Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/27/26 4:27 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it
is, but it's not as easily calculated as iOS is, so the list below starts
on March 24, 2001 and uses the full-release ending date as simply the date
of the next release (and not of the earlier last-known full patch).

With those clarifications in mind, here is the actual macOS full support.

1. OS X 10.0 was released on March 24, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.1 on September 25, 2001
3. That is 185 days, or 0.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.2 on August 23, 2002
3. That is 332 days, or 0.91 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.2 was released on August 23, 2002
2. The next release was OS X 10.3 on October 24, 2003
3. That is 427 days, or 1.17 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.3 was released on October 24, 2003
2. The next release was OS X 10.4 on April 29, 2005
3. That is 553 days, or 1.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.4 was released on April 29, 2005
2. The next release was OS X 10.5 on October 26, 2007
3. That is 910 days, or 2.49 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.5 was released on October 26, 2007
2. The next release was OS X 10.6 on August 28, 2009
3. That is 672 days, or 1.84 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.6 was released on August 28, 2009
2. The next release was OS X 10.7 on July 20, 2011
3. That is 691 days, or 1.89 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.7 was released on July 20, 2011
2. The next release was OS X 10.8 on July 25, 2012
3. That is 371 days, or 1.02 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.8 was released on July 25, 2012
2. The next release was OS X 10.9 on October 22, 2013
3. That is 454 days, or 1.24 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.9 was released on October 22, 2013
2. The next release was OS X 10.10 on October 16, 2014
3. That is 359 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.10 was released on October 16, 2014
2. The next release was OS X 10.11 on September 30, 2015
3. That is 349 days, or 0.96 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.11 was released on September 30, 2015
2. The next release was macOS 10.12 on September 20, 2016
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.12 was released on September 20, 2016
2. The next release was macOS 10.13 on September 25, 2017
3. That is 370 days, or 1.01 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.13 was released on September 25, 2017
2. The next release was macOS 10.14 on September 24, 2018
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.14 was released on September 24, 2018
2. The next release was macOS 10.15 on October 7, 2019
3. That is 378 days, or 1.04 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.15 was released on October 7, 2019
2. The next release was macOS 11 on November 12, 2020
3. That is 402 days, or 1.10 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 11 was released on November 12, 2020
2. The next release was macOS 12 on October 25, 2021
3. That is 347 days, or 0.95 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 12 was released on October 25, 2021
2. The next release was macOS 13 on October 24, 2022
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 13 was released on October 24, 2022
2. The next release was macOS 14 on September 26, 2023
3. That is 337 days, or 0.92 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 14 was released on September 26, 2023
2. The next release was macOS 15 on September 16, 2024
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

Since this is a first pass, we should check for details.
So far, this seems to be a reasonably accurate summary of facts.

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support
a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger)
b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah)
c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact
2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-03-27 21:57:00 +0000, Tom Elam said:

On 3/27/26 4:27 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it
is, but it's not as easily calculated as iOS is, so the list below starts
on March 24, 2001 and uses the full-release ending date as simply the date >> of the next release (and not of the earlier last-known full patch).

With those clarifications in mind, here is the actual macOS full support.

1. OS X 10.0 was released on March 24, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.1 on September 25, 2001
3. That is 185 days, or 0.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.2 on August 23, 2002
3. That is 332 days, or 0.91 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.2 was released on August 23, 2002
2. The next release was OS X 10.3 on October 24, 2003
3. That is 427 days, or 1.17 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.3 was released on October 24, 2003
2. The next release was OS X 10.4 on April 29, 2005
3. That is 553 days, or 1.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.4 was released on April 29, 2005
2. The next release was OS X 10.5 on October 26, 2007
3. That is 910 days, or 2.49 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.5 was released on October 26, 2007
2. The next release was OS X 10.6 on August 28, 2009
3. That is 672 days, or 1.84 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.6 was released on August 28, 2009
2. The next release was OS X 10.7 on July 20, 2011
3. That is 691 days, or 1.89 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.7 was released on July 20, 2011
2. The next release was OS X 10.8 on July 25, 2012
3. That is 371 days, or 1.02 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.8 was released on July 25, 2012
2. The next release was OS X 10.9 on October 22, 2013
3. That is 454 days, or 1.24 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.9 was released on October 22, 2013
2. The next release was OS X 10.10 on October 16, 2014
3. That is 359 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.10 was released on October 16, 2014
2. The next release was OS X 10.11 on September 30, 2015
3. That is 349 days, or 0.96 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.11 was released on September 30, 2015
2. The next release was macOS 10.12 on September 20, 2016
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.12 was released on September 20, 2016
2. The next release was macOS 10.13 on September 25, 2017
3. That is 370 days, or 1.01 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.13 was released on September 25, 2017
2. The next release was macOS 10.14 on September 24, 2018
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.14 was released on September 24, 2018
2. The next release was macOS 10.15 on October 7, 2019
3. That is 378 days, or 1.04 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.15 was released on October 7, 2019
2. The next release was macOS 11 on November 12, 2020
3. That is 402 days, or 1.10 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 11 was released on November 12, 2020
2. The next release was macOS 12 on October 25, 2021
3. That is 347 days, or 0.95 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 12 was released on October 25, 2021
2. The next release was macOS 13 on October 24, 2022
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 13 was released on October 24, 2022
2. The next release was macOS 14 on September 26, 2023
3. That is 337 days, or 0.92 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 14 was released on September 26, 2023
2. The next release was macOS 15 on September 16, 2024
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

