After 16 years of posting on the CLC forum (plus some years on the previous one), the latest forum tells me that my browser is not cool enough to let me play and that I should get a new browser. But my browser updater tells me that my operating system is no longer supported and I should get a new one of those. The OS updater tells me that my hardware is no longer supported and that I should buy a new computer. That’s like driving down the street in a well-maintained classic car and seeing a sign that I have to buy a new car to proceed any further. No one would put up with that for a car, why are we putting up with it for the Internet?
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wow, that sounds like a computer antique alright…
i feel for you…just using this to test the new system…
oh my gosh…it allows us to edit! well, that’s an improvement.
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well looks like posting s picture is a bit easier 
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I understand your pain but as a computer science professor and former Microsoft employee the long term maintenance of old versions of software (browsers and operating systems) against security attacks by foreign and domestic actors simply becomes economically unviable at some point.
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Lazlo,
First, let me thank you for sharing your expertise and experience for the many years I’ve been enjoying the forum. It’s been priceless.
I’ve been a professional software designer and developer for 50+ years. Longer than there has been an Internet. My guess is that the browser restriction is for our own protection.
The Internet has become a much more dangerous place nowadays. There are way too many Websites out there that can actually harm your PC and steal your private information or use your PC to spread viruses and other malware. Responsible Website operators need to avoid connecting with browsers that do not meet current security requirements
Here’s a link to some of the reasons: Safe Browsing
If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help - just like you helped me when I built my Peeler Skiff in 2014.
Cheers,
Dick
P.S. If you need a newer PC, I have one you can have for free.
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Laszlo, I feel your pain. Had a perfectly fine desktop running Windows 10.1, with insufficient memory and other bits and bobs to run Windows 11. As the Microsoft Macropirates began larding it up with what seemed to be retrofitted Windows 11 features, it became so slow as to be unusable. Had to replace it. At least the new one runs like a scalded dog, for now, and had a VGA monitor output so I could continue to use the old Dell monitor I’ve loved for years.
I’m not exactly a Luddite, but I do sort of miss my old '53 Ford pickup with the lovely flathead V8… <;-)
For me the answer to an aging Windows machine has always been to put Ubuntu Linux on it. I have a 14 year-old laptop in the basement happily running, but I mainly use it for watching videos and listening to music in the shop. I do need to update the browser for the new forum, but I’m fairly certain I can find one that will be acceptable. I’ll report back.
Thanks everyone for your concern, advice and the incredibly generous offers of help and equipment. As you can see, I can actually keep posting using a different setup that I already have. My complaint was that software companies ignore backwards compatibility in the name of security. Compare this to the automotive situation where both roads and cars are much safer and have higher performance than they did 80 years ago, yet you can still drive a 1953 Chevy on a 2 year-old stretch of freeway and a 2024 pickup on a 1950 gravel road. And the steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals and doors and windshields are in the same places and are operated and used the same way. The software world could really take a lesson from the automotive world.
I was a denizen of the software world for 50 years before I retired. I know it’s possible to implement websites with layered architectures to hide runtime dependencies, to package adaptation layers to make apps platform-agnostic (that’s what the JavaScript engine was meant to do, after all) and to keep users from having to replace their entire systems because of an update. I just want to see it applied in the commercial world.
My old browser already supports https, encryption, etc. What it doesn’t support is the ad-serving, pay-wall, data gathering and other javascript extensions that modern sites need to monetize my browsing. True fact - with the old browser I do not see ads on the BBC website and there is no DRM enforcement so I can see content that is only licensed for the UK and not the US. I also don’t see the WAPO or NYT paywalls. That’s why websites reject older browsers, not security.
I’ve been using Linux since the 90’s and I’m a great fan, but it’s not the answer to the browser upgrade problem. Trying to build the latest firefox from source for the old OS is not worth the trouble (I say this as someone who has developed and built multiple Linux distros from scratch) due to all the dependencies that have to be hunted down and resolved.
But that’s enough computer ranting; we need to get back to building boats. Again, I want to thank everyone for their incredibly kind offers of help. You folks are the best.
Laszlo
You are mostly right, Lazlo, greed is the prime motivator.
With with a modern browser you can manage the ads (crap) you see using ad-blockers, but only if you have the up-to-date JavaScript interpreter and plug-in capabilities that come with that modern browser. My NordVPN app lets my browser appear to be running from anywhere—US, UK, and almost anywhere else on the planet.
I’m 78 and am not retired. I develop modern server-based Java applications that use Web-based GUIs. I am constantly amazed by the knowledge, ingenuity, and energy that online crooks put into scamming and stealing from the rest of us. It requires continual alertness, study, and hard work to make Web apps safe from them—and we’re always at least one step behind.
Cheers,
Dick
P.S. Maintaining a Website and operating a server are not free. I know. I’ve built and operated Websites for two non-profits out of my own pocket. A Website may be free to users but someone has to pay for them.