You do realize that by insisting to stay on such an ancient version of Firefox (not even the most recent 3.6.x release), you are leaving yourself to dozens and dozens of security holes? Also you are staying with older technology that is known to be slower and doesn't support newer HTML and CSS standards (meaning more and more websites won't work). While some users still haven't upgraded of of 3.6, all should be to stay secure, staying on such an old software version is EXTREMELY unsafe (alot of the security holes are being exploited in the wild today). Plus, upgrading Firefox is free, easy, and besides keeping you safe, will make your Browsing performance faster, more stable (Firefox 16 crashes MUCH less than 3.6, uses less memory, etc.). And, if you don't like the UI on the newer versions of Firefox, you can always change it :)

So, my suggestion is to try upgrading to Firefox 16.0.2, upgrade your plugins (flash, java, etc.) and then see if everything works better.

I am well aware of the problems with not upgrading. Please read my edit as I have changed much of the original question. I can't argue your points at all - Opposite, I agree with you major.

As well as my own machines, I work with many folks who have old old equipment. Even though the "customer being right" is a thing of the past on the internet, I still operate that way face to face. I don't have the internet to shield me, so my customers still have to be treated with the same respect as pre internet days. I have to work with what they want first since they are paying the money, then deal with what is new and/or my suggestions. When they decide not to upgrade, I have to work with that or not make the money at all.

Getting paid or not, is a, or THE, game changer.

With my old machines, there is no need for security. One has been running 15 years with out upgrades of any kind and no security issues, no virus, problems whatsoever. What it does on the internet is still very viable. I have even disabled logins. And once they get so old they cease to be as much of a target for such malware and the like.

Windows Vista showed that upgrading could cause more problems for some of us than the upgrade is worth. Windows 7 has done that for me with costly and ongoing upgrades. I have gone through this with every operating system change since Windows 95. Mac is more stable, even in its old versions.

I mentioned in another post that I have two customers who use DOS POS programs, one with touch screen, to operate businesses. These programs work fine. They do the intended job. The companies that produced the programs disbanded long before the internet as we know it came into being. The customers still have the original disks and last time there was a problem they just got another old clunker for $peanuts and put this program and data on it and went to work - total down time: not even an hour.

I first heard this while in Texas: "If it ain't broke, why fix it?!" There are some Very different aspects to what actually is "broke". Gets into cognitions.

I totally understand (I've spent many years working in a small business computer repair shop). I'm just pointing out that by insisting to use such an old versions of Firefox (and the computer you posted this thread with is Windows 7, which is very modern and has no problem running Firefox 16.0.2 at all) you are leaving you and your customers at risk. Most customers I had that I explained the dangers of not upgrading were quick to ask me to upgrade. Obviously your DOS computer customer can't run Firefox period, so that's a moot point. It's also quite a myth that old machines aren't targeted by security issues, they are. A security exploit doesn't go away once a certain time frame has passed, they just become a standard part of the bad guy's toolbox because it's known and reliable.

A little education goes a long way in convincing customers to be safer and smarted on the web :)

Been there, done that. We live in the world's most capitalistic country. The customer paying is the bottom line. Many folks won't upgrade any further than XP. They are not uneducated at all - just the opposite, many are highly educated and in that, very difficult to deal with in some matters. I hear this a lot: "I understand the consequences. I want you to fix what I have. I don't want to buy anything new."

I make some of my living from working with mom n pop stores and other very small businesses, many run by new immigrants. When dealing with folks rooted in second and third world, a slightly different set of rules is in place. Same with many very small businesses rooted here. If I don't give the service my clients Want, they will go somewhere else, and there will always be somebody who will do what you Want for a buck, whether it's new, secure, or not.

Don't think for a minute I don't enjoy what I do. This is a nice niche. One meets a lot of really nice folks from all over the world.

I guess I'm not sure what you want here. If you won't upgrade (and I'm meaning your computer, not your customers, though they should upgrade as well, even the ones on XP can use the latest version of Firefox) there isn't much I can do to help you, and eventually you'll find you are so far behind the times with your browser (which is over 2 years old) that the modern web won't work at all.

I just want what I had a few days ago back. Everything was working fine. I stay with the old version because it works for what I do. Foreign concept in today's world.

Our gripe is that we are having upgrades forced on us that don't increase our productivity and cause losses of time and money in the process. None of this is free. Time is money. Switching to Windows 7 has cost me more money than I could afford, for instance. Upgrading Firefox throws out the use of some plug ins - they don't work on the newer versions and can't be upgraded - function gone.

The Macs I still maintain are classic examples of upgrades not being useful forward steps for what I do. There are several programs were made for them that once their operating system upgraded became unusable, even in emulation. Their ease and functionality have never been reproduced in today's software. The old browser works fine on them today. I don't need the new features. I use VMWare in Windows 7 to run a program that, according to the maker, upgrades for the "insignificant" price of $999. That ain't chicken feed! It's the only way it will run. There was no problem with this on XP.

In addition, I use these old machines in order to work with customer's old systems. When there are problems, a lot of what they have won't run on the newer machines at all. We get stuff so old we have to build machines to run it on as needed. And yes, a nightmare in extinct data, file formats - fun, fun fun.

Yes, we are helping folks stay in the stone ages of computing. We can do no more than advise them on what is available and how it works. The final comedown is theirs since they are the people paying the money. On my machines I am the final say and I too keep legacy equipment both for working with customer problems and as I said, I have old software as well as hardware that does not work on today's OS and still works fine and is too costly and troublesome to upgrade as well as offering no improvement in quality and speed of output.

Theory behind us now, how about some answers for the original question. Only in an ideal world is upgrading smooth. We don't live in one, nor would most of us want to. We are individuals.

Appreciate the shop talk, dude. Thank you.