Since this is a first pass, we should check for details.
So far, this seems to be a reasonably accurate summary of facts.

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support
a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger)
b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah) >> c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact 2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

The guy is a complete moron. Simply don't bother reading or replying to
his utter crap nonsense.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/27/26 10:04 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support
a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger) >>> b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah)
c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact
2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

Hi Tom,

Do you really disagree with every single fact about Apple's OS support?

Did you notice that these dates are generous to macOS as they gave a free bonus length of time because I couldn't easily find all the prior-OS dates.

So I used the generous next-OS-release date instead of the last prior OS.
And I said that was what I was using - so I'm being up front with the data.

It's a lot harder to get that data than it is for you to complain about it.

If you have the exact date each release shipped, let me know & I'll use it. Otherwise, the summary stands as reasonably accurate & is the best we have.

The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20 versions).

Based on your Mac OS logic iPhone (and iPad) OS releases are also good
for only 1 year. Yet you just showed 5 years for those.

Fact is, the Mac policy is the same as iPhones. Make up your mind.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:

On 2026-03-27 21:57:00 +0000, Tom Elam said:

On 3/27/26 4:27 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it >>> is, but it's not as easily calculated as iOS is, so the list below starts >>> on March 24, 2001 and uses the full-release ending date as simply the date >>> of the next release (and not of the earlier last-known full patch).

With those clarifications in mind, here is the actual macOS full support. >>>
1. OS X 10.0 was released on March 24, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.1 on September 25, 2001
3. That is 185 days, or 0.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.2 on August 23, 2002
3. That is 332 days, or 0.91 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.2 was released on August 23, 2002
2. The next release was OS X 10.3 on October 24, 2003
3. That is 427 days, or 1.17 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.3 was released on October 24, 2003
2. The next release was OS X 10.4 on April 29, 2005
3. That is 553 days, or 1.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.4 was released on April 29, 2005
2. The next release was OS X 10.5 on October 26, 2007
3. That is 910 days, or 2.49 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.5 was released on October 26, 2007
2. The next release was OS X 10.6 on August 28, 2009
3. That is 672 days, or 1.84 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.6 was released on August 28, 2009
2. The next release was OS X 10.7 on July 20, 2011
3. That is 691 days, or 1.89 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.7 was released on July 20, 2011
2. The next release was OS X 10.8 on July 25, 2012
3. That is 371 days, or 1.02 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.8 was released on July 25, 2012
2. The next release was OS X 10.9 on October 22, 2013
3. That is 454 days, or 1.24 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.9 was released on October 22, 2013
2. The next release was OS X 10.10 on October 16, 2014
3. That is 359 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.10 was released on October 16, 2014
2. The next release was OS X 10.11 on September 30, 2015
3. That is 349 days, or 0.96 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.11 was released on September 30, 2015
2. The next release was macOS 10.12 on September 20, 2016
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.12 was released on September 20, 2016
2. The next release was macOS 10.13 on September 25, 2017
3. That is 370 days, or 1.01 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.13 was released on September 25, 2017
2. The next release was macOS 10.14 on September 24, 2018
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.14 was released on September 24, 2018
2. The next release was macOS 10.15 on October 7, 2019
3. That is 378 days, or 1.04 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 10.15 was released on October 7, 2019
2. The next release was macOS 11 on November 12, 2020
3. That is 402 days, or 1.10 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 11 was released on November 12, 2020
2. The next release was macOS 12 on October 25, 2021
3. That is 347 days, or 0.95 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 12 was released on October 25, 2021
2. The next release was macOS 13 on October 24, 2022
3. That is 364 days, or 1.00 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 13 was released on October 24, 2022
2. The next release was macOS 14 on September 26, 2023
3. That is 337 days, or 0.92 years of full macOS software support

