Firefox 116 drops Windows 7 and 8, as well as macOS 10.1

[Redaktion]

In addition to improved upload performance, multiple security fixes, and a volume slider in Picture-in-Picture mode, Firefox 116 drops support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, as well as macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. The users of these operating systems will get support until September 2024 for Firefox ESR (version 115.1 also arrived today).

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Firefox-116-drops-Windows-7-and-8-as-well-as-macOS-10-1.737935.0.html

[kek]

I'm pretty sure the main reason was that stupid volume slider 🙄

[Hunter2020]

RIP FireFox.  I only have one Win11 system (laptop) and ten Win7 systems.  Win10 and above I never allow internet connection.  It's the only way I can kill the spying feature of Win10/11, not allowing it internet access.  For online, I have Deepin Linux with its much nicer Deepin Browser (based on open source Chromium project).  Who needs FireFox if they gonna be cocky and NOT work on Win7/8 (the only MS systems I approve for online connectivity)!

[Mr Majestyk]

Good to see the conspiracy nutters out today on day release.

[NikoB]

This is very sad, because. W7, unlike XP, has basic x64 capabilities, native support for GPT disks (in XP, even with SP3, there was no such driver due to the bastards from M $, although it was in Windows Server 2003) and a fast gigabit Ethernet stack (which could also be easily added to XP, but was not intentional). Also in W7 HDD/SSD gave out full speed, unlike XP, where there were some intentional restrictions in drivers for IDE/AHCI modes - read/write speed was up to 50-60% worse in 99% of cases, as with Ethernet at 1Gbps.

W7-W8.1 on old hardware is much faster than W10, not to mention the filthy W11. And there is a lot of hardware, where the RAM is more than 16GB or 8GB cannot be expanded.
And some people still have laptops and PCs that can be used as spare devices, where the memory is more than 4GB can not be expanded. And W7 with SSD and 4GB swap is great and fast on them. The W7 kernel occupies only 600 MB in RAM, in contrast to 1.5 GB for W10 and even more so for W11. That provides even on systems with 4GB free 3.4GB.

Unfortunately - buggy and heavy in settings even for professionals, Linux is not an alternative (that's why after 25 years it still occupies 1-2% of the real desktop OS market, despite being formally free), because all the latest builds (which can work with current versions of browsers) are also fat and require at least 8GB of RAM and are also extremely buggy, slow on old hardware and there is no desire to poke around in their buggy settings.

W7 was a great OS for old hardware, although of course with a lot of flaws (for example, VSync did not work on YouTube and in general in Internet browsers and this does not depend on the video adapter and its drivers), but hardware and software manufacturers buried it too early ...

R.I.P.

Now there are only two OS left for the population - two Trojans and an M$ bot-net client for collecting and selling customer data to third parties - W10/W11 and no sane alternative.

[indy]

I fully support Firefox dropping support for old operating systems that are no longer supported.  They only have so many resources and I'd rather have them focused on browser security and bugfixes.  10 years is more than enough for any OS to be supported.  I also support Microsoft fully supporting their consumer/business-level OS's for at LEAST 10 years, something pretty much unheard of on the level and scope of all the devices Windows supports. Yes, Linux supports that long, but it varies by distribution and you have no "guarantees" like you do with MS.

I used to be an IT admin.  Used Linux, Windows, Android, IOS. Had to. I loved Linux when it worked on supported hardware/configurations.  But, now, as just a regular Joe, I just want my OS to stay supportive of my environment.  I don't want to troubleshoot any more than I need to.  That's why I'm no longer an Admin. ;)

I agree Windows 11 is atrocious on how much it both invades your privacy by default, but also through updates has features that nobody asked for nor nobody wants turned on by default.  It's really gotten bad.  I'm not pleased with my options in IT in the past 5 years.  It's gone in a very weird direction. It seems customer-unfriendly.

