Techspansion Releases Free Lion Update To VisualHub After Bizarre Copycat Saga Ends

Despite the fact that it’s been abandoned for years, Techspansion has released a free update to its popular VisualHub and AudioHub apps, making them fully compatible with OS X Lion. What prompted them to dust off the moribund software after so long? A weird altercation with a Californian company that was trying to sell the same patch for $5 a pop!

Tyler Loch, the sole proprietor of Techspansion who developed the VisualHub software, ceased development of the video conversion tool many moons ago. However, an update was required in order to get the software running smoothly under Lion, and Kagi — who previously processed payments for VisualHub — created one using Loch’s scripts, which were available for free through his website.

Kagi then began selling the update for $5, again, without Loch’s permission, and began emailing Techspansion’s customers to promote their update.

News of Kagi’s ploy broke last week, and within a day of the story spreading Kagi ceased sales of the unofficial update.

Thankfully, Loch has now developed an official update with is available for free to VisualHub users. However, don’t expect development on VisualHub to start back up again: In an email to Macworld, Lock says he has “put Techspansion to rest. Again.”

Loch also wrote about the update on Techspansion’s website:

These one-step updaters will fix a show-stopper bug preventing proper operation in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. It’s been nearly three years since Techspansion closed and these programs were last maintained. VisualHub and AudialHub are no longer supported. And they won’t last forever.Whatever breaks from here on out will be the end, sadly. I hope this update squeezes a little more life out of these two apps for you.

In a FAQ accompanying the update, Loch says that he “though it would be a nice gesture to… make the slight tweak.” He continues:

It turns out that doing something like that brings about a public spat with your former reseller, and causes a very visible and vocal debate to break out over intellectual property and the ownership/use of customer data. Oh well. Live and learn.

Update: We originally reported in error that Kagi was a Japanese company. We apologize for the mistake.

Killian Bell

Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.