1. macOS 14 was released on September 26, 2023
2. The next release was macOS 15 on September 16, 2024
3. That is 356 days, or 0.98 years of full macOS software support

Since this is a first pass, we should check for details.
So far, this seems to be a reasonably accurate summary of facts.

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support
a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger)
b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah) >>> c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact
2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

The guy is a complete moron. Simply don't bother reading or replying to
his utter crap nonsense.

Agreed. He is clearly a clueless troll who is just looking for attention.
I was foolish enough to reply to him once. He ?apologized? for ?making a mistake?. Then he continues to post more gibberish.

BTW, trolls are easy to spot. They constantly start threads trashing the subject of the newsgroup because they know they will get a response.

Ignore him and he will go away. Guaranteed.




--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-03-28 02:38:29 +0000, Tom Elam said:

On 3/27/26 10:04 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support >>>> a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger) >>>> b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah) >>>> c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact
2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

Hi Tom,

Do you really disagree with every single fact about Apple's OS support?

Did you notice that these dates are generous to macOS as they gave a free
bonus length of time because I couldn't easily find all the prior-OS dates. >>
So I used the generous next-OS-release date instead of the last prior OS.
And I said that was what I was using - so I'm being up front with the data. >>
It's a lot harder to get that data than it is for you to complain about it. >>
If you have the exact date each release shipped, let me know & I'll use it. >> Otherwise, the summary stands as reasonably accurate & is the best we have. >>
The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20 versions).

Based on your Mac OS logic iPhone (and iPad) OS releases are also good
for only 1 year. Yet you just showed 5 years for those.

Fact is, the Mac policy is the same as iPhones. Make up your mind.

The moron doesn't have a mind, and everything the idiot posts is
already a made up delusion. :-\




--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:27:05 -0400, Maria Sophia wrote:

1. OS X 10.0 was released on March 24, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.1 on September 25, 2001
3. That is 185 days, or 0.51 years of full macOS software support

1. OS X 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001
2. The next release was OS X 10.2 on August 23, 2002
3. That is 332 days, or 0.91 years of full macOS software support

What kind of nonsense is that? How does it matter, if I buy a device
with 10.0 and do upgrade it up to 10.4, and only after am not able to
upgrade to 10.5?

EOL is not with 10.1

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/27/26 10:04 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

Apple's FULL security-update behavior for *full* macOS software support
a. Longest full macOS software support was 2.49 years (OS X 10.4 Tiger) >>> b. Shortest full macOS software support was 0.51 years (OS X 10.0 Cheetah)
c. Average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (20 versions)
d. Typical full macOS software support was ~1.0-1.5 years

Wow, you use one metric for iOS and very different for Mac OS! In fact
2025's Tahoe still supports Intel CPU Macs from as early as 2019. ~6
years and counting. OS 27 ends that support.

Hi Tom,

Do you really disagree with every single fact about Apple's OS support?

Did you notice that these dates are generous to macOS as they gave a free bonus length of time because I couldn't easily find all the prior-OS dates.

So I used the generous next-OS-release date instead of the last prior OS.
And I said that was what I was using - so I'm being up front with the data.

It's a lot harder to get that data than it is for you to complain about it.

If you have the exact date each release shipped, let me know & I'll use it. Otherwise, the summary stands as reasonably accurate & is the best we have.

The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20 versions).

I could do exactly the same thing for named versions of Android
releases. Mac OS releases are incremental, not entirely new versions.
Just like iOS and Android.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/28/26 12:37 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20 versions). >>

I could do exactly the same thing for named versions of Android
releases. Mac OS releases are incremental, not entirely new versions.
Just like iOS and Android.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for showing an understanding of the Apple software release cycle.
a. There is the concept of SOFTWARE
b. And then there is the concept of HARDWARE

Few people show any understanding of what you just showed you understood.

They're intertwined (as in WinXP) as long as the hardware can take the OS. They're not intertwined (as in iOS) if the hardware can't take the OS.

