support for older HardWare and Mac OS X

[Mojca Miklavec]

On 23 May 2016 at 09:17, Bjarne D Mathiesen wrote:
> I've got 2 older Mac Mini systems I'm using as headless servers:
>
>     System Version  : Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)  Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)
>
> How much interest is there in still holding such old stuff supported in
> MacPorts ???

10.6 mostly works. I'm using MP on 10.7 with hardly any issues at all
(even though it is true that when issues arise, I actively try to
address them).

The only exception and the biggest problem are software packages that
require C++11. If you plan to use software that requires C++11, you
should consider switching to libc++ from the start:

    https://trac.macports.org/wiki/LibcxxOnOlderSystems

and for the moment live with the fact that there are no binary
packages available, so you should build everything from source.

> Presently, I've got some issues with some core packages
> I'ld like to get resolved :-)

Like Joshua said, if you have patches or if the issues are easy to
fix, there should be no problem at all. The problem arises when nobody
with the skill and motivation to fix the problem has access to 10.6 to
be able to debug and test code. But given that we are still running a
buildbot on 10.6, developers are at least aware of the build problems.

Nobody is actively trying to break compatibility with 10.6 for sure.
(Even Tiger has some slim chance to work OK, but I would say that
Tiger is only for the brave by now.)

Mojca