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?

[Franco O.]

I'm an italian users and I think the same: please don't stop support for mac powerpc!

[Leonard A.]

The Yukon, Canada - supports PPC Mac computers so should you!

yukonleon

[Nicola L.]

I too have a couple of perfectly working vintage Macs… I am already searching for an alternative to Dropbox. And the thing doesn't make me happy at all.

So please rethink this decision! Thanks

[Chris C.8]

Cesare, you have hit the nail on the head. If I upgrade my Power PC from 10.4 to 10.6, even if that were possible, which I doubt, then I'd have to upgrade all my software, including my long-since paid for Creative Suite v 2. Not going to happen. Can't afford it. I'd like to get a clear answer as to why, technically, the Dropbox programmers feel that it is not possible to allow the old desktop version to continue working.

[Michal M.]

Thanks for going to bat for us, Dan! I shall also check out your site.

[al b.]

Would be really sad to see Dropbox go from 10.5 machines.
We still have several G5 Macs running Dropbox and this will make life very difficult.

[Rob S.2]

Not sure why dropbox need to do this? Is it an architecture problem - i.e not having Intel chips?

[Michal M.]

Someone just mentioned that Mac users love their "ancient antique machines." Actually our machines are neither ancient nor antique! They are just well-built and robust, qualities lost for the most part in our modern age. I've had to replace hard drives on the cheap PCs for others I work with almost every year and I now have a stack of much younger PC laptops paid for by you Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer waiting to be junqued. Is that kind of planned obsolescence something we see as desirable, logical? On the other hand, I can't seem to kill my Macs. Hell, my own original LCII from 96 still runs! But my very expensive, very stable G5 tower, while yes, a decade old, is a workhorse and can link up to any of a number of also decade old scientific equipment (that you wouldn't want us to have to replace every 2-3 years!!) Dropbox ceasing to serve legacy Mac users may actually seriously impair U.S. (and perhaps beyond) scientific progress as I imagine there are many such machines running <OS10.6 in service to research endeavors. We're not playing games and storing and exchanging cookie recipes & vacay pics here! This will be a serious impairment.

[Richard Schletty]

Well said, Michal M. I fully agree. I've been checking around to see if there are other extant cloud sync clients for 10.4 and 10.5. Box.com dropped PPC/10.4-10.5 syncing in 2014. I looked into Seafile and MEGA – neither offers a 10.4 or 10.5 sync client. Seems like we might be able to do something with a sync client running in Linux (via Linux boot or virtual Linux partition on a G4 or G5), but I haven't figured out the logistics. See https://mega.co.nz/#blog_29 . I hope legacy users, techs, admins and programmers keep coming here to figure out how we can guide Dropbox to the right decision re this critical issue of jettisoning quality hardware and software that cannot and will not die. I have two G5s in my studio, right next to a Mac Pro and a Synology DS 1513+ NAS box (which runs File Station and Cloud Sync, among many other services). I use my G5s to host web sites using XAMPP, as well as for redundant backup of the Synology server. Ask yourselves: "How many "old" cars do you see on the road?" Should the automotive industry lobby and conspire to force them off the road?

[Michael F.2]

I think the answer we received was "ehhh, we're too lazy to try and figure it out. So everyone just toss out your hardware, buy some new stuff, and keep paying us. That's the dropbox way."