I'm typing this on a Windows 11 machine because I attempted to install Linux on it and just got a black screen first, second and third attempts, trying various troubleshooting options to no avail.  I'm not especially fond of Windows anymore, but it is working and is a risk I'll take versus Linux.  I will definitely give Linux another shot next upgrade.

As for OSX, wow.  I bought an expensive Macbook a few years back (M1?) and it was very fast.  But it, too bugged me to no end to register my name/e-mail and the design of the OS was even less intuitive than every Linux I have used.  It also crashed several times running its own apps.  It had WiFi issues on my networks. (I imagine they figured those out over time, however, I returned it before my return window was up.)  I did love the battery life.  I did love that Firefox on it was nice.  But it reminded me of nagware. Apple has an arrogance I just find truly distasteful. I don't care how beautiful your devices are.  If you are arrogant, I will pass (Looking at you, too, Tesla.)

I choose my OS's (Android, too) based on Firefox.  It's why I won't use an iPhone, which has a bastardized webkit Firefox.  It's the only browser I trust.  It's my most important piece of software, without a doubt.  With the proper add-ons, and some security know-how, it's nearly impenetrable and so much more efficient than any other browser in displaying sites exactly as I want/need them to be displayed.

[A]

RIP FireFox.  I only have one Win11 system (laptop) and ten Win7 systems.  Win10 and above I never allow internet connection.  It's the only way I can kill the spying feature of Win10/11, not allowing it internet access.  For online, I have Deepin Linux with its much nicer Deepin Browser (based on open source Chromium project).  Who needs FireFox if they gonna be cocky and NOT work on Win7/8 (the only MS systems I approve for online connectivity)!

Windows 7 isn't getting security updates anymore. It doesn't matter how secure your browser is if your operating system has known vulnerabilities. I liked windows 7 more than 8, 10 and 11. When MS dumped 7, I also went full linux. But even I realize its already too late for windows 7

I fully support Firefox dropping support for old operating systems that are no longer supported.  They only have so many resources and I'd rather have them focused on browser security and bugfixes.  10 years is more than enough for any OS to be supported.  I also support Microsoft fully supporting their consumer/business-level OS's for at LEAST 10 years, something pretty much unheard of on the level and scope of all the devices Windows supports. Yes, Linux supports that long, but it varies by distribution and you have no "guarantees" like you do with MS.

I used to be an IT admin.  Used Linux, Windows, Android, IOS. Had to. I loved Linux when it worked on supported hardware/configurations.  But, now, as just a regular Joe, I just want my OS to stay supportive of my environment.  I don't want to troubleshoot any more than I need to.  That's why I'm no longer an Admin. ;)

I agree Windows 11 is atrocious on how much it both invades your privacy by default, but also through updates has features that nobody asked for nor nobody wants turned on by default.  It's really gotten bad.  I'm not pleased with my options in IT in the past 5 years.  It's gone in a very weird direction. It seems customer-unfriendly.

I'm typing this on a Windows 11 machine because I attempted to install Linux on it and just got a black screen first, second and third attempts, trying various troubleshooting options to no avail.  I'm not especially fond of Windows anymore, but it is working and is a risk I'll take versus Linux.  I will definitely give Linux another shot next upgrade.

As for OSX, wow.  I bought an expensive Macbook a few years back (M1?) and it was very fast.  But it, too bugged me to no end to register my name/e-mail and the design of the OS was even less intuitive than every Linux I have used.  It also crashed several times running its own apps.  It had WiFi issues on my networks. (I imagine they figured those out over time, however, I returned it before my return window was up.)  I did love the battery life.  I did love that Firefox on it was nice.  But it reminded me of nagware. Apple has an arrogance I just find truly distasteful. I don't care how beautiful your devices are.  If you are arrogant, I will pass (Looking at you, too, Tesla.)

