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Joseph Farrugia

macrumors regular
Jul 31, 2011
148
0
Malta (EU)
I'm not saying it isn't - today. I have it running on my Mini.

What i AM saying is that the support will not last forever, and you need to make plans to migrate for when support does run out, no doubt as soon as 10.9 is released, if not before.

Sticking your head in the sand, and staying with 10.6 forever isn't going to remain viable forever - at some point, likely within 12 months, apple is going to stop supporting it with security fixes.

↑↑↑More FUD from yet another member of this forum :rolleyes:
 

Joseph Farrugia

macrumors regular
Jul 31, 2011
148
0
Malta (EU)
I agree with TennisAndMusic... how long do you really think Apple is going to support SL?

Seriously: so macs using older versions of OS X suddenly stop working once apple drops "support" for that particular OS?
That is why I call FUD.

What support would you need?
(e.g.:AV solutions have existed for a long time)
 

Badagri

macrumors 6502a
Aug 9, 2012
500
78
UK
I'd be more concerned with SL becoming unusable when the machines that still run it die. You'd be surprised at the number of people that buy new macs only to discover they can't run Snow Leopard on them. That's why I'm trying to adapt to ML (kicking and screaming).

That bad you say?

We'll see what 10.9 brings.

Sadly thats where mine ends. Mountain Lion is the last for this model. Hopefully I'll be on a new Mac Pro by then.
 

Dewdman42

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2008
513
103
As far as I can tell, SL is definitely where I will be staying for quite some time to come. Lion and ML add nothing at all that I need and only take away things I liked. And my own experience has shown Lion and ML to be slower then SL on the same hardware. Yes Apple is putting stuff into their SDK that will only run on Lion or Mountain Lion, so sooner or later eventually I will have to upgrade to something, but for my part I'm not changing anything until Apple gets it together, Lion and ML were both steps backward. Hopefully by the time I am forced to upgrade the OS, Apple will have made it work right.
 

pionata

macrumors 6502
Oct 12, 2005
447
0
Montreal
Still on SN and I do not wan't to leave it one bit after trying for a good amount of hours ML. It's quite similar, but expose and space are broken, and most applications take more ram for no justifiable reason other than greedy people forcing you to spend cash upgrading.

I totally dislike he direction Apple is going. There was a huge drop in computer longevity when they moved to Intel, and now they are going the Microsoft way of coding their os in order to cripple down good computers that are 3 years old.

They are cheating the naive users in order to sell more computers. It' just wrong.

I use to love Apple, but now it's not the case at all. Stability for professionals is gone. Osx has become a cool toy, like the ipads.
 

iThinkergoiMac

macrumors 68030
Jan 20, 2010
2,664
4
Terra
Seriously: so macs using older versions of OS X suddenly stop working once apple drops "support" for that particular OS?
That is why I call FUD.

No one is claiming that the computer will just stop working. Most business prefer to keep their systems supported than out of date. Most customers, too.

What support would you need?

Security updates, if nothing else. Those are only somewhat important.
 

Joseph Farrugia

macrumors regular
Jul 31, 2011
148
0
Malta (EU)
No one is claiming that the computer will just stop working. Most business prefer to keep their systems supported than out of date. Most customers, too.

Hogwash. Most businesses (worldwide, including & especially multinationals) will not fix it if it is not broken, or impairs their workflow.

Security updates, if nothing else. Those are only somewhat important.
Somewhat, like having a decent AV software.
 

iThinkergoiMac

macrumors 68030
Jan 20, 2010
2,664
4
Terra
Somewhat, like having a decent AV software.

Obviously, if something breaks what you need entirely, then you wouldn't use it.

Still, our point is that Apple WILL stop supporting SL soon, likely within 12 months. That doesn't mean you have to do anything about it, but denying it doesn't make any sense. It's not FUD to speak the truth.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,198
7,353
Perth, Western Australia
Seriously: so macs using older versions of OS X suddenly stop working once apple drops "support" for that particular OS?

You need to work on your reading comprehension.

That isn't what I said.

They will stop getting security updates.

