Dropped

Not griping, pointimg out something to consider.

One fine day I found that my old browsers were not welcomed here. They would not even load the linked page of acceptable browsers.

So I stopped visiting, because my computer is too old.

Because my primary objective with CP was to continue posting creative works and not profit, I had to choose between programs which I’d paid for and still did the work I needed or upgrading everything so I could use a browser which pleased the webmaster here.

In the end, I made a Linux stick for the fussy handwaving people who think that updating magically resolves user idiocy.

Do what you will, but enforcing browsers, to me as a poor person, is an asinine elitist move that undermines the very purpose of CP. An old browser does not threeaten your site.

Typing this in my car on my phone, with a $4 bluetooth keyboard from a grocery store’s clearance pile.

Does CP only want support and involvement from wealthy people? Do those folks somehow embody better knowledge of best practices? My own experience says no. Safer thing really would be to reject all Edge users.

“This site best viewed with Internet Explorer 6…”

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Hi! How old is your computer that you can’t install any of the countless light Linux distributions? Did you try Puppy linux or something similar?

If CP is what you want it to be (so with support for ancient browsers and libraries), it will be a bloated CMS.. And nobody wants that. Besides the fact that outdated browsers may be unsafe to use.

Yes, all of these entitled developers, they think that everyone lives in wealth, and has similar priorities to them. But bloat is also an aspect to that, for sure. Could we put tht bloat into a plugin, though?
We all give lip service to accessibility these days. I have many friends in third world countries, unable to view my pages, because wp just demands too much.
Those people, though - they have no voice - and we developers think its easier not to worry about that negative, no user story. After all, they have no money….

I have done some research and it seems a plugin to support IE11 only, and only on ClassicPress is viable. Would that help you?
Also, with my new EditorXL plugin, I am introducing a tab key and special key combination set to allow editing without a mouse, as another form of legacy/fall-back support.

@throwback I have the first test plugin if you want to try it.

ClassicPress is produced by volunteers, donating their time to provide a free product – CP is free, as are a large percentage of the add-ons.

Modern web development has a lot of trade-offs, with effort-hours the significant limiting factor for all of them.

– Browsers. New functionality and updates must be tested in all supported browsers. Testing takes effort, and when defects are found, the testing process must be repeated with the “fixed” software.

– Language. Each PHP version is fully supported for 2 years from release, followed by 2 years of security fixes. Updating a large application from one version to the next can be resource intensive.

– Security Patches. Supporting a browser that is not itself properly supported is a recipe for disaster. Ditto for the OS, languages, and development tools. There’s a reason major security vendors emphasize maintaining patched software. Oh, and this takes time.

– Old Hardware. In my experience, modern applications will run reasonably well on hardware that is typically less than 8 years old. Attempting to support older hardware runs afoul of all of the above points, plus that ever-present issue, effort-hours.

– Target Audience. Development teams focus on their core audience, in terms of OS, browser, and hardware. It’s not a good use of limited resources to attempt to support a 15 yo PC, assuming that the tools available support that.

I work in private industry, part of a small team developing and maintaining industry-specific web applications. We support 3 common browsers and 3 previous versions of each of those browsers, which is 90+% of the market share. Other browsers may work, and previous versions may work, but we do not warranty such. We lack the resources to do more.

Let’s loop back to CP – the team is volunteers, donating their personal time to produce free products. Their time is more limited than that of paid IT people. So, they focus on supporting the largest percentage of their audience.

Regarding your problem with old hardware? Organizations in various US cities recondition old PCs. I have donated old hardware to a local organization. Check locally to see if this exists.

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Hi, first of all let me say I understand your frustration.

I think one of your options is finding a very light Linux distro (Puppy Linux for example) that is supported (Puppy has 32 and 64 bit if I recall correctly) and after flashing it to the USB pen drive (you can use Ventoy to flash in the same pen various Linux distro - it’s easy to use) you can install it directly on the machine.
I personally have Puppy on some 20something years old machine - they still work.
Also @winemaker81 answer is spot on. All around the world there are organizations donating refurbished PCs and laptops that were donated by public administrations, schools and so on. You can try and get in touch with one near you.

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@throwback here is a list of organizations providing help with hardware.

United States (nationwide or regional)

  • Computers with Causes
    Provides free refurbished computers to low‑income individuals, students, veterans, seniors, and nonprofits.
    Website: https://www.computerswithcauses.org

  • PCs for People
    Offers free or deeply discounted computers and internet to low‑income households through partner organizations.
    Website: https://www.pcsforpeople.org

  • Human‑I‑T
    Distributes refurbished computers, low‑cost internet, and digital‑skills training to low‑income communities.
    Website: https://www.human-i-t.org

  • Compudopt
    Gives free computers to under‑resourced families and youth, mainly via local events and partnerships.
    Website: https://www.compudopt.org

  • The Silicon Project (WeCareAct)
    Provides free computers for income‑eligible families and low‑cost options for others, with nationwide shipping.
    Website: https://wecareactnyc.org

  • The On It Foundation
    Focuses on giving free computers and STEM education to K‑12 students in low‑income families.
    Website: https://theonitfoundation.org

  • Computer Reach (Western Pennsylvania)
    Local nonprofit that gives free computers to low‑income individuals and families in Western PA.
    Website: https://www.computerreach.org


United Kingdom


Global / Multiple Continents

  • World Computer Exchange (WCE)
    Ships donated, refurbished computers to schools and NGOs in developing countries worldwide.
    Website: https://worldcomputerexchange.org

  • Close The Gap
    Provides affordable pre‑owned computers to schools, hospitals, entrepreneurs, and community organizations in developing/emerging countries.
    Website: https://www.close-the-gap.org

  • Labdoo
    Global grassroots network that refurbishes donated laptops and delivers them CO₂‑neutrally to schools and educational centers.
    Website: https://www.labdoo.org

  • Computer Aid International (global shipments)
    Works internationally, sending refurbished laptops to schools and communities in Africa and other regions.
    Website: https://www.computeraid.org

  • IT Schools Africa
    Focuses on e‑learning technology for school students in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
    Website: https://www.itschoolsafrica.org (or via partner directories)

  • IT Schools Africa partners
    Many of these can be found via UK‑focused charity lists such as:

  • Unconnected.org (global)
    Supports NGOs and projects that connect students, refugees, women, and underserved communities with connectivity tools.
    Website: https://www.unconnected.org

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