I choose my OS's (Android, too) based on Firefox.  It's why I won't use an iPhone, which has a bastardized webkit Firefox.  It's the only browser I trust.  It's my most important piece of software, without a doubt.  With the proper add-ons, and some security know-how, it's nearly impenetrable and so much more efficient than any other browser in displaying sites exactly as I want/need them to be displayed.

You can get guarantees with Linux if you opt for corporate distros like RedHat Enterprise.

Which Linux did you try to install? Generally you would know if it works properly or not by running it in live usb first which you should always do before installing.

[NikoB]

You can get guarantees with Linux if you opt for corporate distros like RedHat Enterprise.

Again you with your boring demagoguery. RedHat paid support. There is no point in Linux if it is paid.

By the way, Windows 10/11 is actually free for home use (any version from Home to LTSC, by the way, there is still no W11 LTSC, which once again proves that this is not an OS, but an alpha version that is cynically tested on fools who also have been paying M$))) since 2015. And everyone knows this, except for complete idiots. =) And support is provided by a 50 times larger user community than the rest of the miserable versions of Linux. The only one who has benefited from messing around with Linux is Torvalds. He became a billionaire. =)
Moreover, some of the young developers who increase the value of the resume, including work with Linux, which they really do not care about at all and at home they still use Windows.

The "security" of the new versions of Windows causes only Homeric laughter among professionals (as well as the cries of red-eyed idiots about Linux).

Mozilla's big foolishness is that they rejected W7-W8.1 given FF's declining browser market share.

By the way, are ordinary idiots aware that the US government (and other countries) is still paying bastards from M$ for security patches and code fixes in W7-W8.1? And the governments pay from taxpayers' money, i.e. all citizens of these countries have every legal right to require M$ to provide them with these security patches and fixes.

Most people are idiots. And this is a global problem...

[Hunter2020]

Know it all ignoramuses!  Can anyone name a virus or trojan that still works in Windows XP?  That system is probably the SAFEST MS system you can use to go online because nothing harmful is capable of running on it anymore.  Give it a few more years Windows 7 will be just the same, the virus/trojan dependencies from Win10/11 not available/not found in Win7!

[Glegster]

All them crying older os's don't get anymore updates... the esr takes longer; just wait. They never said anything about not providing anymore esr

[NikoB]

at system is probably the SAFEST MS system you can use to go online

This is actually not the case, but in any case - it has not been possible to go online with XP for a long time. There simply are no known and more or less safe versions of browsers. There is simply nothing to go online with.

By the way, all major mail service providers have also blocked mail at the level of encrypted versions of pop3/smtp/imap, if you do not provide them with your phone number. In fact, the Internet is deanonymized and it's just a farce already.

Gradually, the Internet will be stratified into anonymous and non-

[A]

Again you with your boring demagoguery. RedHat paid support. There is no point in Linux if it is paid.

What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Linux gives you far better security and open source means you can make changes to the code to meet your needs. You can also get it at a much lower price too.

By the way, Windows 10/11 is actually free for home use (any version from Home to LTSC, by the way, there is still no W11 LTSC, which once again proves that this is not an OS, but an alpha version that is cynically tested on fools who also have been paying M$))) since 2015. And everyone knows this, except for complete idiots. =) And support is provided by a 50 times larger user community than the rest of the miserable versions of Linux. The only one who has benefited from messing around with Linux is Torvalds. He became a billionaire. =)
Moreover, some of the young developers who increase the value of the resume, including work with Linux, which they really do not care about at all and at home they still use Windows.

I am well aware that windows 10+ has been free, even windows 8 was free as long as you are fine with the watermark and no gui access to customization (you could still edit it via cmd/powershell)

That said, you are talking nonsense when talking about community size. Again, I will remind you that Windows only dominates on the desktop, most servers run linux, routers run *nix, phones run *nix, even in car infotainment systems are now mostly moved to *nix. Most smart tvs are also running *nix.

The "security" of the new versions of Windows causes only Homeric laughter among professionals (as well as the cries of red-eyed idiots about Linux).

