Task #3618
openadd links to wiki page on compatibility for older OS versions to System Requirements page
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Description
I was trying to determine the last version of LibreOffice compatible with an outdated version of OS X. I was told, "The download page links to System Requirements, which has the 'For more information, please see extended System Requirements on the TDF Wiki' notice at the bottom."
That wiki page does indeed list the latest versions of LibreOffice compatible with older versions of Windows and OS X. But the link to that page isn't just "at the bottom" of the System Requirements webpage; it's in the "Other Operating Systems" section. (And, appropriately, then, it links specifically to the "LibreOffice on other operating systems" section of the wiki page.) So, I never would have thought to look there, given that older versions of OS X are not a different operating system.
So, to help others find that useful information on the wiki, I propose that the "Microsoft Windows" and "Apple macOS (Mac OS X)" sections of the System Requirements webpage include something like this: "For unsupported older versions of LibreOffice compatible with older versions of [Microsoft Windows/Apple macOS (Mac OS X)], see System Requirements on the TDF Wiki."
(I might add that the "Apple macOS (Mac OS X)" section of the webpage already includes the note that "LibreOffice 4.3 can still run on OS X 10.6+, but please understand that this support ended when 4.3 was retired on May 27, 2015." Is there a reason for mentioning that particular older version alone, especially given that versions of LibreOffice newer than 4.3 support OS X 10.8 through 10.11?)
Updated by Mike Saunders over 2 years ago
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for reporting the issue, and the complicated link situation! We can make it a lot simpler indeed. One concern is linking directly on the main download page to older, unsupported versions of LibreOffice that have security issues.
IMO it's OK for technically knowledgeable users to install unsupported LO versions in specific instances (eg an old Windows XP box with no internet connection). But we should really avoid making it too easy for people to download unmaintained releases with security risks.
What do you think?
Cheers,
Mike at TDF
Updated by Kyle Sorkness over 2 years ago
One concern is linking directly on the main download page to older, unsupported versions of LibreOffice that have security issues.
To be clear: my proposal concerns the System Requirements page, not the main download page. (And, for what it's worth: note that the main download page currently does include a link to older, unsupported versions of LibreOffice.)
So, because it is already so easy to find the old, unsupported versions, my proposal is simply that we update the System Requirements page so that it also points users to the existing information about those older versions (specifically, which older operating systems they're compatible with).
In my opinion, a disclaimer/warning that these versions are unsupported and thus contain security risks is indeed a good idea. (And I'd argue that that same disclaimer/warning should be added to that wiki page.)
So, to slightly modify what I proposed before to make that disclaimer/warning even more explicit, I would propose that the "Microsoft Windows" and "Apple macOS (Mac OS X)" sections of the System Requirements page of the website include something like this: "For older versions of LibreOffice that are compatible with older versions of [Microsoft Windows/Apple macOS (Mac OS X)] but that are also unsupported and thus contain security risks, advanced users should see System Requirements on the TDF Wiki."