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?

[Robert S.]

It's a moot argument as the plug was pulled on support for those old operating systems over three months ago, with I might add fair warning months in advance.

It's not as if Dropbox had a meeting one day and decided it would be great fun to upset the PPC OS X users. The reason for this is well documented and that reason doesn't go away simply because a tiny subset of end users want to stay on a dead platform.

[Jean-françois M1]

DropBox m'est indispensable et c'est de loin un outil que je conseille sans hésitation. Cet abandon technique des versions anciennes de MacOs X est malheureusement scandaleux et discriminatoire. Les arguments techniques et évolutifs sont bidons et dénotent d'un mépris total du client. Le client est ainsi une vache que l'on trait jusqu'à plus soif. DropBox pousse ainsi la notion d'obsolescence à son paroxysme... obliger ses clients à consommer plus, à changer de machine sous peine de se trouver abandonnés sur le chemin du technologique. Autrement dit, tu as les moyens, tu banques ! Tu ne peux pas changer de machine... désolé pour vous mais l'aventure s'arrête là ! Ainsi, on devient les SDF du numérique... il ne manque plus que l'obsolescence du navigateur et on est mort ! Pratique DISCRIMINATOIRE et qui pousse à la surconsommation et on s'étonne de la pollution générée par la technologie !!!!!

[Régine B.]

je vote pour le maintien de Dropbox pour Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Léopard)

[Robert S.]

Il est un argument discutable que la fiche a été tiré sur le soutien pour les anciens systèmes d'exploitation il ya plus de trois mois, avec je pourrais ajouter mois justes d'avertissement à l'avance.

Il est pas comme si Dropbox avait une réunion d'une journée et décidé que ce serait très amusant de bouleverser les utilisateurs OS X PPC. La raison pour cela est bien documenté et que la raison ne disparaît pas tout simplement parce que un petit sous-ensemble d'utilisateurs finaux veulent rester sur une plateforme morts.

[Richard Schletty]

I like the comments of Jean-François in French so much that I am offering a rough translation for English readers. I barely know any French. This was done with the aid of Google Translate:

Jean-François M. wrote:

"DropBox is indispensable to me and this is by far a tool that I recommend without hesitation. This technical abandonment of older versions of MacOS X is unfortunately outrageous and discriminatory. The technical and evolutionary arguments are a sham and denote and a total disregard of the customer. The customer is thus a cash cow that needs to be milked dry. DropBox pushes the notion of obsolescence to the extreme ... obliging its customers to consume more, to change machines for fear of being abandoned on the pathway of technology. In other words, to have the resources, you must go to the bank! If you cannot change your machine ... sorry for you but the adventure stops there! Thus, one becomes digitally homeless ... all you need is browser obsolescence and you're completely dead! This practices DISCRIMINATES and leads to over-consumption and we are astonished at the pollution generated by technology !!!!!"

[Jean-françois M1]

Thanks Richard for your translation. I will add that one can speak of discrimination technological knowing that support for Windows XP is still effective. I work in both environments and Windows, from XP to 10, the DropBox synchronize folders without problems. Pretending that MacOS is to allow easier and more preforming use ... that is rubbish! The compatibility should be maintained this poses no problem, this choice is arbitrary, because the Mac community is less given that its Windows counterpart.

[Erik Y.]

Again. We seem to still be acting as if we cannot use Dropbox anymore.

Does anyone read beyond the first post?

I will link to the modified version of PowerPC Dropbox that fools Dropbox into thinking it's using Snow Leopard once again.

[Link removed by moderator. Please refrain from posting unofficial or modified Dropbox clients on these pages. If you have come here looking for the modified client, remember that what you are trying to download was modified by a third-party and is not supported by Dropbox. Be careful of what you download.]

[Phillip C.2]

For those of us that don't quite know exactly what to do with the ppc fix files after downloading them some instructions would be GREATLY appreciated! I really miss the convenience of Dropbox and want to use it again on my G5s.

[Erik Y.]

The only file you really want is the Dropbox.app.zip file.

Here is a direct link:

[Link removed by moderator. Please refrain from posting unofficial or modified Dropbox clients on these pages. If you have come here looking for the modified client, remember that what you are trying to download was modified by a third-party and is not supported by Dropbox. Be careful of what you download.]

All the other files are being simply provided as a courtesy to anyone who knows how and wants to mess around with the code. The actual file I name above has been modified with those files already.

It tricks Dropbox into thinking you are using Snow Leopard.

Please do note that no one using Tiger has gotten it to run yet. The APIs in Leopard are still close enough to those in Snow Leopard that it works in Leopard however.

Finally, if you get an issue where Dropbox is 'updating' but nothing is happening, quit Dropbox then reopen it.

[Erik Y.]

I might just add the following. The guy who did this has contacted Dropbox about doing the coding for them for PowerPC users. So far they have ignored him.

This workaround is volatile. Meaning that today it may work, but tomorrow it might not. Dropbox can change it's APIs or procedures at any time and since they have already dispensed with us officially they won't warn us. Dropbox could also decide that they just want to squash us anyway and do something to specifically target this workaround in order to kill it.

So, make no mistake…even though this works now we are on borrowed time.