End of support for OS X 10.4 and 10.5

[Matthew S.]

Why pull support and remove functionality? Why not just drop support -- just stop updating the app but still allow basic functionality? There are still a lot of legacy machines that are still in use and CANNOT upgrade to 10.6, as they are PowerPC based. Yes, old systems still work. Why stop the app from working totally instead of just deprecating support for those systems?

[Alex A.38]

^ You're right, I realized that after I posted. But, as I stated, the bottom line is I can still use the older versions of the software. For some reason DB won't allow for the same thing. I understand security concerns and updates to the general internet structure over time, but it just seems unfair to hinder users in such a way. Once again, I understand why this is happening, I just hate to see people throwing away perfectly normal, functioning machines that serve their purpose due to forced dis functionality. It's like an older car - just cause it has a carburetor, doesn't mean it should be thrown away, know what I mean? It's all about what its used for and is it properly doing the job it is meant to do, and forcing someone into having to continuously updated their fleet of tech is simply unsustainable and, to a degree, irresponsible. We can justify it, but, ultimately, it's money in someone elses pocket at our expense.

[Dan_W8]

Alex, in order to function correctly Dropbox will need to update your application. Dropbox communicates using APIs in the background, these are always evolving to improve functionality and features. In order for your Dropbox app to be able to harness the latest APIs it would need to be updated.

There could be many reasons why Dropbox won't update for your OS:
-The new software could be much "heavier" and they know that it will run like a dog on old machines
-It could use a difference type of code / technical crud that your OS simply doesn't understand
-They may have concerns about security (let's be honest, every time someone gets their details stolen Dropbox get blamed irrespective of who is at fault)

Your car analogy doesn't stick. Nobody is forcing you to throw away your old tech. Dropbox are simply saying "Sorry guys, those of you on ridiculously outdated machines, our software isn't going to work any more. We simply won't be providing updates for old machines" After all, your machine functioned completely fine before Dropbox existed, I think it's fair to assume it'll function completely fine without 😉 With regards to lining pockets, Dropbox aren't in the hardware business so it's not in their interest to "force" users to upgrade.

[Alex A.38]

^ Alas, I guess you guys are right. I'm 25, and, growing up, I was always on top of every possible update and had a computer which was only a few years old before I got a new one. It's just that, with time, I realized that there is no end to this cycle, and the only thing that changes is the amount of money and effort you put into it. Its important to stay secure and up-to-date, but, as you all know, it costs alot of money, and, no matter how techy I was and still am, any switch to anew machine or new software presents a set of hurdles you have to get over; mainly, compatibility. Same thing with the business I run. Which is why, with time, we decided to stick with the old and proven machines, and, sadly, this is just the first thing to rock the boat. It's just that, when comparing the money going towards upgrading our machines, and all the upgraded software which will have to follow the upgrade, it makes more sense for us to just get a Wi-fi hard drive and just unify our database on our network, but Dropbox has been very helpful as it can be accessed remotely. Ultimately, we'll end up using a mix of both. Sorry for the rants, guys, it just gets me sometimes...Thanks for keeping it factual 🙂

[Mike P.16]

Is there influence by Intel? Apple?

[Barbara B.10]

I totally agree! I maintain my older computers and use them all the time; and I use Dropbox to share files among them—and with my brother. I do understand that Dropbox might stop on-going support of these older operating systems, but why are we being completely shoved out?

It is rather ingenuous of Dropbox to request that we upgrade to OS X.6. Such an upgrade requires a new computer.
Is Dropbox being manipulated by Apple to force sales of newer Macs? I certainly hope that that is not the case, as I have always found Dropbox to be a great programme, and I have recommended it to so many other people.

[A. B.1]

The fact that you're pulling functionality is a big hassle for my work - as Dropbox is how I transfer/access all files between home office and work computer, and computer and tablet, and how I do daily vs. less frequent external HD backups. I can't currently afford to buy a new Mac, so fingers massively crossed that my attempt to buy and upgrade to Snow Leopard on an older computer will work. This is very disappointing and has let me know that I cannot actually trust Dropbox - which is dangerous since I've made them the basis of moving and backing up all of my files - so you've sadly lost my brand loyalty.

[Glen G.1]

I only found out 8 days ago via email. I'm yet another PPC user without an alternative, Dropbox really were the only ones that offered an application with local syncing etc, the other big cloud providers have never had anything out there.
Oh well, anyone know of comparable alternative?

[Glen G.1]

Small update - read through the thread and found that many users were recommending SpiderOak.com as an alternative, I've signed up and will try it out on my G5. Have already noticed the web interface is not as functional as dropbox, but at least it seems to be a working alternative!

[Jerzy G.]

You can still use IDrive in Mac OS X 10.5. They give 5GB storage for free.

[Michael O.4]

No, iDrive will not run on PowerPC architecture.