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The Story of TinyTask: History, What Happened, and Why OntyTask Exists

⚠️ WARNING: NO OFFICIAL WEBSITES EXIST TODAY

The original author (Steve Nerby / Vista Software Inc.) closed the project in 2020 and does NOT run any TinyTask website anymore.

The original website tinytask[.]net was dropped and sold off at an auction in 2022. Any sites you see online today (like tinytask[.]net, thetinytask[.]com, .org, .io, etc.) are unofficial third-party clones. Be super careful: downloading files from these sites is risky and can install malware or adware on your PC.

In Short

TinyTask was a popular, ultra-lightweight mouse and keyboard macro recorder released in 2009 by Vista Software. It became widely known for being simple, small, and completely portable.

However, after years of issues with false antivirus warnings and domain troubles, the author stopped public development in 2020. This page explains what happened over the years, why the old app was abandoned, and why OntyTask was created as a clean, open-source replacement.

1. How It Started (2009-2017)

Back in 2009, Vista Software Inc. released TinyTask as a free, pocket-sized companion tool to show off what their main paid automation suite, vTask Studio, could do.

Its small size (~18 KB) and zero-install portability made it a widely used utility for everyday automation and repetitive tasks.

Archive Links (vTask Studio Era):

2. Moving to its Own Domain & Licensing (2018-2019)

As TinyTask became more popular than the parent program itself, it got its own dedicated website at tinytask[.]net around late 2017 / early 2018.

Along with the move, a formal license (EULA) was introduced:

  • Personal Use: Free for everyday personal use, provided "as-is".
  • Business / Commercial Use: Companies with multiple computers were asked to buy a Site License ($495).
  • No Reverse Engineering: The license strictly forbade decompiling or reverse engineering the .exe file.
  • Sharing: Anyone sharing the binary had to keep all original credits and website links intact.
Click to read the original TinyTask EULA

TinyTask Software License Copyright © 2019

This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and the author of TinyTask for the software product identified above ("The Software"). By downloading, installing, copying, using, or taking possession of this Software, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this EULA agreement.

  1. The Software is provided AS IS and with all faults, without any express or implied warranty. The author makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the quality, safety or suitability of the Software, either express or implied, including without limitation any warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. In no event will the author be liable for any indirect, punitive, special, incidental or consequential damages however they may arise and even if the author has been previously advised of the possibility of such damages.

  2. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software. You may not remove any proprietary notices, labels or marks on the program and accompanying documentation. This Software may not be included as part of a commercial product, resold, or leased without prior written consent.

  3. All redistributions of this Software in binary form must retain all occurrences of the above copyright notice and web site addresses that are currently in place (for example, in the About boxes and TinyTask.exe file Properties).

  4. The Software is subject to United States export control laws and may be subject to export or import regulations in other countries. You are responsible for strict compliance with such laws and regulations in connection with any Software that you download and for obtaining any licenses or permits required to export, re-export or import such Software.

  5. Business entities with multiple users are required to purchase a Site License to install and use the Software. Details and purchase links for the license are located on the TinyTask website: https://www.tinytask[.]net

Archive Links (Dedicated Website & License):

3. Antivirus Issues and Project Shutdown (2020)

By late 2019, things got tough for TinyTask:

  1. False Antivirus Flags: Because TinyTask hooked into keyboard/mouse inputs and could turn recordings into standalone .exe files, antivirus software constantly flagged it as suspicious or a keylogger.
  2. Blocked Emails and Downloads: Automated filters from Google Safe Browsing and Gmail started blocking download links and emails from the domain, making it nearly impossible for the developer to distribute updates or reply to users.

Frustrated by constant battles with automated security flags, the developer posted a final farewell note in February 2020, ending public distribution:

Farewell Note from the Author (February 2020): "As of today, Google now blocks all emails from tinytask[.]net to any Gmail recipients... So, it looks like Google has finally killed TinyTask with their overreach and incompetence... It is not possible to continue the TinyTask project anymore... TinyTask will switch to being developed as a private, internal productivity app."

Archive Links (False Alarms & Farewell):

4. What Happened to the Domain?

Historical domain records (WHOIS via Whoxy) confirm:

  • Original Creator: Steve Nerby / Vista Software Inc.
  • Old Backup Domains: Steve Nerby also owned similar domains like tinytask2.com, tinytask3.com, tinytasktwo.com, and tinytasktoo.com (all since expired).
  • Domain Sold in 2022: After the public project closed, domain renewals lapsed. On September 8, 2022, the domain tinytask[.]net was grabbed at an auction via DropCatch by a third party.

Anyone running tinytask[.]net today is not the original developer.

5. Why OntyTask Was Built

Because TinyTask was closed-source and abandoned, bugs never got fixed, modern features were missing, and downloading it from random sites became dangerous.

OntyTask was built from scratch to fix all of this:

  1. 100% Free and Open Source (GPL-3.0): No mystery code, no shady installers, and full transparency so you know your PC is safe.
  2. Built From Scratch in Modern C++: Zero code was taken or decompiled from TinyTask. It respects the original copyright while giving users a modern, smooth experience that works everywhere (including 3D games).
  3. No Dangerous Standalone EXE Generation: OntyTask uses clean, readable .onty (JSON) files instead of generating sketchy .exe files that trigger antivirus alarms.

Researched and documented as part of the OntyTask open-source project.