However, this does mean they start becoming progressively less safe to use on-line as per below:



----------

I don't understand the rationale for this argument. Can you elaborate?

The rationale is this: IF snow leopard has zero security holes in it to be found, it will be the first such operating system in the history of software.

Which means, more likely, when security updates stop happening (and they will) then any newly discovered security holes will go un-patched.

Which means machines running SL at that point will be vulnerable to new malware - and no fix for the hole will be forthcoming.


In short: whether it is apple, microsoft, linux, or whatever - running an OS that is past end of support is running the gauntlet, security wise. If you're planning to do this, good luck (and I would recommend using a different machine to browse the internet, once that happens).
 
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Cave Man

macrumors 604
You need to work on your reading comprehension. That isn't what I said.

I interpreted what you said the same way - that is, without support from Apple SL would no longer be functional. But you have clarified that here.

In short: whether it is apple, microsoft, linux, or whatever - running an OS that is past end of support is running the gauntlet, security wise. If you're planning to do this, good luck (and I would recommend using a different machine to browse the internet, once that happens).

I've never worried about security issues with my Macs, and I don't think they're a significant problem. If that day ever comes, then I'll do something about it. But until then it'll be business as usual for me.

Obviously, if something breaks what you need entirely, then you wouldn't use it.

Yeah, man. No Quake or Unreal, no Lion or Mountain Lion! ;)
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,198
7,353
Perth, Western Australia
I've never worried about security issues with my Macs, and I don't think they're a significant problem.

This is a judgement call.

However, with apple pushing gatekeeper (it has been backported to 10.7) and removing Java from the base install, I don't believe they share your optimisim (neither do I).

The mac isn't a tiny share of the market any more and it is becoming more worthwhile to write exploits for.


Waiting until you get hacked (and potentially have your identity/bank details sniffed) is an interesting perspective. No one ever thinks they'll get hacked, until they do.


This isn't an apple-fud thing. I've been pushing our users here to get off XP (i'm an enterprise network admin by day) as soon as possible too - because it is simply lacking a lot of newer security features available in Vista, 7 and 8.

Exact same reason I believe people should be looking to get off Snow Leopard; upgrade to ML or Lion, or plan their migration strategy to an alternative platform with support now.

Right now, whilst still supported - you're fine. But when support runs out, you need a plan. Whinging about how you hate the new OS and refusing to upgrade isn't really going to work out forever.
 
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RSL

macrumors regular
Nov 6, 2012
124
0
This is a judgement call.

However, with apple pushing gatekeeper (it has been backported to 10.7) and removing Java from the base install, I don't believe they share your optimisim (neither do I).

The mac isn't a tiny share of the market any more and it is becoming more worthwhile to write exploits for.

This is interesting. Could you name a few examples (aside from 3rd party (e.g. Java) vulnerability)?
 

makaveli559m

macrumors 6502
Apr 30, 2012
312
0
It was really stupid in Apples part for not supporting 32bit EFI bunch of idiots making people buy these suppose 64 bit machines that yes can run 64 bit but not 64 bit kernal and drivers? But yet on the Windows side it doesnt have an issue running 64 bit applications and drivers. Its an oxymoron thing to do. I recently bought a 2.1 Mac Pro some what disappointed I cant put in Mountain Lion but it works great with SL or Lion and even works super great with Windows 7 64 bit.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,198
7,353
Perth, Western Australia
This is interesting. Could you name a few examples (aside from 3rd party (e.g. Java) vulnerability)?

http://www.geek.com/articles/apple/macbook-first-to-fall-at-pwn2own-2011-20110310/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...r_cracks_Mac_in_10_seconds_at_PWN2OWN_wins_5k


http://www.zdnet.com/apple-fixes-snow-leopard-and-safari-vulnerabilities-3040092531/


There are heaps out there, that was a 60 second web search.

Vulnerabilities aren't just about turning your machine into a zombie for a botnet. Identity/credential theft is just as, if not more of a concern.

If you're actually interested, keep an eye on http://www.cert.org

eg:

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview

Seach for "OS X"


There are heaps. Yes, apple patches them. For currently supported operating systems.


