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Best web browser for Snow Leopard

Vics

Vics

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 7, 2016
11
1
Worcestershire UK
Hi,
Ive normally found answers to most of my questions from other posts on here, but decided to join so I can ask my own question:

Can anyone suggest a secure web browser that will work on my iMac running Snow Leopard 10.6.8?

When Apple decided to stop security updates for Safari I downloaded Firefox as my browser.
I now understand Firefox are also stopping security updates for Snow Leopard, and along with Safari also suggest I download El Capitan to keep my Mac secure.
I don't want to be pressured into El Capitain for two reasons.
1) I much prefer Snow Leopard to what I've seen of El Capitain.
2) I have Photoshop CS4 installed and understand this will not run on El Capitain

Any suggestions much appreciated.
Thanks Vicky
 
Does Chrome work on that OS?

If it were me, I'd just live with the unpatched versions and make sure I practice safe computing habits.
 
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OP, I ran Snow Leopard on my 2010 MBA until getting the new 2016 MacBook a few weeks ago and in my experience Firefox was the best from compatibility and performance standpoints. I didn't try any small-brand browsers though, but those are all based on other browsers anyway.

You may want to consider upgrading to e.g. Mavericks for better software compatibility. El Capitan ran like crap on my MBA but Mavericks was pretty solid and I would use that if I still had my MBA. You can't get it from any official sources, but since it was a free upgrade anyway there's nothing wrong with getting it from another source.

maflynn said:
Does Chrome work on that OS?
Click to expand...

Nope, at least in my experience. Won't even launch.
 
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Hellhammer said:
OP, I ran Snow Leopard on my 2010 MBA until getting the new 2016 MacBook a few weeks ago and in my experience Firefox was the best from compatibility and performance standpoints. I didn't try any small-brand browsers though, but those are all based on other browsers anyway.

You may want to consider upgrading to e.g. Mavericks for better software compatibility. El Capitan ran like crap on my MBA but Mavericks was pretty solid and I would use that if I still had my MBA. You can't get it from any official sources, but since it was a free upgrade anyway there's nothing wrong with getting it from another source.



Nope, at least in my experience. Won't even launch.
Click to expand...

Id also read that Chrome can be a bit hit & miss.
I like and I've been using Firefox, but it concerned me as they are stopping security updates soon. I am very security conscious, so perhaps Im worrying too much.
Perhaps as maflynn has said, if I continue the way I am, I will be OK.

Thanks
 
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Safe computing habits aren't really enough these days due to the way that the trusted sites you visit can be compromised.

e.g., Macrumors gets hacked to host malware, and your browser is boned.

That sort of thing has happened before, not in the mac world, but with Windows and code-red, Nimda, etc. Web server gets infected, exploits the browser clients view it with. There's no reason it can't happen on the Mac once you start using software with known security vulnerabilities and no patches.

Another possibility is to perhaps run a later version of OS X (or Windows for that matter, and run a Windows browser) in Parallels or Fusion, and use a supported browser that way, but IMHO it really is time to upgrade apps and get off snow leopard, if you plan to be using it on the internet.


edit:
And yes, if you can upgrade to Mavericks, i'd suggest that as it is still supported, and in my experience performance wasn't so bad compared to snow leopard. I did notice battery life improvements in Mavericks were significant too.

Even Lion, once it was patched to 10.7.4 was a LOT better than Lion was on release.
 
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rshrugged said:
As a stop-gap measure, you can use Fx 45 Extended Support Release (ESR) until mid-2017. It'll be updated with :


https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/faq/
Click to expand...
I read about that, but was a bit put off as it appeared more for businesses, is it OK to use then?
[doublepost=1462632542][/doublepost]
throAU said:
Safe computing habits aren't really enough these days due to the way that the trusted sites you visit can be compromised.

e.g., Macrumors gets hacked to host malware, and your browser is boned.

