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> My first reaction after hearing that Mavericks is free was: great, if most people will upgrade, I am freed of supporting the legacy OS X versions. And if sof

by felixr 13y ago

> My first reaction after hearing that Mavericks is free was: great, if most people will upgrade, I am freed of supporting the legacy OS X versions. And if software developers cease to support older OS versions, those people with old computers that cannot upgrade have a stronger incentive for buying new hardware.

JTon 13y ago
That's a lot of wins rolled up into one. Better for the consumer, developer and Apple. Better for Apple by not only selling more hardware, but by spending less resources supporting older software releases.
cwp 13y ago
Nah, that's a very minor consideration at best. "Cease to support older OS versions" means that new versions of applications won't run on older operating systems. It doesn't mean that older versions of applications suddenly stop working. If you're running an old OS on old hardware, running an old application is fine. In fact, it's preferable, because it was written with the capabilities of that hardware in mind.
- KC8ZKF 13y ago
  But the software doesn't exist in a vacuum. Older versions of calendar software stop working because Google or Apple change and the software is no longer updated, for example.
- adolph 13y ago
  Yes and no and less so when applications work by using backing services that aren't backwards compatible. Sure my old Mac Mini will run my old copy of CS3, but I hope that Adobe is still running activation servers if I ever have need to reinstall.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  Also, Apple is going to keep offering older versions of apps in the App Store, for machines that can’t run Mavericks. http://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/previous-versions-coming-to-mac-app-store-for-users-of-older-macs/ http://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/previous-versions-coming...
Samuel_Michon 13y ago
> people with old computers that cannot upgrade have a stronger incentive for buying new hardware. Sure, but if that were Apple’s main objective, they would’ve made Mavericks’ system requirements a lot higher. Mavericks runs on 6 year old iMacs. Today, I installed Mavericks on my mom’s 2008 MacBook. It is noticeably faster. Before, my mom was considering buying a new notebook. Now, she’s going to hold off.

by felixr 13y ago

JTon 13y ago

That's a lot of wins rolled up into one. Better for the consumer, developer and Apple. Better for Apple by not only selling more hardware, but by spending less resources supporting older software releases.

cwp 13y ago

Nah, that's a very minor consideration at best. "Cease to support older OS versions" means that new versions of applications won't run on older operating systems. It doesn't mean that older versions of applications suddenly stop working. If you're running an old OS on old hardware, running an old application is fine. In fact, it's preferable, because it was written with the capabilities of that hardware in mind.

KC8ZKF 13y ago
But the software doesn't exist in a vacuum. Older versions of calendar software stop working because Google or Apple change and the software is no longer updated, for example.
adolph 13y ago
Yes and no and less so when applications work by using backing services that aren't backwards compatible. Sure my old Mac Mini will run my old copy of CS3, but I hope that Adobe is still running activation servers if I ever have need to reinstall.
Samuel_Michon 13y ago
Also, Apple is going to keep offering older versions of apps in the App Store, for machines that can’t run Mavericks. http://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/previous-versions-coming-to-mac-app-store-for-users-of-older-macs/ http://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/previous-versions-coming...

Samuel_Michon 13y ago

> people with old computers that cannot upgrade have a stronger incentive for buying new hardware. Sure, but if that were Apple’s main objective, they would’ve made Mavericks’ system requirements a lot higher. Mavericks runs on 6 year old iMacs. Today, I installed Mavericks on my mom’s 2008 MacBook. It is noticeably faster. Before, my mom was considering buying a new notebook. Now, she’s going to hold off.