I get messages to upgrade my browser when surfing the www. is it possible to upgrade? What version ? I am now running a 2009 version. High Sierra. 10.13.6. Can not afford a new mac.
[Re-Titled By Moderator]
iMac, macOS 10.13
Computer hardware will usually outlast the productive functionality of the software. That is to say, the software will become obsolete and unusable before the hardware breaks down.
Your 2011 MBP has reached that point now that it is fourteen (!) years old.
Both the OP and you are well past due for hardware upgrades. If secure access to the internet is important to you then it is becoming imperative that you make plans to replace your obsolete computer.
Here in the Community when one cannot afford a brand new computer, it is often recommended to take a look at Apple's Certified Refurbished Macs. You'll save a bit of money and still get a great computer will a full factory warranty.
Never buy a used Mac from eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, or other similar sites because it's too easy to end up with a door stop when a Mac isn't prepared properly for resale.
Computer hardware will usually outlast the productive functionality of the software. That is to say, the software will become obsolete and unusable before the hardware breaks down.
Your 2011 MBP has reached that point now that it is fourteen (!) years old.
Both the OP and you are well past due for hardware upgrades. If secure access to the internet is important to you then it is becoming imperative that you make plans to replace your obsolete computer.
Here in the Community when one cannot afford a brand new computer, it is often recommended to take a look at Apple's Certified Refurbished Macs. You'll save a bit of money and still get a great computer will a full factory warranty.
Never buy a used Mac from eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, or other similar sites because it's too easy to end up with a door stop when a Mac isn't prepared properly for resale.
You're welcome.
As informed in the link posted by @PRP_53, yes there are alternatives to the Safari browser, but slowly and surely those alternatives are disappearing as the hardware and software gets older and internet standards continue to evolve..
For example, having taken a fresh look at the Waterfox downloads page today, it appears they offer only versions compatible with macOS Big Sur and newer. This is noted in the document linked by @PRP_53.
And while iCab does still offer downloads even for versions that will run on much older Mac OS X systems. This doesn't guarantee that those older versions will conform well to modern internet standards, only that they will get you on the web. How well they navigate and load websites is anybody's guess.
Z2–9a wrote:
I get messages to upgrade my browser when surfing the www. is it possible to upgrade? What version ? I am now running a 2009 version. High Sierra. 10.13.6. Can not afford a new mac.
I assume you are referring to Safari. The version of Safari in High Sierra cannot be upgraded further.
The Firefox ESR browser is still supported on High Sierra. You can download it here -> https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/desktop-esr/
The "ESR" refers to "Extended Support Release." Mozilla announced the end-of-life of Firefox on SIerra, High Sierra & Mojave but they continue to support & update Firefox ESR on those versions of macOS. Currently that support runs through August 2025 but Mozilla has extended that date 3 times already and may extend it further.
I do not suggest using Firefox Dynasty. While intriguing, it is developed by an unidentifed programmer not associated with Mozilla. It does not come from Mozilla and is not supported by Mozilla. I consider it to be, at a minimum, risky; and perhaps suspect.
All that said, it is time to start looking for a new Mac.
Z2–9a wrote:
I get messages to upgrade my browser when surfing the www. is it possible to upgrade? What version ? I am now running a 2009 version. High Sierra. 10.13.6. Can not afford a new mac.
[Re-Titled By Moderator]
You cannot upgrade a Late 2009 iMac past High Sierra. (Had your iMac been an Early or Mid 2009 one, you would not even have been able to upgrade it even that far.)
Safari 12.1, released on March 25, 2019, seems to have been the final version of Safari compatible with High Sierra. The current version of Safari is 18.3, released on January 27, 2025, which requires Ventura or higher. So even if you have the latest Safari for High Sierra, it would be almost six years out of date.
Safari Release Notes | Apple Developer Documentation
FireFox 115 ESR has not gotten new features in some time – but might be a bit newer than the version of Safari that is built into High Sierra. Mozilla was originally going to stop providing even "critical security updates" for it by last September or October, but gave it a couple of reprieves, and will now provide them until August 2025.
Mozilla Support – Firefox users on macOS 10.12, 10.13 and 10.14 moving to Extended Support Release
The current version of Firefox, which requires Catalina or later, is 136.0.1.
MartinR wrote:
The OP and others should equally weigh all facts & opinions expressed, not just ones favorable to a particular view.
Agreed, but the suggestion I've offered - which is based on my own experience - resolves the original problem for now. It may well be that down the line, buying a new Mac is the only realistic solution, but for now it isn't.
Only asked if there is an alternative way to overcome a problem as some find remedial ways when Apple stops it's official support 🤔
It will be environmentally greener too
Anyway Thank you and to know there is no alternative methods to get safari working☺️
No problem.
