annoucements about the service and software of CAT

[Stefan Winter <stefan.winter AT restena.lu>]

Hello,

we are thinking of collapsing the wide range of macOS versions on the CAT download page into just one. The background is that Apple has a fairly stringent update policy and the older versions we have on display are not really in wide-spread use any more. Also, in browser agents, macOS Big Sur sometimes identifies itself as Catalina instead (depending on browser); and iPadOS sometimes claims to be a real macOS (depending on configuration). In order to prevent mis-classifications based on the browser agent, it makes sense to subsume all recent Apple device operating systems that behave the same into just one button:

"Apple devices"

I'v looked through Apple's support policy website to see which iOS and macOS versions we still need to care about.

Oldest Macs still in some form of support (at least Vintage as per https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201624) :

MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013) (runs Big Sur)

iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) (runs High Sierra, can be patched to Big Sur)

iPods:

iPod classic (no iOS nor macOS)
iPod nano (7th generation, Late 2012) (no iOS nor macOS) iPod shuffle (4th generation, Late 2012) (no iOS nor macOS) iPod touch (4th generation) iOS 6

iPhones:

iPhone 4 (8 GB) iOS 7

iPad:

iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi, Cellular (iOS 9)

iPad 2 (iOS 9)

iPad mini Wi-Fi (iOS 9)

iPad Wi-Fi + 4G, GSM (iOS 10)

So, all we really need to care on the

* macOS side is High Sierra and up;

* iOS side, there is still the need for

  - "iOS 5 and 6" (given that the only supported OS is now iOS 6, we could drop 5 from the button name; but who cares)

  - "iOS 7-11" for the iPads and iPhone 4 (again, we could now narrow this down to 9+10 if we wanted to).

Everything else (including iOS 12 and up) can be subsumed into the "Apple devices" which then includes macOS (for High Sierra through Big Sur, and implicitly all previous versions), iOS 12+ and iPadOS. If a user still has an older macOS than High Sierra (knowingly not upgraded despite this being possible; or knowingly using a device despite vendor discontinuation) they get the same button, and chances are very good that the install will work; but if it doesn't, our support reply would from then on be: upgrade your OS.

Note that this consolidation process will be made so that your deep links to specific download versions will continue to work (the old buttons will continue to live as "hidden devices") but please adapt your links to the generic "Apple devices" as soon as possible after the release. A next minor release train of CAT (2.1.x) may remove even the hidden devices, and sum up the accrued download stats into the new "Apple devices".

If you have serious issues with this course of action, please let us know.

Greetings,

Stefan Winter

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