Mozilla's big foolishness is that they rejected W7-W8.1 given FF's declining browser market share.

Windows 7 makes up 3.69% of marketshare, 8 is 0.35% and 8.1 is 0.7%. So less than 5% of windows marketshare

Support will end for ESR version in sept 2024, for reference a year ago windows 7 was 11.96%, 8 was 0.35% and 8.1 was 0.7%. So it went from over 13% in 1 year to under 5%. All 3 by then would probably be below 2.5% of windows marketshare

And do note that hit is bigger than it sounds because last year, windows owned 75.21% marketshare, a year later it is down to 69.52%

By the way, are ordinary idiots aware that the US government (and other countries) is still paying bastards from M$ for security patches and code fixes in W7-W8.1? And the governments pay from taxpayers' money, i.e. all citizens of these countries have every legal right to require M$ to provide them with these security patches and fixes.

That isn't how software licensing works... its like demanding you get to watch a movie for free in the theater cause you paid for someone else's ticket

Know it all ignoramuses!  Can anyone name a virus or trojan that still works in Windows XP?  That system is probably the SAFEST MS system you can use to go online because nothing harmful is capable of running on it anymore.  Give it a few more years Windows 7 will be just the same, the virus/trojan dependencies from Win10/11 not available/not found in Win7!

You do realize the viruses and trojans can acquired even on old systems right? While AVs generally do include general protection, but some get rid of old definitions for long patched issues. Which means the virus could still be out there and you would just get it. There are also sites that continue to be infected and no one bothered fixing them.

Not to mention, hackers intentionally target old devices because they are easy bait. They take over your pc, use it as a zombie to do ddos attacks, encrypt your pc and hold it hostage for crypto or simply use it to mine crypto or all of the above

[NikoB]

What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Linux gives you far better security and open source means you can make changes to the code to meet your needs. You can also get it at a much lower price too

I've been bored of arguing with you for a long time now. you are inadequate. And again they took up the old, although I have already proved that your arguments are meaningless.

Linux is much more dangerous for the average user than Windows. That is why the M$ market share on desktops is overwhelming, while Linux has had 1-2% for 25 years and still has. There are no fools to test "safe" code and audit millions of lines. No one is able to check the Linux code, including demagogue A.

Was not, but free right now and all 8 years since 2015. Only idiots pay for a botnet client and a trojan. Everyone else has been using W10 for free since 2015. So is W11.

I am well aware that windows 10+ has been free

But 8-8.1 has never been free, again A is lying. They do not have methods for the simplest digital activation using a text .bat file. W7 also does not. There you can only activate through OEM keys and an activator, this is different.

Windows 7 makes up 3.69% of marketshare, 8 is 0.35% and 8.1 is 0.7%. So less than 5% of windows marketshare

Our modest A, forgot to report FF's market share. =)

That isn't how software licensing works... its like demanding you get to watch a movie for free in the theater cause you paid for someone else's ticket

You just don't tell me how the licensing legislation works, which in almost all countries contradicts the constitutions of countries.
Once again - if taxpayers paid through government agencies to work M$ on old OS updates - the state is obliged to publish all these patches for all citizens of the country.

You do realize the viruses and trojans can acquired even on old systems right?

Over the past 15 years, I have never used fake antiviruses (which will never help you in reality), there has never even been a hint of viruses in my systems.

But while there were antiviruses - they suddenly constantly appeared. Apparently, companies producing antiviruses must constantly prove to customers by criminal methods that their meaningless programs cost money. )) Fuckers (and such 99%) are led to this. But all IT specialists have known for a long time that antiviruses are a waste of money and computer resources.

[A]

I've been bored of arguing with you for a long time now. you are inadequate. And again they took up the old, although I have already proved that your arguments are meaningless.

