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Firefox 52 Is The Last Version of Firefox For Windows XP and Vista (mspoweruser.com)
Mozilla has confirmed that Firefox 52, the new version of its browser it made available earlier this week, will be the last major version to support two legacy operating systems - Windows XP and Windows Vista. The company said future versions will require Windows users to be on a machine that has at a minimum Windows 7 running on it.
Not that I have any Vista machines any more, but why drop Vista support? What's available on 7 but not Vista, API-wise?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
This will be the last ESR that supports proper extensions, proper operating systems and proper plugins. We need to set up a new browser foundation that will continue updating this browser for real users and not Chrome drones.
Good; that means it won't be getting any slower.
The Firefox browser on my XP machine recently stopped working with some of the sites I often visit, so I upgraded it to the latest version, from 3.6! I miss the speed.
Mod parent up. Unless essential extensions like adblock (read: ublock origin) retains functionality, Firefox will have (even more of) a shitstorm on their hands.
Modern app appers use Appdows 10 Cloud, NOT LUDDITE operating systems like LUDDITE Windows XP and LUDDITE Windows Vista!
Apps!
Those of us with XP and Vista machines get the last laugh -- it means we get to keep using our favorite addons, like Classic Theme Restorer, NoScript, and AdBlock Plus (or uBlock Origin), while the rest of you get left out in the cold come November. Thanks, MozColonSlashSlashA!
What about Windows ME?!? They'll still support that! Right?!? That was the BEST one!
So... any PC with Windows purchased after mid-2009 will run the newest version of Firefox. That's what keeps me to Windows. No need to upgrade the OS if you don't want to, and no need to wait for someone to "package" the app specific to your OS version to be able to enjoy the app or mess with stuff like 0install which is a pain. Just download the same generic exe or msi everyone else if downloading, double click on it, next-next-finish and enjoy the app.
While I believe that this is "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters", I'm wondering if there needs to be a new category for news items like this: "Announcements" or "FYI: Version Support Information"
No surprise that Vista has only 0.78% of the market (https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0), although it is something of a surprise that XP has 8.5% (same source), but Microsoft ended support almost three years ago. I'm of the feeling that any software ending support for these platforms is reasonable and should really be presented as FYI.
I know I'm opening myself up for a lot of responses as to why it is unreasonable for a browser to end support because systems using these browsers are being used for , it is impossible to update them and they need to access the latest information on the web for their users. But, time marches on and as user bases shrink, regardless of how worthwhile the final users are, developers need to let go of support projects.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
or someone payed Firefox to follow this series of unfortunate events!
the horror!
Somewhere in a living room decorated by pictures of Arthur and still video pictures is a madman plotting over tge only running Windows Phone...
"will do that too, ive my worst programmers screwing up So.cl as we speak and when they are done thwy will continue systemd developments."
"good...sweatyhand....gooood. and I want Vista developments accelerated."
"thy will be done, massturd"
LUDDITE Firefox isn't an appy app app, it's LUDDITE software! Only appy app apps like Appy App Saga and Appy Birds can app other apps!
Apps!
Why can't Lubuntu likewise be used for this sort of "refurbishing"? It'd have the advantage of continuing security support. Or does it use significantly more RAM than Windows XP Service Pack 3?
Now seriously Mozilla(or other orgs) does not have unlimited resources to maintain indefinitely software for operating systems out of warranty. Those affected should switch to Ubuntu, Fedora, or *BSD
Actually... they are!
After all the extensions XP Enterprise ended its support period 3 years ago, according to the MS life cycle DB.
When people in this site talk about supporting old software that they dislike, stuff that old is way overdue for a replacement. People at Microsoft probably are no different, maybe expect about the reaction they get whenever they have to tell anyone their day job was to support Vista or XP :)
On vista I kept having issues with the File Explorer malfunctioning. /i quickly upgraded to 7 annd didn't experience any more problems.
I've run it in a virtual machine behind a hardware fire wall, with no anti virus software, for years. If it ever is breached I have a copy of a clean install on a virtual harddrive readily available. Of course data is backed up regularly elsewhere.
So I'm not concerned about Mozilla or Microsoft supporting it.
I just bought an AMD A8 computer for $100, http://support.hp.com/us-en/do... because the previous owner said it ran slow and apparently had more money than sense. I uninstalled Norton Anti-virus and now it runs just fine,
Well, at least you appear to be 'appy about the news.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
hard lockout? what about an this may not work and your are at your own risk opt in choice?
waterfox 64 bit with java and other plugins
Damn billion dollar corporations controlling us.
It's the last straw.
I'm going to Linux.
Embrace it or be left behind with the rest of the Wheel of Fortune fanatics
Most of the tools we run on Windows won't run on 7 or newer. It's going to suck to have to upgrade and run a vm.
Why do you hate Jesus?
They are, and as best I can tell, the settings in the compatibility tab do nothing. It has never helped.
How about win 3.X, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, vista, 7, 10.... you may have notice that win 8 was skipped; that was intentional because I've never been stuck supporting it.
- bwahahaha, I couldn't resist.
A lack of users is the problem, but it affects Firefox more than Windows XP and Windows Vista.
With Firefox now accounting for around only 5% to 6% of the market, across all platforms and all versions of Firefox, it makes no sense for Moz://a to limit the number of users that could potentially use its browser.
Chrome, which has about 50% of the market, can afford to discontinue platforms that see relatively little use. But Firefox? I don't think it has that luxury. It needs every user it can get, just to keep the project alive.
Retaining desktop users is particularly important given how Firefox for Android has only 0.04% (no, that is not a typo; it's a small fraction of just 1%) of the market.
Supporting XP and Vista could give Firefox a big advantage over Chrome and the other browsers, for those users who still need to use XP and Vista.
Moz://a just can't be driving away users from its main product.
It used to help run Windows 95 games on Vista, 7, etc... dunno about now as it's painful to try to play 640x480 games on today's monitors even stretching the windows to fit a bit. I've found it easier to just load the games in a VM like Dosbox or Vmware Win95, etc.
So, the last version of Firefox on XP is to fuck Java and fuck font rendering.
How timely.
Still running a 486 with Win ME as a mp3 server! Never crashes! No browser or antivirus required....
Many parts of the world have people who simply cannot afford a new OS or PC. They run XP or Vista because that's what came with the PC. Even a small percentage is a lot of users when it comes to Windows. Given that neither XP or Vista users could take advantage of the free Windows 10 period. It's understandable they are still running a older OS. I don't blame Firefox for ending support, but it will leave some people without much of a choice but to continue to run a outdated browser now.
The good news is that they won't feel compelled to throw new features into the already bloated browser every six weeks. Yay!
No sense making a secure browser for an insecure OS.
Next step: Release a Firefox 53 so that 52 indicates an outdated OS.
A key factor in XP support is that there's no user-to-user encryption, which is required by Win7+... in other words, parents can't steal cookies and stored passwords.
If you need the latest version of a popular free application for Ubuntu, there's usually someone building a PPA of it. For example, I'm using the firefox-next PPA, which provides Firefox Beta.