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?

[Rick_M]

Dropping support doesn't mean it'll stop working. (you know some like that the program won't be changed.)

[Mark L.28]

I vote for supporting a work around to Mac PPC OSX 10.4.11 and up, for my 6 machines. Think TenFourFoxG5 based on Mozilla's FireFox.

[Cristiano B.]

I started use Dropbox years ago, and i am a Pro User. The big differencial of the Dropbox is the software as more connect with differents devices. I use dropbox with my iMac G5, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad and Nokia Lumia with Windows Phone. My computer central is the iMac G5 running Mac Os 10.5 (Leopard), and my computer not update for more versions newer.

A lot of plataforms and applications can't support our old system, but the Power PC comunity was very happy with Dropbox Team for still supporting our best computers.

I always defended dropbox for all people saying it as the best synch file software, and now i'm so sad for this news. The Power Pc mac comunitty is small but exist and are strong. We hope Dropbox Team still support our best computers.

Rethink this decision, please!

[Marty S.1]

I'm sure by now that any Dropbox "powers to be" have stopped looking at this and other threads: their plan is going to be implemented.

Yet it has come to mind that there was a great opportunity here for the Dropbox team to have a plan somewhere between "continued support" and "logged out forever". That opportunity is to continue providing server login support for these older systems and implement an "enhanced LAN sync" as the only thing the older client can do. That would not help some customers at all—I realize that. Yet for those that have at least one supported client in their LAN it would allow these older systems to continue to share the benefits of Dropbox without needing to use the Dropbox servers as the workhorse.

Such an "enhanced LAN sync" could also be the basis for a new Dropbox service for enterprises that want Dropbox but need to maintain all their data locally, not in an external cloud. Providing this as a for-fee service wouldn't be out of the question, and many customers here in the forums have said they'd be willing to pay something (reasonable) for the ability to keep their older systems in the loop.

Options are what we expect from vendors, not "… we gave you lots of notice. Now move along."

[Mitch P.4]

If I go to 10.6, my legacy software will no longer work. I will leave this Mac on 10.4 for that reason. I am not impressed by the
Dropbox attitude. Dropbox surely has the technical expertise that is capable of making their program continue to be compatible with 10.4 as well as with later versions.

[Juan Z.1]

It is a pity. I dislike a company that is not able to maintain theirs legacy products.

[Andreas R.4]

Its the same problem for me: I got a nicely working iMac G4, even with SSD support. So why won't I be able to syncing my data as is from May on ? Many thanks for considering seriously and for your understanding !!

[Ross H.]

Wow, just got notice of this, yet it seems it has been announced for 3 months! I wonder if their "3rd party libraries" happen to be sourced from Apple - encouraging them to help reduce the value of the fleet of PowerPC computers and drive new sales? Apple no longer innovates in computers, so they have to drive sales somehow.

[Carlos C.6]

Dropbox, I love your product/solution, for me is the best in the market, but it looks like you are forcing me (and all 10.4/10.5 mac user) to buy a new mac! Is Apple forcing you to do this? Do you get $ for this? Definitely, I will not buy a new Mac (don't need it), so for me there would be only one other solution to this problem, and it isn't using your web based service.

I understand that in some point in life you need to stop the support but there's no need of killing the desktop application, please common!!! I invite you to sync your files with the webpage as you are suggesting for an entire week and see how difficult it is for us, to do this....

Please stop this nonsenses!!!

[Maynard James K]

Looks like there's sadly no reprieve in sight, but I have a question that matters to me a lot: I don't use my iBook that much anymore, but I've stored all my important files I DO use on it in Dropbox and ONLY in Dropbox. And my understanding is that - for the moment - my Dropbox files are: a) locally stored on that machine, b) also stored in Dropbox's cloud and c) also stored on my local drives on my other Dropbox machines.

So... ....my understanding (I THINK) is that all those files - wherever they were first stored from - will still be on and available to my newer Mac and my Vista PC after May 18th..

...but my question is this:

Will my Dropbox folder and all those files just disappear from my iBook....??? Or will they still all be there in a non-web connected folder called "Dropbox" that just won't sync any longer...?? Or....???

So do I have to copy all those files elsewhere on the iBook to avoid losing access to them altogether (as opposed to their just no longer being synced)?? (The hard drive is way full, so if so, I need to get to some HDD management and triage pronto.)