Please can anyone tell me if there is a way of downloading a safe browser for Mac OS X 10.6.8/ Build 10K594
now that firefox is no longer supported?
Ive looked at online forums with no success. Do I just have to chuck my beautiful laptop away?
thanks so much RG
MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Your griping and whining is really irrevelant at this time and I think borders on violation of the Terms of Use (ToU) that you agreed to when you sign up to these Apple Support Communities.
Apple has NOT supported Snow Leopard for, at least, 3 years, now!
AND Apple isn't EVER going to continue to go back and support it now!
They stopped supporting OS X 10.7 and 10.8.
AND Apple just ended support late last year for OS X 10.9 Mavericks!
Do you see users coming into these forums in droves to gripe and whine about it?
I'm not even whining about it because this has been the Apple way for a very long time.
It is the way it is and Apple is NOT going back to offer support for old, legacy OS versions!
AND I explained clearly why Apple still sell OS X Snow Leopard.
If you didn't care for or like my explanation, that is YOUR problem! Take it up with Apple!
It is the same with iOS.
Once Apple moves on with a new iOS version, they leave behind/abandon the older iOS.
This is NOTHING new in the world of Apple.
So, your gripe is with Apple.
No Apple employee, with any direct cogniscience to Mac OS design or coding, peruses or responds to these forums.
If you feel so strongly with YOUR position/convictions about Apple still supporting legacy OS versions, send feedback about it to Apple.
https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html
Good Luck to You!
Eight years is no age for an operating system and Apple unofficially supported Snow Leopard until 2013* so that makes a paltry 4 years support. *Apple's OS X support cycle and EOL on releases has never been that clear.
Apple support for OS X releases is poor when you consider Microsoft supported Windows XP for 13 years.
Many Mac users cannot upgrade past Snow Leopard if they are running Intel Core Duo machines and there are those still in the need of Rosetta.
I am fortunate in having a late 2009 iMac pumped up with 12gb RAM running Snow Leopard by choice and it flies.
Looking in to running Windows 7 in a virtual environment to take full advantage of iTunes 12.6 and up to date Web Browsers.
Alternatively there is the option of running a modern Linux distribution in a virtual environment if iTunes is not important.
All this being said none of the above should be necessary if Apple were to offer a reasonable amount of support for Snow Leopard.
Incidentally Snow Leopard is still available for purchase from the Apple Store
https://www.apple.com/hk/shop/product/MAC_OS_X_SNGL/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
How can Apple sell a product they no longer support?
It's outrageous!
...All this being said none of the above should be necessary if Apple were to offer a reasonable amount of support for Snow Leopard....
Mac OS X Feedback
<http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html>
They will not reply, but it does get read.
Firefox ESR (Extended Security Release) version 45.7.
An older version of Firefox that gets all of the very latest security updates, but NO NEW FEATURE updates.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/faq/
Ignore all of enterprise, organisation and education info and notes.
However, support will end for the ESR version of Firefox, sometime in April 2017 for OS X 10.6.8-10.8.5.
You CAN continue to use the very last release for as long as you please.
Hopefully, some other web browser developer will pick up the gauntlet where Mozilla drops it, sometime in April.
Good Luck!
Like many other software Web Browser support is unfortunately drying up for Snow Leopard. That being said Firefox 45 ESR will be an acceptable option for a good time yet.
Although now unsupported as a release Snow Leopard remains widely used either by choice or Hardware constraints.
Choice as Snow Leopard is the last release before iOS features infiltrated the platform.
Choice because Snow Leopard is fast and stable.
Hardware constraints as Snow Leopard is the last release that will run on Intel Core Duo architecture.
Firefox 45.9 ESR is the Web Browser I use on Snow Leopard. Although its not out of date there will come a time when pages will not render correctly etc. We can only hope something similar to TenFourFox currently a Firefox fork for PPC architecture will arrive.