Again, this isn't hating on OS X. I love OS X. But, most software has vulnerabilties, and OS X is no exception. They just haven't been effectively exploited in the wild yet because Mac users generally keep up to date. Staying on SL once it is past end of support is not staying up to date, however.

Note: just because there isn't a heap of mac malware out there yet, it doesn't mean it is impossible. plenty of proof of concepts have been used to win hacking contests....

----------

Its an oxymoron thing to do.

Do you know what that word means? I don't think you do.
 
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RSL

macrumors regular
Nov 6, 2012
124
0
http://www.geek.com/articles/apple/macbook-first-to-fall-at-pwn2own-2011-20110310/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...r_cracks_Mac_in_10_seconds_at_PWN2OWN_wins_5k


http://www.zdnet.com/apple-fixes-snow-leopard-and-safari-vulnerabilities-3040092531/


There are heaps out there, that was a 60 second web search.

Vulnerabilities aren't just about turning your machine into a zombie for a botnet. Identity/credential theft is just as, if not more of a concern.

If you're actually interested, keep an eye on http://www.cert.org

eg:

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview

Seach for "OS X"

Thanks for the links! Very useful information. I will be keeping an eye out on the net.

Looking at those first 3 links, it seems that the vulnerabilities lie in Safari, so if one used an updated browser (firefox, chrome, etc.) then no problem, right?

In the other link, the bulk of the vulnerabilities are pre-SL, although there are a couple for fonts which are indeed OSX vulnerabilities. Thanks again.
 

Joseph Farrugia

macrumors regular
Jul 31, 2011
148
0
Malta (EU)
Right now, whilst still supported - you're fine. But when support runs out, you need a plan. Whinging about how you hate the new OS and refusing to upgrade isn't really going to work out forever.

This (the above) is simply FUD; I know you have to justify your job & its existence, but the Freudian slip at the end ("whinging how you ……") gave you away.

Older OS's will become less & less the target of malicious attack once newer ones become the mainstream, not to mention the fact that 3rd party solutions & a good sys admin plan can take care of your worries. ("your" in a general sense, you might need something more than that; YMMV)

Snow Leopard is fine for a good while from now, the "in the future" argument could be applied to any OS including the most recent, so is a moot point.
 

miata

macrumors 6502
Oct 22, 2010
499
0
Silicon Valley, Earth
My attitude is that SL is the best OS for me right now -- and I've tried ML. When I have problems with one of the 5 Macs in the house I'll look again at "upgrading." The longer I wait the better chance that I have to upgrade to something that is actually better than SL.

My guess is that I can probably hold off for at least another year or two -- and it will likely be a new hardware purchase that forces me to an upgrade.
 

miata

macrumors 6502
Oct 22, 2010
499
0
Silicon Valley, Earth
What logic is this? :confused:

Well, I think that ML is a better than Lion, so Apple seems to be changing direction. Hopefully, Apple will take an interest in getting their old installed base moved forward.

Not "likely". It will definitely force you to upgrade your OS.
I mean that it is "likely" a hardware upgrade that will force me to do an OS upgrade -- as opposed to software driving the change. I purchased a refurbished iMac just a year ago because I knew that it was the last to support SL.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,198
7,353
Perth, Western Australia
Thanks for the links! Very useful information. I will be keeping an eye out on the net.

Looking at those first 3 links, it seems that the vulnerabilities lie in Safari, so if one used an updated browser (firefox, chrome, etc.) then no problem, right?
.

Web browsers (any browser!) are the most common vector for infection these days. Simply running a different browser won't really make you any more secure. Whichever browser you use, you should make sure it is kept up to date (i.e., if you are running a version of OS X that is no longer supported, running safari would be a very bad idea), disable java, don't run with administrative credentials, etc.

But there's nothing to say that there aren't problems in Mail, iCloud (for example), or any other program on your mac which is used to access internet content.

Put "firefox" into the search instead and you'll see heaps of vulnerabilties for Firefox, too.



History has shown that basically nearly all software out there can be exploited in one way or another eventually. And even if the code for the oeprating system is bug free and secure,there are sometimes flaws in the protocol that was implemented than can be exploited.
 
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