerging trend in computing concepts. "Delete it, ride out the local storm, and then no one knew will learn of it and it will go away".

It has a faint echo of the Facebook move a little while back when they kicked that plugin dev's page and info.

rgdot · « **Reply #12 on:** September 25, 2013, 12:00 PM »

No google cache of the deleted comment? I am not asking for me (I read it earlier any way) but in general

FWIW I have never used such software (except CCleaner's registry tool which clears 'left over' stuff) because, for example, I care more about program start up than the computer itself.

J-Mac · « **Reply #13 on:** December 23, 2013, 11:27 AM »

More news from Macecraft Software, and it is almost as cryptic as the above news.

I just received my first email from them since the above referenced debacle and this one states that they are going back to offering jv16 Powertools free AND making it open source. jv16 hasn’t been free for almost 10 years now. Since they decided that they had to monetize it in order to continue development back then, I have to wonder what makes it available for them to offer it free once again.

One little condition is noted however.... anyone wishing to help them go open source and offer the program free again must connect our social media accounts to their "Thunderclap campaign" (whatever the hell that is). Supposedly this will allow them to fund the program via "crowd speaking and crowd funding". Huh? I understand this even less than their last message, which was that they wanted me to endorse and support their latest version via my social media accounts before I could actually see/try the new version.

Here's the link that was included in the email message:

http://www.macecraft.com/lets-go-open-source/

And here is a quote from that page:

The future of jv16 PowerTools – open source software via crowd speaking and crowd funding?

We have been developing jv16 PowerTools for well over 10 years. Now we think it is the perfect time to make history and take the program to the next level by releasing jv16 PowerTools as free, open source software.

To do this, we need your help. To start with, we need your help to spread the word. We will be doing this by crowd speaking. Crowd speaking is when a group of people send out the same message at the same time to amplify the power and reach of the message. This can be done using a free service like Thunderclap. You can join in by connecting your social media accounts to our Thunderclap campaign and you will be building up on the impact and social reach that is already established, helping jv16 PowerTools to become open source by letting as many people as possible know of the upcoming fund raising.

After our message is heard, we will start the next step which will be crowd funding. Crowd funding is when you set a goal for raising funds in a defined period of time. Everyone who wants to contribute will make a pledge to pay any sum of money they want. It can be as little as one dollar. If enough people join the crowd funding campaign, jv16 PowerTools will be released as open source. But for that to happen, we first need to get the word out about this. We must let the world know about this initiative and for this reason, we are inviting you, the reader, to join the “thunder” and make it clap so hard that it will be heard on every continent!

As soon as there is enough social reach, we will publish the crowd funding campaign and raise funds required to make this vision a reality!

Join us!

Click here to connect your social media accounts to help jv16 PowerTools build the social media reach it needs to become open source!

Jim

cyberdiva · « **Reply #14 on:** December 23, 2013, 01:07 PM »

More news from Macecraft Software, and it is almost as cryptic as the above news.
-J-Mac (December 23, 2013, 11:27 AM)

Yes, I agree. I didn't/don't know what to make of their message, which I too received. Something seems off about it. Then again, they've been doing a number of "off" things lately. It sure sounds to me as if they're bailing out.

All I know is that I have no intention of making any connection between my [rarely used] social media accounts and Macecraft's attempt to go open source.

barney · « **Reply #15 on:** December 23, 2013, 09:39 PM »

All I know is that I have no intention of making any connection between my [rarely used] social media accounts and Macecraft's attempt to go open source.
-cyberdiva (December 23, 2013, 01:07 PM)

And then there are those of us who have no such social accounts. Wonder if I'd have to join Facebook - yech! - just to use the product - a product that never appealed to me anyway? Thanks, but no thanks. The tools ain't that powerful

.

Curt · « **Reply #16 on:** December 24, 2013, 08:59 AM »

He may be wanting to change the concept, but so far nothing has changed:

https://www.macecraft.com/checkout/ :

You can download a fully working free trial version to try it yourself. Unlike with some other products, you can fully use the free trial version of our product, it is not feature limited in any ways. And what’s best, we offer a free trial period of 60 days! That’s Right! Forget those 30 day trials. That’s nowhere near long enough to fully appreciate everything the new jv16 PowerTools 2014 has to offer.

More power, less hassle:
One pizza and a bottle of Coke can cost you $29.95 and you only get to enjoy them once. Invest $29.95 in jv16 PowerTools 2014 and you can use it for a lifetime!

Platinum VIP Package ($39.95) Includes:
Same benefits as regular VIP. Includes free product upgrades for life! Buy the Platinum VIP once, and you can use jv16 PowerTools for life with up to five personal computers!

Notice the word "could":

-Macecraft

jpfx · « **Reply #17 on:** December 26, 2013, 02:58 PM »

I got around all this by briefly perusing the e-mail (i also received it) and then deleting it.

J-Mac · « **Reply #18 on:** January 24, 2014, 10:30 AM »

OK - the fog is starting to clear, but just a little.

I received a message from Macecraft today announcing their Indiegogo crowdfunding page. Target is $100,000 to go "Open Source"! Wow! Link follows:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jv16-powertools-as-open-source

Interesting point is that the fine print states that they get to keep all funds whether or not the target is reached.

Flexible Funding
This campaign will receive all funds raised even if it
does not reach its goal. Funding duration: January
22, 2014 - March 23, 2014 (11:59pm PT).

That's a lot different than the Kickstarter campaigns I have funded. Those all stated that my money would not leave my PayPal account and go to the sponsor unless the Target was reached. If the target was not reached in the time allotted, no funds would go to them at all. Apparently Macecraft is playing with more favorable (to them) rules. They get to keep all funding regardless of the target being reached. Sweet deal indeed - for Macecraft!

Why have I not seen other programs that go Open Source doing this? Or is it fairly common and I just missed it?

Jim

jpfx · « **Reply #19 on:** January 24, 2014, 02:44 PM »

if you ask me (which you didn't) they're asking for funding for an application that's already been written, was relevant back in XP days and has little to no current value.
looks like a duck, walks like a duck...