Bits from Bill
WinPatrol™ Generation II
As an independent developer I’ve had the benefit of many personal relationships with folks who use WinPatrol. I created a program to monitor changes because I wanted it but never expected WinPatrol to become so popular. The development, marketing, research, documentation, support and everything in between has been a challenge, even overwhelming at times.
It hasn’t been a secret that a long term family illness encouraged my search for someone who not only understood WinPatrol but would love and care for Scotty . I had some tempting offers but they included a future without our pledge of a lifetime PLUS membership. Even worse, many respected companies thought WinPatrol would be an easy way to install unwanted toolbars and search hijackers. Most of you know how I feel about toolbars.
Ta-Da
I couldn’t be happier to introduce you to the founder of Ruiware, LLC and Scotty’s new best friend, Bret Lowry. He’s younger with more energy but still has almost 30 years experience developing software.
Bret found his niche in security spending eight years as architect and program lead for CounterSpy / Vipre Enterprise when it was published by Sunbelt Software. As lead developer Bret helped Sunbelt reach the top of many Anti-Virus reviews and benchmark metrics. His experience and vision will launch WinPatrol into a whole new class of software.
Bret has already influenced the newest version of WinPatrol available later today and has been planning improvements future versions.
“Version 32.0.2014.0 will be the first version of WinPatrol released by Ruiware (pronounced Rayware). My name is Bret Lowry, I am a founder of Ruiware and the developer who will be working on WinPatrol moving forward. I worked closely with Bill Pytlovany for this release and will continue working with him during the transition period. My commitment to WinPatrol customers is as follows:
One, your lifetime PLUS licenses are just that, lifetime licenses. That was the easiest topic in our negotiation and is written into the contract.
Two, WinPatrol will not have toolbars or other “add-ins” added to it or its installer. Installers that do that drive me crazy because I’m the guy people call to “fix” their computer after the installer completes its hijacking. I am not going to do that to my customers.
Three, I will be responsible for answering support questions, even more incentive to play nicely and stand-by item two above. And
Four, I use WinPatrol myself and therefore am committed to the continued improvement of WinPatrol. I am honored to have earned Bill’s trust and confidence in his allowing me to purchase WinPatrol. Bill has run WinPatrol with integrity since its inception, as a founder of Ruiware (along with my wife Phoebe), I promise we will carry on that tradition.”
While I’ve gotten to know Bret this year, I had a long relationship with Sunbelt and their popular CEO Alex Eckelberry. I wrote to Alex this morning and he had plenty to say including… “This is also a guy who really takes the customer needs to heart. He listens, he learns and he executes based on customer feedback. WinPatrol will only blossom under his leadership.”
Alex Eckelberry and friends
at CNet’s Anti-Spyware Workshop
May 3rd 2005
Over the next three months I’ll be sharing all my WinPatrol performance tricks while Bret shares his vision of an improved interface and more powerful protection. I’m confident any current fans of WinPatrol will be pleased with the results.
posted by Unknown | 2:58 PM
49 Comments:
Bill, you have my unending respect and I am more than confident that Bret will do an excellent job filling your shoes.
Scotty has found a good friend. I've been a fan of (formerly) Sunbelt since the Counterspy days.
Winpatrol is in safe hands.
Bill, I wish you and your family well.
Also, I'm certain that you've placed WinPatrol in good hands.
I've used Scotty for many years.
Bill created a fine trustworthy program.
Bill, I salute you. :)
You are a good man.
~~~David A Bailey
I wish you the best in coping with your long term family illness.
Thank you so much for all you have done in the past and for making sure your baby is in good hands. I look forward to many more years as a happy customer.
Welcome Bret! Do Bill proud.
I wish you the best in coping with your long term family illness.
Thank you so much for all you have done in the past and for making sure your baby is in good hands. I look forward to many more years as a happy customer.
Welcome Bret! Do Bill proud.
Wonderful news -- sorry I've only caught up with it in belated fashion . Bill's commitment to his customers and free-of-charge users has long had to be balanced against his commitment and obligations to his family. It will, at times, have been an incredibly difficult balance to strike. This news, of the tie-up with Bret, is as good as it gets -- and yes, I too well remember Sunbelt from days of yore. Scottie's OK and all's well with the world -- best wishes to all three of you
I wish you and your family well and will pray for you and your family for good health. Thank you so much for the good work you've done all these years with WinPatrol and being so generous with it and I look forward to the new ownership as I was an original Counterspy/Viper user when they first came out.
john S Grek
Buffalo,NY
Bill,
first, I'd like to thank you for your many years of service in keeping our computers safe.