That sort of thing has happened before, not in the mac world, but with Windows and code-red, Nimda, etc. Web server gets infected, exploits the browser clients view it with. There's no reason it can't happen on the Mac once you start using software with known security vulnerabilities and no patches.

Another possibility is to perhaps run a later version of OS X (or Windows for that matter, and run a Windows browser) in Parallels or Fusion, and use a supported browser that way, but IMHO it really is time to upgrade apps and get off snow leopard, if you plan to be using it on the internet.


edit:
And yes, if you can upgrade to Mavericks, i'd suggest that as it is still supported, and in my experience performance wasn't so bad compared to snow leopard. I did notice battery life improvements in Mavericks were significant too.

Even Lion, once it was patched to 10.7.4 was a LOT better than Lion was on release.
Click to expand...

That's worrying.
I'm beginning to think I need to move on :-(
[doublepost=1462632786][/doublepost]
bcave098 said:
I have Photoshop CS4 installed on both my Macs with El Capitan. No issues.
Click to expand...
Now that's interesting, as I've heard bad reports of it failing.
Did you upgrade to El Capitan from an earlier OS, or did you do a new install of CS4?
 
I still use Safari with 10.6.8 on my 2010 MacBook Pro.

It still works and I don't really worry that much about "security", because the MBPro is just a "travel and relaxation" computer and nothing of importance is on it.

Having said that, in 29 years of using Macs, I've never -- let me repeat that, NEVER -- had a problem with a virus, trojan, etc.
(Aside: I did once have email trouble with the SWEN worm years back [receiving hundreds of junk emails], but that was solved "at the server level")

If Safari has a problem with a web site, I switch to Firefox or Epic.

But Safari continues to work just fine for most sites.
 
Vics said:
I read about that, but was a bit put off as it appeared more for businesses, is it OK to use then?
Click to expand...
Yes. It's attractive for large organizations and individuals because it's stable. Mozilla says :
....
Mozilla Firefox ESR is meant for organizations that manage their client desktops, including schools, businesses and other instituitions that want to offer Firefox. Users who want to get the latest features, performance enhancements and technologies in their browsing experience should download Firefox for personal use, as these improvements will only be available to ESR users several development cycles after being made available in Firefox for desktop. If you’re using Firefox for personal use, you can download Firefox from mozilla.org/firefox
......
Click to expand...
They encourage users toward new features of the standard browser but notice they don't prohibit individual use. I've never used the ESR but know of others who happily do.

At the least, you know you have until mid-2017 until you either update your system or come up with (or enhance what you currently do ) a concrete plan of usage to protect your current system.
 
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Vics said:
Now that's interesting, as I've heard bad reports of it failing.
Did you upgrade to El Capitan from an earlier OS, or did you do a new install of CS4?
Click to expand...

To be fair, in both cases CS4 was installed onto clean installs of El Capitan. It just needed legacy Java installed and no issues since.
 
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Thanks everyone for your input.

I think at the moment rshrugged suggestion may be my best option until I fully decide what to do.
I am also looking at other imaging programs just incase I do upgrade and CS4 fails.
So a slight sidetrack, does anyone use Serif Afinity Photo? It sounds good with similar features to Photoshop, but at under £40??????
The 10 day trial isn't compatible with SnowLeopard for me to try.
 
throAU said:
I use affinity photo, and was impressed enough to buy affinity designer.

I'm no professional though, but the product seems pretty solid and is actively maintained. And can't argue with the cost.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, I do like what I've seen with the tutorials on YouTube.
I'm not professional either, just an enthusiastic amateur.
 
I did encounter sluggishness with Safari and 10.6.8 and found switching to Firefox gave me a better browsing experience. But I've now gone on to a new Mac with El Cap and gone back to Safari. It's better than FF and SL, by far.
 
