It was inevitable, really. In the early days of the Internet, Tucows was known as a trusted place to find and download new software. Today, however, most people like to use a modern App Store – Microsoft and Apple manage their own – or browse directly to developer websites. And if you’re looking for inspiration, there’s always Product Hunt. Tucows therefore decided to finally close Tucows Downloads. “Tucows Downloads is old,” said Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows. “Older sites are a maintenance challenge and therefore a risk.”
It is a decision that the team has been reflecting for some time. “We talked about closing the site before,” explained Noss. But the site’s history, combined with a sense of sentimentality, made them hesitate. In 2016, the company decided to treat Tucows Downloads as a public service, rather than a legacy money generator. He emptied the ad site, admitting that the site had become “less relevant when looking at the balance sheet” anyway. Now, however, the company is ready to move on. He already has enough work as a domain registrar, domain name seller, and the company behind Ting, an Internet service provider in the United States.