You are re-stating the obvious, but at least it means you understand that
any given release has its own lifecycle, which, for Apple is around a year.

We care more about HARDWARE lifecycles than about SOFTWARE, where Windows hardware, for example, that ran XP had 17-1/2 years of software support.

1. Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001
2. The last known security update was released on May 14, 2019
3. That is 6,421 days, or 17.59 years of security updates after release

The software "support" in this case likely outlasted any hardware it was originally placed on, but this support is not FULL support of course.

The end of mainstream (full) support for Windows XP was April 14, 2009.
So that's ~7 years 6 months for FULL support for Windows XP hardware. Extended support continued until April 8, 2014.

Windows 10 release date: July 29, 2015

End of mainstream (full) support: October 13, 2020
Full support duration: ~5 years 3 months
Extended support (security updates only) lasted until October 14, 2025.
Free Windows ESU for individuals goes until October 13, 2026
Extended Security Updates go through October 2028 for organizations.

So full hotfix support (but not full support) was from July 29, 2015

to October 13, 2026 for individuals, which is well over a decade.

So what's your point? Mac OS Android and iOS OS releases are about a
year apart? News AT 11. Even Windows releases are now about a year apart
too.

Windows support of aging hardware is unmatched, until W11 that is. To Microsoft's detriment. Supporting all that antique hardware has bloated Windows and used resources that could have been used to improve the product.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-03-29 18:27:45 +0000, Tom Elam said:

On 3/28/26 12:37 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20 versions). >>>

I could do exactly the same thing for named versions of Android
releases. Mac OS releases are incremental, not entirely new versions.
Just like iOS and Android.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for showing an understanding of the Apple software release cycle.
a. There is the concept of SOFTWARE
b. And then there is the concept of HARDWARE

Few people show any understanding of what you just showed you understood.

They're intertwined (as in WinXP) as long as the hardware can take the OS. >> They're not intertwined (as in iOS) if the hardware can't take the OS.

You are re-stating the obvious, but at least it means you understand that
any given release has its own lifecycle, which, for Apple is around a year. >>
We care more about HARDWARE lifecycles than about SOFTWARE, where Windows
hardware, for example, that ran XP had 17-1/2 years of software support.

1. Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001
2. The last known security update was released on May 14, 2019
3. That is 6,421 days, or 17.59 years of security updates after release

The software "support" in this case likely outlasted any hardware it was
originally placed on, but this support is not FULL support of course.

The end of mainstream (full) support for Windows XP was April 14, 2009.
So that's ~7 years 6 months for FULL support for Windows XP hardware.
Extended support continued until April 8, 2014.



Windows 10 release date: July 29, 2015


End of mainstream (full) support: October 13, 2020
Full support duration: ~5 years 3 months
Extended support (security updates only) lasted until October 14, 2025.
Free Windows ESU for individuals goes until October 13, 2026
Extended Security Updates go through October 2028 for organizations.

So full hotfix support (but not full support) was from July 29, 2015


to October 13, 2026 for individuals, which is well over a decade.

So what's your point? Mac OS Android and iOS OS releases are about a
year apart? News AT 11. Even Windows releases are now about a year
apart too.

Windows support of aging hardware is unmatched, until W11 that is. To Microsoft's detriment. Supporting all that antique hardware has bloated Windows and used resources that could have been used to improve the
product.

The only thing that can "improve" Windows is to completely delete it
and get a real computer OS. :-p





--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/30/26 12:01 AM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

So what's your point? Mac OS Android and iOS OS releases are about a
year apart? News AT 11. Even Windows releases are now about a year apart
too.

Windows support of aging hardware is unmatched, until W11 that is. To
Microsoft's detriment. Supporting all that antique hardware has bloated
Windows and used resources that could have been used to improve the product.

Hi Tom,

The main point is in the subject so I'm surprised you may have missed it.

But I have quite a few points, one for each release & one for each piece of hardware, but all of them end up being shorter support than most believe.

The main point I'm making is almost nobody on this newsgroup has any
inkling whatsoever how Apple does hardware and software support.

Most Apple posters to this newsgroup see a random arbitrary patch and they think "oh wow. Apple is fully supporting this hardware or sofware".

But they're wrong.

Using their logic, Windows XP is fully supported for almost 18 years, and
any hardware that ran Windows XP would be fully supported for that time.

Which is absurd.
But that's how Apple posters to this newsgroup really think, Tom.