I'd also like to say that, as a visually impaired screen reader user, one of the things I've always liked about Win Patrol was that you used standard windows controls, making screen readers like NVDA able to access all of the options. Please make sure that Bret understands the importance of screen reader accessibility. There have been so many times when the blindness community has enjoyed using a piece of software, only to find that the next version incorporated UI changes which broke accessibility. Amazingly, this has never happened to win Patrol.
I've actually known of a blind person who uses viper so perhaps Bret already keeps this in mind.
Bill, thank you for all you've done for us. You and your family will be in my prayers.
Bill, you and your integrity will be missed. I wish you all the best for you and your family. Thank you for introducing us to the man who has some very big shoes to fill. I must say, I like his name! :)
Thank you Bill since I've been on the Inernet 1995/96 Scotty has been on my machine & the first thing I load on a new machine you & Scotty never let me down wishing you & Family all the best :) & if Scotty & Lady likes this new guy I like him too Welcome Bret :)
It looks like WinPatrol is in good hands, but I'm left hoping that Vipre will continue to prosper. In any case, Bill, I send along the hope that you and yours will deal with the illness issue without loss. Having been dealing with my own issues for the past 10 years, I know what a load that can be.
Bill, I hope you come back from time to time to say hello and let us know how you're doing. Although you'll be missed, we'll still have Scotty to watch our backs. Best wishes and good luck!
Bill, I hope you come back from time to time to say hello and let us know how you're doing. Although you'll be missed, we'll still have Scotty to watch our backs. Best wishes and good luck!
Bill, I have placed my trust in you and use Winpatrol almost from the very beginning. I will trust Bret the same because you say so. Thanks for all you did, hope you will master the family illness. Lex Schellings
Bill, while I completely understand and agree with your logic and reasoning to sell your business, I would like you to know how much I'm personally going to miss the feeling that I was always dealing with a friend when I had questions about your program. I'm sure that's the intention of the new owners, and I hope it remains the same. More importantly, thank you for all the work and help you have supplied over the past many years. Lastly and most importantly, good luck with your family and I hope you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. All the best, Bob Furman
Bill, while I completely understand and agree with your logic and reasoning to sell your business, I would like you to know how much I'm personally going to miss the feeling that I was always dealing with a friend when I had questions about your program. I'm sure that's the intention of the new owners, and I hope it remains the same. More importantly, thank you for all the work and help is supplied over the past many years. Lastly and most importantly, good luck with your family and I hope you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. All the best, Bob Furman
I can't tell you what it means to have had your product WinPatrol available for myself and my family, friends and clients.
I have appreciated it so much I have purchased several lifetime licenses over time.
All you have done for security of Windows computers for years can't be enumerated.
From what I have read about Bret Lowry, and the discussions I have had with Bret, I really think "you done good," Bill!
Thank you Bill. Thank you so much!
I'm not a frequent Facebooker, so I'm late to this. Bill... I'll miss you. WinPatrol Plus has been in my first line defense for over a decade. It has saved my butt more than once and I can't imagine being without it. I've got my own experience with long term healthcare issues in my family. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
Bret, good luck. As many have said, you have a tough act to follow. Thank you for keeping with Bill's vision and mission.
I always say : "First you install Windows, then you install WinPatrol ..." Thanks for all these great versions of WinPatrol and the years of support. I wish you all the best!
Well rats! Sorry to see you go, but understand the need. You will be missed-but wish you and your family the best. Thank you for searching out the right person to take over.
Bill,
It seems close to 20 years that I have been counting on WinPatrol and the rare, quiet, ethically-minded intelligence behind it. Over that time, I have recommended Scotty to countless colleagues and friends.
Even though we have never met, it seems like I am losing a friend. Yet, it looks like you have made a wise choice in Bret and his company.
I am saddened to learn of your family's challenges and wish you good fortune in meeting them.
All the best to you and your family.
Dear Bill,
I was saddened after reading your announcement. I feel that I know you, especially when you would personally pick up your phone to answer my questions about WinPatrol.
My prayers and best wishes to you and your loved ones. You will be missed.
