Updates.

Hi everyone,

I’m putting this post up to better clarify the situation with the updates.  I’m hoping to switch the updates.seamonkey-project.org to using the new update system.  aus2-community.mozilla.org will be left as is (mainly because one of these days, that domain will be decomissioned (since it is Mozilla’s))[will post an addendum.]

tl;dr:  SeaMonkey 2.53.* (and newer) are the only versions that will have updates.

Long form:

My original intention was to allow any version upgrade to any other greater version (barring operating system restrictions etc..).  Like, if you had installed 1.x, you’d be able to upgrade to 2.53.7.1.  *That* was my intention.

As in with intentions mixed in with life, things aren’t that simple.  I had posted this concern on the lists and probably here as well; but I’m just going to repeat myself.

The SeaMonkey Project will only be supporting the 2.53.* (Gecko 56) family.  Any other previous versions are no longer supported in terms of updates.  As of this writing, I’m not entirely sure the 2.49.* family will ever be updated (but you’ll never know).  The 2.49.1 – 2.49.4 to 2.49.5 update is a special case as the 2.49.5 update files had changed and we missed the opportunity to create a set of transitional update files for that.

Big corporations, like Microsoft, no longer support old operating systems.  Win 1 to (recently) Win7 are no longer supported.  Ditto with the Windows Servers (NT, to 2008).  If big corporations can’t/won’t support old operating systems; what hope do we (as a small group of volunteers) have?  Is this a justification to leave old software high and dry?  No; but it is not realistic to expect a small group of volunteers to support software that no longer build on any system.   Furthermore, even websites are now finicky as to which browser can view them, which further adds to the frustrations of using old SeaMonkey versions.

Is it possible to set up a VM to build old software?   Possibly; but is it worth the time and resources?    Unfortunately, the answer here is no.   This is the unfortunate by-product of technological progression.   Does this mean the old versions can’t be  used?  No.  It’s just that using it on an actual system could potentially harm the system.

I realize this may sound like an excuse for ignoring old software; but there really only so much we can do; particularly when the engine is changing so rapidly that we’re trying to keep track of the *latest* stuff coming out from Mozilla.

The benefit of the SeaMonkey project sticking with only 2.53.x + updates is that these updates will work on systems being updated.   All other versions polling for updates will not get any.   (Still, a part of me is reserving the right to modify the system to allow updates from 2.49.x to 2.49.5 at least.  As mentioned earlier in a post on the support mailing list,  only versions > 2.33 (iirc) can be updated due to certificates not being recognized and that  can’t be helped.))

So the final conclusion, as mentioned above, is that only 2.53.x + will get updates.

I do apologize for the long windedness and the decision to only update 2.53.x. It doesn’t give me pleasure to state it outright; but it’s always the resources issue.

Yours sincerely,

:ewong