So, um, that's my point.
Apple's fully support is a *lot* shorter than most people think it is.

Just like the subject says...

OMG, you really think that you know more about this than anyone else on
the planet? I have not learned anything from your posts except how
little you are willing to acknowledge about poor state of Android support.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 3/29/26 5:54 PM, Your Name wrote:

On 2026-03-29 18:27:45 +0000, Tom Elam said:

On 3/28/26 12:37 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

The average full macOS software support was 1.18 years (over 20
versions).

I could do exactly the same thing for named versions of Android
releases. Mac OS releases are incremental, not entirely new versions.
Just like iOS and Android.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for showing an understanding of the Apple software release cycle. >>> a. There is the concept of SOFTWARE
b. And then there is the concept of HARDWARE

Few people show any understanding of what you just showed you
understood.

They're intertwined (as in WinXP) as long as the hardware can take
the OS.
They're not intertwined (as in iOS) if the hardware can't take the OS.

You are re-stating the obvious, but at least it means you understand
that
any given release has its own lifecycle, which, for Apple is around a
year.

We care more about HARDWARE lifecycles than about SOFTWARE, where
Windows
hardware, for example, that ran XP had 17-1/2 years of software support. >>>
1. Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001
2. The last known security update was released on May 14, 2019
3. That is 6,421 days, or 17.59 years of security updates after release

The software "support" in this case likely outlasted any hardware it was >>> originally placed on, but this support is not FULL support of course.

The end of mainstream (full) support for Windows XP was April 14, 2009.
So that's ~7 years 6 months for FULL support for Windows XP hardware.
Extended support continued until April 8, 2014.



Windows 10 release date: July 29, 2015


End of mainstream (full) support: October 13, 2020
Full support duration: ~5 years 3 months
Extended support (security updates only) lasted until October 14, 2025.
Free Windows ESU for individuals goes until October 13, 2026
Extended Security Updates go through October 2028 for organizations.

So full hotfix support (but not full support) was from July 29, 2015


to October 13, 2026 for individuals, which is well over a decade.

So what's your point? Mac OS Android and iOS OS releases are about a
year apart? News AT 11. Even Windows releases are now about a year
apart too.

Windows support of aging hardware is unmatched, until W11 that is. To
Microsoft's detriment. Supporting all that antique hardware has
bloated Windows and used resources that could have been used to
improve the product.

The only thing that can "improve" Windows is to completely delete it and
get a real computer OS.ÿ :-p

Odd, I "got by" with Windows at work and home just fine from versions
3.11 to 11. It sure seemed like a real computer to me. Perfect, no. Good enough. By far.




--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-03-30, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Tom Elam wrote:

Apple's fully support is a *lot* shorter than most people think it
is.

Just like the subject says...

OMG, you really think that you know more about this than anyone else
on the planet? I have not learned anything from your posts except how
little you are willing to acknowledge about poor state of Android
support.

Hi Tom,

I can understand your exasperation as I'm as flabbergasted as you are.

When you have people like Alan Baker, Jolly Roger, Your Name, Chris,
et al., saying, in effect, that Windows XP was fully supported for
over 18 years

That's a lie.

And to prove it, you can't point to where I ever said that. Because I
never said it.

Weak lies and bullshit are all you have, troll boi.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-03-31, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

When you have people like Alan Baker, Jolly Roger, Your Name, Chris,
et al., saying, in effect, that Windows XP was fully supported for
over 18 years

And to prove it, you can't point to where I ever said that.
Because I never said it.

Hi Jolly Roger,

I read *everything* you post, as I love when you post because I consider
you the quintessential Apple iPhone owner so your opinion matters to me.

You'll notice I said "in essence" when I paraphrased what you claim:
"When you have people like Alan Baker, Jolly Roger, Your Name,
Chris, et al., saying, in effect, that Windows XP was fully supported
for over 18 years..."

All of those listed above have claimed that Apple simply fixing a random
bug means that the iOS operating system is fully supported to that date.

Yet another lie you can't back up.

Nobody said that.

Your word means nothing. Your lies are ultra-weak, matching your
intellect. You're a weak, old fool of a troll. ?

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Nobody said that.

Hi Jolly Roger,

Almost nobody on this newsgroup knows what I know about Apple OS support.

Indeed, the only people on this newsgroup who have ever shown any
indication of how Apple fully supports releases is me (years ago),
and only recently (last week), -hh showed he understood it also.