Diana
Norco,Ca
Dear Bill,
I was saddened after reading your announcement. I feel that I know you, especially when you would personally pick up your phone to answer my questions about WinPatrol.
My prayers and best wishes to you and your loved ones. You will be missed.
Diana
Norco,Ca
Since 1998 I have recommended WinPatrol to everyone interested in a no-nonsense excellent security application.
I am deeply saddened hearing about your health related troubles and wish you all the best in healing.
I trust that Bret will continue to provide to the world this indispensable security tool that I have always recommended to install right after Windows.
Best Regards,
Your friend; The Mæstro.
Since 1998 I have recommended WinPatrol to everyone interested in a no-nonsense excellent security application.
I am deeply saddened hearing about your health related troubles and wish you all the best in healing.
I trust that Bret will continue to provide to the world this indispensable security tool that I have always recommended to install right after Windows.
Best Regards,
Your friend always; Mæstro John L.
winpatrol has been on every computer i have ever owned, my siblings/family have owned - mostly because they want me to help them be safe online and this great piece of software is always, always on the list of needed programs - i wish you and your family well, bill - and if you say winpatrol will be in good hands with bret, i trust your word.
Wishing you all the Best Bill. Over many years I've come to trust WinPatrol more than the big guys. Thank you for your integrity and a great product. Scotty has and will continue to be one of the first apps installed on any computer I own. You've made personal computing better... Thank You!
11so sorry to hear that your family has been facing adversity, i pray that they rise above it and prevail unscathed. i was surprised to come to the site to see that you had sold scotty, but i won't second guess the choice you made for your "baby", i'm pretty sure you spent time agonizing over it before deciding to let it go to bret. i've always enjoyed working with scotty as its straigt fwd and always looking out for my comp. i look fwd to more years of issue free installations without toolbars and the other junk that scotty always stopped. all in all, i wish you and yours a full (and hopefully a speedy) recovery and best of luck in future endeavours, may they all b as successful as scotty was!
Thank you for having the courage and fortitude to pass on your wonderful WinPatrol legacy. Best wishes to you and your family. Sad to see the Windows XP version go, but you left us die-hards with a robust product, and a good incentive to upgrade our systems.
Thanks to everyone for their kind comments.
WhaleWriter, I don't think I said anything about WinPatrol dropping Windows XP. It's Microsoft's job to encourage folks to upgrade to Windows 8. The WinPatrol website traffic still has 15% Windows XP.
Bill,
I, too, am saddened to see you relinquish the reins to someone else; however, I trust in your faith in Bret that WinPatrol will continue to flourish as the future unfolds -- he certainly has big shoes to fill !
I suppose I've been living up a tree since I was unaware of family illness, but I hope that you can now attend to the best possible future for yourself and your family.
As others have said, I hope you will pop in to visit from time to time so that we might keep in touch with a person who has given so much to so many people.
Please know that you will be truly missed, but that we will try to show Bret the same fondness and respect that we all feel for you. And, of course, to keep him in line if need be .
Take care and all the best for your future!
Jim Stevens
Speaking as one who purchased a "family" license when it was on special offer and never looked back, it's sad to see you ride off into the sunset (!) but although it looks like one door has closed, another one has opened and I wish you well for the future. It seems as if WinPatrol has dropped into an equally safe pair of hands belonging to someone with equal integrity, so my confidence in the program remains as steadfast as ever. All the very best.
Dear Bill,
Thanks for placing your baby "WinPatrol" in the hands of someone who has the same values and phylosophy as yourself. God Speed and I hope you have a wonderfull retirement and hopefully your family illness allows you some time to enjoy yourself.
I thank you for all the years service you have provided for myself and every WinPatrol user over the years.
May I quickly say hello to Bret and his team and hope everthing goes ok during the transition period.
Long Live WinPatrol in it's new generation.
This message comes to you from Ernest Kennedy here in the United Kingdom.
Thanks Bill and God Bless, you will be sorely missed but very often thought of as you enter a new stage in your life.
I have used Scotty for many years with a confidence in your integrity that very few people have earned in my 40+ years of IT. Thank you.
I hope the health issue is curable or controllable or pain free. You deserve the best.
