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?

[mike m.16]

We are assured that the web interface to our account will continue it is just desktop support that will go. We are told that PPC support must go so that desktop user experience can be enhanced for later hardware. Desktop Dropbox is like a hard drive that can be attched to any computer, BYOD. The greatest user experience of the internet is that it is accesssible from just about any device, whatever the age and speed. The best user experience that Dropbox can offer is universal access from any machine; so us humble PPC users can exchange files with those geeks with the eye movement controlled devices using far out technology. Why is Dropbox settling for a lesser user experience by limiting those with whom files can be shared?

[Andy O.]

Why is it not possible for us to continue using the app on 10.4 as it is? The glib instructions on how to upgrade your system feel like an extra kick when you know full well that your Mac can't go above 10.4.
I and many other users need to have a Mac running on 10.4 for several good reasons (e.g. thousands of FreeHand files which need to be accessed) - a higher system can't run some vital software that is still required to run my business. Even if we could afford £3000+ to upgrade the hardware, the software we need to use won't work on the new system, so there would be no point.
As I pay for this service and now won't be able to use it on the majority of my machines, will I get a discount?
I am perfectly prepared to keep using the old app without support - but I would have liked to have been given the choice. Will the app just stop working?

[Richard P.]

Will the app just stop working?

Yes, syncing will stop for clients that are on unsupported versions of OSX.

I am perfectly prepared to keep using the old app without support - but I would have liked to have been given the choice.

But Dropbox would still have had to support you in an ongoing basis by ensuring future versions of their API are usable by clients available on older Macs, which usually means releasing new clients. Which is sort of the entire point of dropping support - releasing updated clients for old versions of OSX is no longer an easy thing to do, and requires a completely different (and old) version of OSX to target old OSX versions.

will I get a discount?

No, its your choice to stay on an unsupported OSX version.

Even if we could afford £3000+ to upgrade the hardware, the software we need to use won't work on the new system, so there would be no point.

Firstly, you should have been doing proper depreciation of your hardware and software costs over a given accounting period, and you should have been budgeting for an upgrade during that same period - Dropbox is not at fault for your bad planning.

Secondly, you should be talking to your other software vendors about their lack of support for newer OSes, as this situation was always going to arise. If your business relies on this software which "won't work on the new system" then why the hell are you still using it? Why didn't you plan a migration to a different platform the moment the software vendor said it was not going to support newer OSes?

I'm sorry, but your situation is of your own making.

Also, this move will hardly "decimate" Dropboxes MacOS user base, its more than likely it will hardly make a dent - PPC as a desktop platform is dead, and starting to smell, you really should have moved on 5 years ago.

[Andy O.]

"I'm sorry, but your situation is of your own making."

You obviously completely misunderstand my business, reasons for having to use a particular hardware / software combo and insult the intelligence of me and a great many others, so no point in really arguing.

[Richard P.]

You obviously completely misunderstand my business, reasons for having to use a particular hardware / software combo and insult the intelligence of me and a great many others, so no point in really arguing.

No I don't completely misunderstand anything - the fact remains that you have chosen to stay on unsupported software and unsupported platforms.

You should have been doing something about the fact that your business critical software has been abandoned the moment you knew it had been abandoned - its absolutely no good just continuing on as normal and not thinking about the future, as you just dig yourself more and more into a hole.

The end of FreeHand (which you cite as a reason for staying on an old OSX version) development was announced by Adobe back in 2006, and reaffirmed that announcement in 2007 - Adobe also provided copious support and tools to help FreeHand users migrate to Adobe Illustrator, including migrating existing files and projects over. Why did you not avail yourself of that help 8 years ago?

Adobe still supports FreeHand files in Illustrator, so its not as if you don't still have a migration path.

You are in a hole that you dug yourself into - don't be surprised when the world doesn't want to help you shore up that hole. Do yourself a favour, take the pain and get yourself off of FreeHand, off of old versions of OSX and onto something that is supported today - if you do not, you may find yourself without a migration path completely, and it sounds like that would eventually be the end of your business.