I use a 2011 iMac with Mavericks 10.9 and have got around the browser problems (for now...) by using this :
Firefox Dynasty (constantly being updated with build based on latest Firefox (currently 136)):
https://github.com/i3roly/firefox-dynasty ('Latest' download under 'Releases' lower right)
This is a godsend for anyone using OS X 10.8 and higher up to Mojave.
MartinR wrote:
I do not suggest using Firefox Dynasty. While intriguing, it is developed by an unidentifed programmer not associated with Mozilla. It does not come from Mozilla and is not supported by Mozilla. I consider it to be, at a minimum, risky; and perhaps suspect.
That is a quite unwarranted assertion, from someone who possibly doesn't even use it? I use it, and I can assure you that it is a highly regarded GitHub project by programmers who really do seem to know what they're talking about. The fact that it is by someone not associated with Mozilla is an illogical warning : if Mozilla had any interest in supporting older versions of Mac OS they would do something very similar, but they don't. Having said that, they're better than most with their ESR versions but those run out of steam when not supported anymore.
MartinR wrote:
I don't use it and never will. As I said earlier, I consider it risky. Just because it comes from programmers who use GitHub doesn't make it safe or reliable.
It's not a program written from scratch, it's Mozilla's open source browser tweaked just sufficiently to enable it to run on older OS's. It's perfectly safe as I presumably 000's of others have found. As for reliable, there will be a few issues when used on a much older OS but I for one haven't seen any yet. I switched to it from Chromium Legacy which hasn't been updated in nearly a year.
As for your own particular opinion on the matter, you're perfectly entitled to it, but the OP should realise that's only what it is, and that actual users of this particular software should carry more weight.
christopher rigby1 wrote:
As for your own particular opinion on the matter, you're perfectly entitled to it, but the OP should realise that's only what it is, and that actual users of this particular software should carry more weight.
The OP and others should equally weigh all facts & opinions expressed, not just ones favorable to a particular view.
In danger of hijacking the author’s post there are some issues with Firefox Dynasty
MartinR warning, 15 March, about Firefox Dynasty is good for it is sensible that we should always be cautions when using a browser particularly if we are doing internet banking.
Christopher Rigby1 argument is that just because he uses it and it works, it is good. He is merely stating it is functional not necessarily secure.
000’s of users, if that is the case, does not make it secure nor because it is based on someone else’s software that has be changed. (Remains with the same logo etc. which is a bit disconcerting)
He also states “a highly regarded GitHub project by programmers who really do seem to know what
they're talking about”.
Who says it is highly regarded? The developers might know what they’re talking about but that does not make Firefox Dynasty a secure browser.
I have no knowledge of the developers but I hope that greater confidence, with evidence, of Firefox Dynasty integrity can be gained for potentially it is a wonderful project.
The developers have not as far as I am aware showed how Firefox Dynasty is secure both now and into the future to their potential users.
Like MartinR I will not be using it for the time being as the risks at present I perceive are too high. I sincerely hope I can use it, with confidence, in the future.
Need_help_give_help wrote:
In danger of hijacking the author’s post there are some issues with Firefox Dynasty
MartinR warning, 15 March, about Firefox Dynasty is good for it is sensible that we should always be cautions when using a browser particularly if we are doing internet banking.
Yes, agreed - but that's not the point I was making.
Christopher Rigby1 argument is that just because he uses it and it works, it is good. He is merely stating it is functional not necessarily secure.
000’s of users, if that is the case, does not make it secure nor because it is based on someone else’s software that has be changed. (Remains with the same logo etc. which is a bit disconcerting)
That's the whole point I was making : Firefox Dynasty 136 is effectively Firefox 136 sufficiently 'tweaked' to allow it to run in earlier OS's. So, if Firefox 136 is inherently more secure than - say - Firefox 115, then so too is Dynasty 136 as it's effectively the same software.
I have no knowledge of the developers but I hope that greater confidence, with evidence, of Firefox Dynasty integrity can be gained for potentially it is a wonderful project.
One person closely involved with both Dynasty and Chromium Legacy is Jonathan Allen who goes under the username of wowfunhappy in Mac Rumors. When he talks of basic functionality I can follow him, but when he gets into discussions of software issues with the developers I'm totally lost, as it's highly technical. I agree it's inverted logic that people talking about specific programming functions I can't understand, means I trust they know what they're talking about, but there it is.
The developers have not as far as I am aware showed how Firefox Dynasty is secure both now and into the future to their potential users.
As I said above, it is as secure as the Firefox it is based on.
Like MartinR I will not be using it for the time being as the risks at present I perceive are too high. I sincerely hope I can use it, with confidence, in the future.
I do online banking and I can assure you - it's not the browser that presents risks, it's the security strength of the particular bank's website.
Hello
Were you able to update your safari browser.?
I have a similar MacBook Pro (2011) and I couldn't.
I downloaded Google and get on with certain sites.
Well said and presented 👍
How do I upgrade browser on my iMac on macOS High Sierra 10.13.6?
