There are also notification controls, and you will experience a boost in performance, too. The users can now control annoying auto-play videos, prevent tracking, and more. Besides that, when it comes to Safari, Mac search engine, there are some notable improvements with the update.
![]() ![]() Too Old For Spotify Code For UsersI barely have the time to support and test the more current releases. Some features (for example Face ID on iOS devices) simply won’t run on older hardware because of intrinsic limits on that older hardware (like not having fast enough processing power, the right GPU, or the necessary lenses).As an independent developer, I can’t support and test versions of code for users running very out-of-date software or hardware. The cost to maintain and update the dregs of old gear is impractical.It’s also impractical, because features that run like the wind on new hardware can be dog slow on older hardware. Developers don’t want to test against numerous generations of older machines. Put simply, as newer releases of computers and operating systems come out, older software and hardware become obsoleted.Vendors don’t want to continue to support systems that are quite old. The modern tech lifecycleMost IT folk understand and probably even agree with the modern tech lifecycle.$40 million isn’t even 0.05% of Apple’s quarterly revenue.Heck, $40 million is only 15% of Tim Cook’s $265 million 2020 compensation package. Let’s say facilities and gear for those hundred engineers is another $20 million.Does anyone seriously think Apple can’t afford $40 million a year to keep software up to date? In its second quarter, Apple posted revenues of $89.6 billion (up 54 percent year over year). What would that cost? The salary of a hundred engineers would be, roughly — in Silicon Valley dollars — about $20 million. It’s another for Apple, the world’s most valuable company, with a valuation in the trillions of dollars.It’s not like Apple can’t afford to make sure even its oldest machines stay safe year after year. A paradigm shiftBut as I looked at those four perfectly functional Mac minis sitting in a stack on a shelf, never to process bits ever again, I found myself getting upset.It’s one thing for an independent developer to set a baseline for version or operating system support.And updating and hardening Safari would provide a solid, safe baseline for users of older machines. On Macs, that would provide a nice suite of tools for users of older machines. All the applications that ship with the machines could be kept up to date. Not all the advanced features will run on them.But even with these restrictions, Apple could certainly establish a baseline. Yes, sure, Microsoft and Adobe could, but it’s beyond the scope of all the little indy developers out there.Second, performance will undoubtedly be pretty poor on the oldest machines. First, developers can’t all be expected to keep all their software compatible with ancient machines.As of today (end of September, 2021), Apple is still issuing security updates for MacOS Catalina. You can derive from the supported list a secondary list of those devices left behind.Apple does maintain an information page detailing Apple security updates. When a new OS is released, it will list devices supported. Download game the sims 3 offline for androidWhile it might not be something the typical ZDNet reader is likely to buy, someone on a limited budget in need of a computer might well decide to spend $66 plus $17.14 shipping to land a MacBook Pro. This one is just one example:As you can see, it’s an old 2008 MacBook Pro. I took a quick look on eBay and found a lot of older machines for sale. Especially for users of older machines.But this isn’t just about my four computers. On that same Security Updates page, Apple says, “For the protection of our customers, Apple doesn’t disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are generally available.”That’s… helpful. Apple’s last High Sierra security patch was in 2020, and the company gives no indication whether (a) there are any known but unpatched security flaws in High Sierra, and (b) whether it ever intends to issue future patches.In fact, this lack of transparency is policy. The last time Safari was updated for Yosemite was also four years ago.This is what I’m talking about. According to Apple’s Security Updates page, the last security update for Yosemite was in 2017 — four years ago. That’s OS X Yosemite, an operating system that came out in October 2014 and received its last major update in August 2015. ![]() So it’s not just about updating old machines to keep their users safe. Worse, those machines can become patient zero devices, spreading malware to other machines on their networks. All those machines are actively vulnerable to malware and other security threats. But the big players? Not doing so is irresponsible.There are millions of those machines out there, still in use. I don’t expect boutique developers to handle the load of back-facing security updates. Android is a cesspool for malware, which Samsung is essentially enabling by its inaction in providing security updates.As I said before, there is a line somewhere between the individual developer like me, and companies like Apple and Samsung who are rolling in billions of dollars in profits. Click here to join our channel stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.For all the latest Technology News Click HereFor the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News. 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