Web Browsers are not the only issue. The latest version of iTunes that supports Snow Leopard is v11.4 and the latest version of Spotify does not support Snow Leopard either.
Steam no longer supports Snow Leopard and numerous other third party applications. Don't tell me to upgrade either as I choose to work with Snow Leopard and there are many others who have no choice due to Hardware constraints.
I was a long time OS X Snow Leopard user, myself, but saw the "handwriting on the wall" way back at the beginning of 2015 when I switched to OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion and now OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks.
I go between these two OS X versions regularly, now.
I have the latest version of OS X 10.11.6 El Capitán on my Mac, but never use it as none of my older software, that I can no longer, financially, able to update, does not run or function on it!
iTunes 11.4 (Apple is up to iTunes 12.6 which needs OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks as minimum OS X version, now) on Snow Leopard has been long out of the running to keep newer iOS devices up to date and for backups.
I can still use all of the older versions of iPhoto ( OS X 10.6.8-10.11.6) to sync all my stored photos from my iPad Pro, but that is it!
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is nearly 8 years old, now, and the Macs it runs on are even older!
Apple supported PowerPC Macs for nearly 20 years before switching to Intel CPU's
From System 7 all the way to OS X 10.5 Leopard.
So, what is YOUR POINT?
Supporting Windows XP for 13 years was Microsoft's choice and a very poor choice at that!
Trying to design/make newer hardware/software apps and security apps compatible with a 13 year old computer operating system to Microsoft's own detriment.
The original Mac OS design and all its forward incarnations up until 2000 was getting clumsy and kludgy.
Apple didn't want to keep back pedalling with keeping support for older Mac operating systems.
When SJ came back to Apple, OS X gave the Mac OS a new start with the Unix Mach kernel with an a complete redesign and refresh from the ground up!
This has always been what Apple does!
Apple has always placed limits on how long a Mac OS will stay supported on legacy hardware.
This is nothing new here, for long-term Mac/Apple users!
As far as Snow Leopard is concerned, it is still needed to get users access to the Mac App Store and for users still needing Snow Leopard for install discs for older supported Macs or those with missing SL discs.
Apple, also still sells OS X 10.7 Lion for those Mac users whose Macs can, at least, move up/upgrade to one more OS X level.
Apple, also still sells OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion to those users who still need a more current OS X version, but still need an older OS X version for older, legacy software.
Typically, Apple only supports a Mac OS for 5-6 years! Tops!!
Apple is 6 OS generations past OS X Snow Leopard.
At some point OS X Snow Leopard maybe still fine for application use, but will be of seriously limited use for online activities.
It's the way it is.
BTW,
I have been using both OS X 10.8 and 10.9 and fine them perfectly stable with most of my legacy software.
The only apps I have problems with on OS X 10.9.5 is my older iMovie '06 HD and Final Cut Express.
These two apps do work perfectly fine on OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion.
At no point on the Snow Leopard purchase page in the Apple Store is there any indication that Apple no longer supports Snow Leopard
All it states is -
"The current version of the Mac operating system is macOS Sierra"
At no point does it mention that the product the consumer is purchasing is unsupported.
If Apple are still selling Snow Leopard then it is reasonable to expect it to be supported.
Apple no longer offer subsequent OS X releases available for download from the App Store unless they have been previously downloaded by the Mac user.
The Snow Leopard sales model is different to other releases and it is only reasonable to expect the support cycle to reflect this.
I would have less to gripe about if Snow Leopard were not being sold.
So you are condoning the the continued sale of an unsupported product yes?
True Apple have ceased support for Mountain Lion and Mavericks however neither of these are available from the App Store unless previously downloaded from that source.
If Apple are selling Snow Leopard they should be supporting it.
Simple as.
Overall I am a satisfied Mac user and have been for some years however I am entitled to my own opinion regarding the current support model.
Mozilla Firefox ESR vers. 45.9 is the last compatible browser and version for OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.
Firefox no longer supports snow leopard
