Freeware and program compatibility

[dmarshall]

Many thanks for the replies to my message yesterday, 'New mac user - protection of ibook'. Much appreciated.

I wondered if anyone can help with these questions:
(1)Are there any particularly good Mac freeware program websites (and, alternatively any that are best avoided)?

(2)The system on my ibook G4 is Tiger 10.4.11 - can I only use programs that specifically say they are for 10.4.11, or I am correct in thinking that any program said to be for 10.4 will work on 10.4.11?
Also, would a program said to be for the Tiger 10.4 range work on the versions before mine (e.g., 10.1 Puma) and after mine (e.g., 10.5 Leopard)? For example, on the Truecrypt website it says the 'latest Stable Version - 6.2a' is for 'Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5', so I assume this will work on my 10.4.11 system. However, for example, if it only said '10.5', I assume I should not download/install this for Tiger?

Confused!

Thanks

David

 

[broken-chaos]

(2)The system on my ibook G4 is Tiger 10.4.11 - can I only use programs that specifically say they are for 10.4.11, or I am correct in thinking that any program said to be for 10.4 will work on 10.4.11?

For program compatibility, the listed version is usually the minimum. 10.4 should be read as a wildcard (i.e. 10.4.x), so yes, any program listed as "10.4" should work just great on 10.4.11. Sometimes programs will require something a little more specific - such as if they require 10.4.9, then they'll work on 10.4.9 and up, but not 10.4.8 and lower. Usually this isn't an issue, given that these minor point upgrades are freely, easily available.

Also, would a program said to be for the Tiger 10.4 range work on the versions before mine (e.g., 10.1 Puma) and after mine (e.g., 10.5 Leopard)?

As above, program versions listed is usually the minimum. A program listed as being for 10.4 would not work on 10.3 or lower, but it probably works in 10.5 and 10.6. It's not always exact - sometimes new versions break old programs - but it's a good estimate.

For example, on the Truecrypt website it says the 'latest Stable Version - 6.2a' is for 'Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5', so I assume this will work on my 10.4.11 system. However, for example, if it only said '10.5', I assume I should not download/install this for Tiger?

Exactly. If it said 10.5, it has been tested to work on 10.5, may work on 10.6, but likely does not work on 10.4 or lower.

 

[Ashka]

I find Version Tracker good and you can set it to show software for OSX10.3, OSX 10.4 OSX 10.5 etc.
Set for Tiger below..
http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/tiger/