After years of trying, to get even one person on this newsgroup to
understand a single thing about how Apple works, is an accomplishment!

Nobody else on this newsgroup has ever shown any indication they understand Apple's own documented process of full support, much to my chagrin.

Literally for years I've tried to educate the people on this newsgroup.
To no avail.

Apple's full support policy is clear:
a. Then instant the next major release ships
b. Apple completely drops full support from the prior release
Such that:
c. Unlike every other OS vendor, Apple fully supports only 1 major release

What most of you confuse for full support, is "support", which is
completely different in that even Microsoft supported an OS for 18 years under the definition that the people on this newsgroup call full support.

Apple vs Microsoft vs Android ? ?full support? vs reality

The claim that Apple only supports one OS version is misleading. All three ecosystems split support into tiers (feature updates vs security updates),
they just communicate it differently.

APPLE (iOS/macOS)
? Latest version: full support (features + frequent fixes)
? Older versions: still get security updates, sometimes for years
? Typically 2?4 major versions receive patches at the same time
? Devices: ~5?7 years of major OS updates, longer for security fixes

MICROSOFT (Windows)
? Clear lifecycle labels:
? Mainstream support (features + fixes)
? Extended support (security only)
? Each Windows version is supported ~10 years total
? Windows 10/11 also use rolling feature updates with defined end dates

ANDROID (varies by vendor)
? Google Pixels:
? ~7 years OS + security (now industry-leading)
? Samsung:
? ~4 OS updates, ~5 years security
? Many others:
? Often shorter and inconsistent
? Updates depend on manufacturer + carrier

BOTTOM LINE
? Apple does NOT drop support when a new version ships.
? Apple supports multiple OS versions at once (security-wise).
? Microsoft is the most explicit about support phases.
? Android varies widely by device maker.
? The real difference is labeling, not the existence of multi-version
support.

TL;DR: Everyone supports old versions. ?Full support? = latest version everywhere. Security support continues beyond that on all major platforms.

--
Personal attacks from those who troll show their own insecurity. They
cannot use reason to show the message to be wrong so they try to feel
somehow superior by attacking the messenger.

They cling to their attacks and ignore the message time and time again.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

All of those listed above have claimed that Apple simply fixing a
random bug means that the iOS operating system is fully supported to
that date.

Nobody said that.

Almost nobody on this newsgroup knows what I know about Apple OS
support.

Another ultra-weak lie. ?

That all you got, big guy?

Fucking pathetic.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-04-02 13:02, Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

All of those listed above have claimed that Apple simply fixing a
random bug means that the iOS operating system is fully supported to
that date.

Nobody said that.

Almost nobody on this newsgroup knows what I know about Apple OS
support.

Another ultra-weak lie. ?

That all you got, big guy?

Fucking pathetic.

Oh, in a sense he right!

Because he "knows" things are are objectively false.

:-)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

On 2026-04-02 13:02, Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

All of those listed above have claimed that Apple simply fixing a
random bug means that the iOS operating system is fully supported
to that date.

Nobody said that.

Almost nobody on this newsgroup knows what I know about Apple OS
support.

Another ultra-weak lie. ?

Remember, I read everything you post

You outright lied about what I actually said, and are unable to show
where I said what you claim, because like your intellect your trolls are
the weakest trolls. You're a pathetic man child.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Apple's macOS full support is a *lot* shorter than most people "think" it is

On 2026-04-03, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

On 2026-04-02 13:02, Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2026-04-02, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Jolly Roger wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

All of those listed above have claimed that Apple simply fixing
a random bug means that the iOS operating system is fully
supported to that date.

Nobody said that.

Almost nobody on this newsgroup knows what I know about Apple OS
support.

Another ultra-weak lie. ?

Remember, I read everything you post

You outright lied about what I actually said, and are unable to show
where I said what you claim, because like your intellect your trolls
are the weakest trolls. You're a pathetic man child.

I can go back to the old Google Groups days where you claim it
constantly.

<https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/c/3BlAYiG7lx0/> <https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/c/T_-7sEITUKs/> <https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/c/T_-7sEITUKs/>

And yet NONE of those links show me saying that Apple simply fixing a
random bug means that the iOS operating system is fully supported to
that date.

That's it? Three links to random discussions where I absolutely did not
say what you claim - two of which aren't even discussing the topic of
iOS updates... Seriously? That's the best you got? ?

Fucking weak as ever. You're a dumb-ass troll.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)