Charles Stokes
Dear Bill,
Although I completely understand why you've had to sell WinPatrol, I am very sad to see you go. You and your programs have been lifesavers for me for many years, and for that I am truly grateful. The fact that I've only had to contact you for assistance once since I discovered WinPatrol in 2005 (I think it was) speaks well for your products. Like others, I always install WinPatrol first on every computer I get because I have unshakable faith that it will be my front-line of defense against all of the evils that are traveling along the Information Highway with me that are not to be trusted. I also have unshakable faith that you would never turn Scotty over to anyone that you had not scrutinized thoroughly and found worthy of the position. So, with that in mind, I extend my hearty welcome to Bret. You, Bill may be gone from this website, but never, ever forgotten. My best wishes, thoughts and prayers for you and your family and may your future be bright and successful!
As a long time customer and Scotty flag-waver;I'd like to thank you Bill for your years of untiring commitment to keeping us safe from the hazard of the crazy internet. WinPatrol and BillP Studios has been by far the most trustworthy and smart company in the less than stellar world of protective software.I wish Bret and Ruiware the best and am confident that your baby is in good hands ~~Chuck Reed
As a long time customer and Scotty flag-waver;I'd like to thank you Bill for your years of untiring commitment to keeping us safe from the hazard of the crazy internet. WinPatrol and BillP Studios has been by far the most trustworthy and smart company in the less than stellar world of protective software.I wish Bret and Ruiware the best and am confident that your baby is in good hands ~~Chuck Reed
Bill who?
Yes, I know a 'BillP' has published WinPatrol for years, but there's bare little mention of Bill Pytlovany - using his surname - here, and it might be a simple courtesy to include his whole name with a picture, similar to yours, Bret.
But I wish you well in your endeavours with the product.
Thanks Bill; good health to all.
And mention the Donate button from time to time. We PLUS users often reflect on how well we're being served.
PhredE
28th July, 2014
Phred,
Thank you for the mention and support. At this point in the transition I still am responsible for the WinPatrol.com content. I removed my name and photo because I felt it was important to introduce Bret to the WinPatrol world. I'm confident my name will remain a part of WinPatrol but I'm also excited about what Bret's experience will bring to my baby.
We have a three month transition plan so you can expect my influence for a while and even beyond. During the transition I still benefit donations and sales so feel free to continue to use your passion to promote WinPatrol. ;)
Bill
It's good to know that Scotty's future is as assured as it can be, and you have my best wishes for your future.
One tiny concern: I know TaskCat isn't as big of a deal for most people, but she's important to me! Is Ruiware going to look after her too, or will you keep her, or will she just be allowed to fade away?)
What can I say that hasn't been said here already?
Thanks, Bill! You have saved my bacon more than a few times and I will continue to use your product in the coming years.
I wish you and your family good health and good luck. :)
Bill, my association with you and Winpatrol has been great; I have used Scotty for many years. This is an effective and trustworthy program.
Sorry to see you go; I wish you and yours the very best over the coming years. I pray for you and your family for good health.
Have a good life, Bill. Welcome Bret! I look forward to many more years with Scotty. Do Bill proud!
Bill, I wish you the best in coping with your long term family illness and am glad for you that you have found a good person to hand the baton to.
Thank you so much for all you have done over the years. Your software is really fantastic. I look forward to many more years as a happy customer.
Welcome Bret!
Bill
You have kept your promise to keep Win Patrol pure. You did not sell out to crapware venders. Your integrity has earned you a high place in the grand scheme of things. You have earned my respect. Thank You, Bill, for being who you are.
Trash
C 2/16 Rangers 65 - 66
Bill
You have kept your promise to keep Win Patrol pure. You did not sell out to crapware venders. Your integrity has earned you a high place in the grand scheme of things. You have earned my respect. Thank You, Bill, for being who you are.
Trash
C 2/16 Rangers 65 - 66
Bill I have used and added money when I could! but don't sell out and leave. you would leave a big hole where the ideas of people like you were. But if you must just leave a LARGE quote on top so nobody can erase so I can print it and and frame on my wall. Rob in Tampa FL
WinPatrol is one of best programs I've ever loaded onto my computer. Thank you, Bill. I wish you and your family all the best.
Well... This is late news for me. It feels sad that "BillP" Studios is no longer the caretaker of Scotty. I remember seeing your program on a computer that a friend had brought to me after he messed it up. That was more than 10 years ago. I recently got a new computer and went looking for a download and my license info and was surprised that first of all, the company had changed hands but secondly, that I was able to use my license on the newest release.
Thanks for a stellar product, Bill. I have been proud to have your name on my computer for all these years.
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