Because I always prove you wrong, and you don't like when people point out your wrong

Linux is much more dangerous for the average user than Windows. That is why the M$ market share on desktops is overwhelming, while Linux has had 1-2% for 25 years and still has. There are no fools to test "safe" code and audit millions of lines. No one is able to check the Linux code, including demagogue A.

It isn't, only reason MS has higher marketshare is for decades MS bribed OEMs to only include windows on the desktop. Even today, most OEMs that have started offering linux do so in hidden pages.

Mobile is a better example of how a real market would be if there was competition, Windows is non existant there.

Also, for desktop, linux is 3%, chromeos which is also linux is 3% so total desktop linux is 6%. Then there is OSX which is *nix based at 20%. Lastly, I will point out many linux systems use windows user agents for privacy reasons, so its possible the linux share is even larger

And again, you don't need to check every line of code. You simply don't understand how open source works at all. Every patch is reviewed by multiple people and 3rd party security audit companies.

Was not, but free right now and all 8 years since 2015. Only idiots pay for a botnet client and a trojan. Everyone else has been using W10 for free since 2015. So is W11.

Unfortunately, most people buy their computers from OEMS. And none offer no-os option unless you opt for the much more expensive business laptops. Aka, most people buy windows, even if it is against their will.

I am well aware that windows 10+ has been free

But 8-8.1 has never been free, again A is lying. They do not have methods for the simplest digital activation using a text .bat file. W7 also does not. There you can only activate through OEM keys and an activator, this is different.

Our modest A, forgot to report FF's market share. =)

You never asked. Around 6% for desktop. But again, there is no point of supporting operating systems that don't get security updates.

You just don't tell me how the licensing legislation works, which in almost all countries contradicts the constitutions of countries.
Once again - if taxpayers paid through government agencies to work M$ on old OS updates - the state is obliged to publish all these patches for all citizens of the country.

Most constitutions predate software, so your statement is outright ridiculous.

Also, do understand when you pay for patches you per computer. In case of windows 7 it was $175-350 for 3 years per computer. So no, asking them to publish the patches is ridiculous. Windows isn't open source where under open source licenses, anyone who gets software has the right to redistribute it to others.

It's funny how you defend the closed source windows, then demand that it work like open source.

Over the past 15 years, I have never used fake antiviruses (which will never help you in reality), there has never even been a hint of viruses in my systems.

But while there were antiviruses - they suddenly constantly appeared. Apparently, companies producing antiviruses must constantly prove to customers by criminal methods that their meaningless programs cost money. )) Fuckers (and such 99%) are led to this. But all IT specialists have known for a long time that antiviruses are a waste of money and computer resources.

The use of antiviruses depends on what you do on your computer, if you just go to youtube all day, your chance of getting a virus is slim to none. Your chance increases more as you go outside into websites general (especially if you don't use an adblocker), open up attachments or download software from the web from unknown sources (more so if its illegal software).

Overall though, note that your pc could be infected without you knowing. As these days many pcs are simply used as zombies for attacking other computers.

That said, these days Windows Defender is secure enough for 99% of the population. Back in the day it wasn't so good, but now it gets scores of 99.8% or so compared to the best antivirus giving you 99.9%.

[Neenyah]

Even today, most OEMs that have started offering linux do so in hidden pages.

This is illegal to do here in the EU, to make it more difficult to find, so I went to check the NA for Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer and Asus, desktop PCs-only, not workstations or anything similar but regular PCs for average Joes without any experience or knowledge in building their own. US and CA pages of course.

Out of all those mentioned only Dell really sucks there because it's difficult to find anything really even which version of Windows is installed there, but everyone else has perfectly clearly visible and working filters where you can select any OS in their offer with the exact number of available pre-builts with that OS, like here with Lenovo US on the main page for desktops: imgur.com/2Y9WgxM
 
Nothing is hidden on the whole/unfiltered list too, it's just random sorting (probably latest being on top, I was too lazy to check that one) where a Linux desktop is sometimes at the top, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the bottom... But it's not hidden.