Installing Firefox 2.0 for Mac OSX.3.9 (so you can run Google docs)

If you have a creaky old mac that can't handle an O.S. greater than 10.3.9, then this is how to find the latest Firefox that runs on it:

You can follow this link

 http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Installing+a+previous+version+of+Firefox

to the FTP site

ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/2.0.0.20/mac/en-US

From there you can download the .dmg file.  Double click on it to install the latest Firefox that will run on X.3.9.

Then you can run Google docs on your old iMac.  Google Docs needs Firefox 2 or Safari 3 to run on X.3.9.

Caution!!

Don't try to copy the .dmg file from one user to another on the same iMac.  Just download it again to the other user's desktop.

{....OK, Guille's addenda to Margie's comment. I don't know if dropping down dmg files all over the place creates havoc (although I wouldn't be surprised if it did).  This is what happened when Margie opened a dmg and then rebooted....}

I tried to open a copied .dmg, and ended up in some sort of  infinite loop when I tried to double click on the .dmg as the other user.  When I rebooted (about all I could do, or so I thought, since I couldn't kill the program) I ended up with the waiting for local disks forever screen.  I suppose it's because the .dmg is seen as a disk, and it wouldn't open.

Guillermo fixed this by unplugging our external hard drive, rebooting, then plugging it back in.

{...OK,  Guille's addenda continued...So I'm looking at this mac endlessly trying to do something with a local disk ...what exactly, god knows 'cause SJ feels it's none of my business & heaven forfend he make it obvious to set up a verbose boot mode (I'm sure there is one but I have no idea how to get that to happen)...so where was I, oh...I guess. If the disk system is the problem then maybe changing something like unplugging the external hd might do it. So to quote Bugs Bunny..."I dood it" and voila!...she continues to boot, goes to login dialog and I login. I plug the ext hd back and after a few tics she mounts. I then update the firefox by dropping the program into applications (after proper authentication of course)  and removing all signs of available firefox dmgs, do a restart and next thing you know the old imac is back to its hippie self (it is a flower power mac after all).

Finished by cleaning up the open dmg in Margie's account, and sure enough right version of firefox is up.

So to summarize: Mac's on OS10 go fubar periodically just like any other computer (I'm a great fan of "Crash Different")...I just wish I had some idea as to why?

... /end Guille's rant}