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Gregg2 said:
I did encounter sluggishness with Safari and 10.6.8 and found switching to Firefox gave me a better browsing experience. But I've now gone on to a new Mac with El Cap and gone back to Safari. It's better than FF and SL, by far.
Click to expand...

I actually found the opposite - Firefox was a little bit sluggish on 10.6.8 but Safari was smooth. Chrome always took forever to load. Now Safari, Opera and Chrome are no longer being supported on Snow Leopard, so it appears that Firefox is the best option.
 
[QUOTE="bmac89, post: 22880455, member: 905331 Now Safari, Opera and Chrome are no longer being supported on Snow Leopard, so it appears that Firefox is the best option.[/QUOTE]

Only for a short time. I just read that the current version is the last one Firefox will be supporting Snow Leopard.
 
Vics said:
That's interesting, I've not heard of that browser.
Im being a bit thick here, but it says its a sibling of FireFox in the Mozilla family, does this mean security updates will cease at the same time as FireFox or is it a totally different set up?
Click to expand...

That's true. I have no idea wether they'll follow another path or just keep patching the last Firefox ESR version...same doubt here.
 
Vics said:
Hi,
Ive normally found answers to most of my questions from other posts on here, but decided to join so I can ask my own question:

Can anyone suggest a secure web browser that will work on my iMac running Snow Leopard 10.6.8?

When Apple decided to stop security updates for Safari I downloaded Firefox as my browser.
I now understand Firefox are also stopping security updates for Snow Leopard, and along with Safari also suggest I download El Capitan to keep my Mac secure.
I don't want to be pressured into El Capitain for two reasons.
1) I much prefer Snow Leopard to what I've seen of El Capitain.
2) I have Photoshop CS4 installed and understand this will not run on El Capitain

Any suggestions much appreciated.
Thanks Vicky
Click to expand...
It's been a while since I posted my question, so thought I'd update you all.
After updating my iPhone a little while ago, I found I couldn't back it up on iTunes anymore as it wasn't recognised.
A phone call to Apple helpline I was told it was because the latest phone update didn't work on Snow Leopard, and my only option was to upgrade to El Capitan.
Reluctantly I did and I'm pleased to report that everything is running smoothly and I didn't loose Photoshop either
 
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Vics said:
It's been a while since I posted my question, so thought I'd update you all.
After updating my iPhone a little while ago, I found I couldn't back it up on iTunes anymore as it wasn't recognised.
A phone call to Apple helpline I was told it was because the latest phone update didn't work on Snow Leopard, and my only option was to upgrade to El Capitan.
Reluctantly I did and I'm pleased to report that everything is running smoothly and I didn't loose Photoshop either
Click to expand...

Out of interest what Mac do you have? I.e. Year/model?
How much ram? Spinning hard drive or SSD?
Do you find it to be slower at all?

Thanks
 
bmac89 said:
Out of interest what Mac do you have? I.e. Year/model?
How much ram? Spinning hard drive or SSD?
Do you find it to be slower at all?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi bmac89
Its quite an old one with spinning hard drive.
This may sound odd, but initially it appeared very slightly slower in opening programs, but once I'd used a program, the next time it seemed up to speed again, It was as though it remembered.
Info from the drop down:

iMac (24-inch early 2009)
Processor 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB
 
Vics said:
Hi bmac89
Its quite an old one with spinning hard drive.
This may sound odd, but initially it appeared very slightly slower in opening programs, but once I'd used a program, the next time it seemed up to speed again, It was as though it remembered.
Info from the drop down:

iMac (24-inch early 2009)
Processor 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB
Click to expand...

Thanks. That is good to know. I have basically the same Mac. 20" early 2009 but with 8gb Ram.
The only other problem I see is that the hard drive is very full. It would be nice to swap it with an SSD but I don't feel very confident opening up the screen!
 
The Leopard WebKit project is designed as a universal binary for Snow Leopard, and gives both Leopard and Snow Leopard users the security of the latest version of WebKit in the Safari 5 package.
 
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