[Dan_W8]

Andy, I don't think that Richard is arguing. He's offering sound advice and reasoning. He's offering you a practical solution to your problem his only flaw is that it's a solution that you don't want to hear.

Sooner or later your system is going to completely fail - what will you do then?. Computers don't last forever. You may be best to follow the upgrade path on your own terms - this'll be far less stressful than being pushed.

[David S.293]

"Why decimate your MacOS user base?"
You mean people still using 10.4 released 10 years ago April 29, 2005?

"thousands of FreeHand files which need to be accessed"
And FreeHand discontinued 11.0.2 in 2004?

[Alex A.38]

Honestly,I think Richard P.s advise is totally invalid. I, and the business I manage, are in the same situation as Andy O. is, and we are very on top of our tech. The thing is, sometimes the old tech does its job just fine. We have 5 G4 laptops running our machinery, and, over the years have found these laptops to be the most cost-effective way to go. If they break, you just buy another for $200. Also, there is minimal hardware incampatibilities, as our machines are a few years old, and the software support for them may not support the latest OS X, and, even if it did, now you need a whole new suite of software t accomidate the change, all because one developer decided to drop support. We use alot of different software on them, including M.O. 2004, Adobe Illustartor and Photoshop CS2, as well as other programs specific to our application; all of which, mind you, continue their support for the old machines. The fact that Dropbox is the ONLY application that is dropping support for these platforms is more then disappointing, and will simply result in user fallout.

If you are so wise, Richard, then surely you have heard the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Well this is a clear example of how perfectly normal and functioning machines are forcefully being outdated due to dropped support. It is obvious that Dropbox has the capability to keep the support for PPC, as it has in the past, but, just as Apple did with the new cables and outdated accessory support for older iphones and ipods, this company chose to cut the throats of it's users for the sake of looking cutting edge.

At the end of the day, anyone who uses a computer knows that things get old and outdated in time; don't act like you just discovered America here, Columbus. But, at the end of the day, People should have the freedom to stay with an older version if they choose to, as long as they are paying for the services rendered. You mean to tell me Dropbox has it figured out better then Microsoft or Adobe? If so, then our pre-intel laptops would've been long gone already. Now I suggest you set up a tent outside the Apple store, Richard, I heard the new macbook is coming out in a few months, and god forbid you don't have it, your old one may self-distruct...We'd rather invest our money into other parts of our infrastructure, even if that means stepping away from Dropbox...

[Richard P.]

If you are so wise, Richard, then surely you have heard the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

And yet you are finding out very much that "it" is broken, because things are about to stop working.

Well this is a clear example of how perfectly normal and functioning machines are forcefully being outdated due to dropped support

Nothing forcible about it - you have had half a decade to do something about it.

We use alot of different software on them, including M.O. 2004, Adobe Illustartor and Photoshop CS2, as well as other programs specific to our application; all of which, mind you, continue their support for the old machines. The fact that Dropbox is the ONLY application that is dropping support for these platforms is more then disappointing, and will simply result in user fallout.

And those examples are not comparable - Adobe doesn't need to ensure that new changes don't affect CS2 et al, while Dropbox heavily relies on a central server set up to support syncing, so there is a significant cost involved in it supporting you on a very out of date system.

And unsurprisingly, Adobe CS5 and above DO NOT run on PPC Macs, so just where does that leave your argument?

As to the rest of your post, its mostly just ad hominem attacks, so please stop being childish.

You have chosen to use an old platform, why should Dropbox support your ongoing decision? You let your business stagnate technical wise - and while you may very well be happy in your stagnation, you are starting to find that people and businesses around you are not, and you only have yourself to blame for that.

I don't think Dropbox will have any issues with you going elsewhere, after all they have already said they won't be supporting PPC going forward, but I do think you are going to find it difficult to find a solution which will support you going forward. Good luck in that, you are going to need it.

[Dan_W8]

All software vendors stop supporting old software sooner or later. I think Alex is confusing "support" with "functioning". Most of the software you've listed is completely unsupported - it just happens to still function.