Relentless nagging and misinformation about updating Firefox

Question

Hello. This is a general letter to Mozilla.
I've been a faithful supporter of Mozilla products for a very long time now, but as of late, with Firefox and Thunderbird trying to force me to buy a new Mac Intel computer I neither want, need nor can afford, I'm done with you guys! Your behaviour as of late has been total crap! Up til a couple of days ago, it was only Farcebook that was whining about Flash plugins - even though I could go to any Youtube website or any other site that had videos and play them without a problem. But now Firefox itself seems to need to all of a sudden constantly crab that my plugins need updating - get over it. It ain't gonna happen.
So you no longer support PPC Macs or Tiger (OS 10.4.11) anymore - great. We get it. Now piss off and stop bugging us about it. I don't need a bloody yellow bar stating the obvious all the time about my plugins needing updating. Obviously anyone with even a bit of a brain would take care of such a thing if they could - as in, a plugin compatible with their system being available? Not only that, but Windoze XP still gets support? But Mac users who don't like the bloated crap of Leopard, or want an Intel Mac get shut out? Is Mozilla going to buy us all new Macs so we can minimize your inefficiency in the design department? I doubt it. Just because you guys don't want to do your job designing competent and inclusive software anymore, you really think that you are going to bully us all into buying new computers? Not!! What's going to happen is that we are just going to leave your asses in the dust where they now belong and go back to Safari and Mail, the built-in internet and mail Mac software clients. And trust me when I say I'm not alone in this. I advise about sixty people about Macs and Mac software (and they tell their friends what I suggest, and their friends tell their friends, and...), and guess what I'm going to be telling them from now on? Hint: It will no longer be to use your products. Even people who do have Intel Macs running Snow Leopard running the latest updates are complaining about Firefox pretty regularly these days - I'm constantly reading posts on places like Facebook from people asking for suggestions for alternate browsers. I've always recommended Mozilla products over the Mac internet clients because I liked the control over cookies and other security areas over those in the Mac ones - even though Firefox is a recognized memory hog, an annoying nit-picker and not compatible with with some important websites for things like home networking setups for companies like Bell - but you know what? I'll get over it. I've already started switching over myself and friends.
I also really despise the misinformed, scare tactics you use in your notifications about why the plugins need to be updated. For example... "This plugin version has a security vulnerability that websites can exploit and potentially harm your computer. It is recommended that you update this plugin or if an update is not available, disable it." Since bloody when? Do you even know anything about the software platforms you are creating software for? I've been using Macs since the early nineties, and guess what? They aren't susceptible to exploitation by websites as you insinuate! Unless you are running dual platforms in Snow Leopard (Windows and Apple), you still are not susceptible to viruses and spyware. I even test suspicious links now and then with specially created accounts for just that reason - you know, the ones that cause Windows users to get hacked into, and they can't get into these accounts. And I'm pretty sure you bloody well know that since the Apple Software update will automatically update things like Quicktime and Java with the latest versions applicable to their OS's, we really don't need the reminders, I'm also pretty sure you must know that both OS 10.6.xx and 10.7.xx are only compatible with Intel Macs, so stop the misinformation. I haven't
Sheesh! One would think you guys getting a cut for every new Intel Mac you fear-monger into buying. Or is Facebook your new Daddy now?
Bye bye.

Answer 1

The Flash update was launched to help keep users on all OS's, from Windows to Mac to Linux up to date. Unfortunately, there are users, such as Mac 10.4, that Adobe has dropped support for and will not release an updated version of the Flash Plugin. The reason 10.4 has been dropped from support by both Adobe and Mozilla is it was released in 2005, and it hasn't been updated since November 2007 (with 10.4.11). Mozilla and Adobe have both supported 10.4 further than Apple itself has. Windows XP still gets support (BTW, it needs SP2 or later with the release of Firefox 13) because Microsoft has committed to provide security updates until at least 2014.
Also, Macs are not invulnerable to Viruses, hacks, etc. The recent Flash back virus is one example: [http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/04/mac-trojan-exploits-unpatched-java-vulnerability-no-password-needed/ http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/04/mac-trojan-exploits-unpatched-java-vulnerability-no-password-needed/], but there are plenty others. There is no technical reason to make macs more secure, it is just not as many viruses have been written for Macs, yet. It also should be noted, the Flash back virus is because of a Java vulnerability that had been patched for months, yet Apple hadn't pushed an update for it until it was too late.
To quote tenfourfox (a community made version of Firefox 10 for PPC macs) "No major plugin is being maintained for Power Macs any more: Flash stopped updates with Flash 10.1.102.64 in November 2010, and QuickTime 7 for the PowerPC was decommissioned with the release of QuickTime 7.7 and OS X Lion in August 2011. (Tiger users have not had an update since QT 7.6.4 in September 2009.) " [http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/PluginsNoLongerSupported http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/PluginsNoLongerSupported].
[[Firefox no longer works with Mac OS X 10.4 or PowerPC processors]] is another article that explains the issue some more.