What is this?

MariaT · 2025-03-13T20:47:01+00:00

I went to the "Find Work" tab and this appeared. Another change? ETA- Okay, just switch between the two icons at the top right to change the view. Only thr...

Kelly_E

MariaT I'm getting (what should be) a Captcha all the time when trying to open jobs in a new page, either to look or to apply, since 3–4 days ago... only a message from Cloudflare who does UW's security says "just a second," and then hangs the page—it never finishes loading at all, and the only option is to shut it down and give up. Can't open anything but my feed!

I contacted support, who acted like it was all my fault, but after 3 back-and-forths I got them to say that in fact that are having many reports of this, and they don't have any plan to resolve it (other than to tell people who are getting it to consider a newer computer? that's what they tell me every time...). So if that's the case, then I may actually be at the last days of UW.

Sometimes, when some change they make looks dire for me, a few days later it resolves. But as of this morning, it hasn't resolved.

MariaT

Kelly_E Luckily, it doesn't crash for me. But it's a nuisance.
And the tech support is always throwing caution to the winds, what a surprise!
Hopefully, you'll get lucky and they'll fix it for those who are experiencing crashes 🤞

anovikov

Does it happen in every browser?

Kelly_E

Upwork only works on Firefox on my old MacBook Pro, so I can't check anything else.

I know my computer's old, and I know my Firefox is therefore also old. Nobody feels that pain more than I do. But when Upwork confirms lots of people are reporting it, people who don't have my old Mac—and then still tells me that their best solution is that I get a new computer, they drive me nuts.

(They didn't tell me that this time, but they have literally told me that in the past—with smaller problems, also affecting many people, that luckily they finally fixed. To which I have replied, "If Upwork worked like it used to, to GET ME JOBS THAT PAY MONEY, instead of always requiring me to pay you money to be on the hunt for jobs—I'd gladly have a newer computer!!)

MariaT

Kelly_E 🙄

anovikov

Kelly_E If you have mac, i wonder, doesn't it work in Safari? Safari is like Internet Explorer in the old days - shitty, but opens just about every site, no? I can't remember any bugs on Upwork that reproduced in Safari.
Unless of course, your machine is 32-bit... How old is your mac?

Robin

Kelly_E Which macOS version are you using, Kelly? I will share a link with another browser you can download.

Also consider… if you can stomach it… (carefully) installing Open Core Legacy Patcher on your Mac (I recommend getting some expert Mac help in guiding you through it). This done after first partitioning your Mac, so as to create a new space for installing another version of macOS…

The upshot is you'll be able to run any version of MacOS you like, including the latest, Sequoia.

Since you're using Macbook Pro this will likely run quite well. I presume you have at least 8Gb RAM in your older Pro. and potentially 16Gb?

So two routes to running another browser.

Let me know your current version of macOS, and your Macbook Pro specs, and I'll offer a browser option and confirm a bit more on OCLP.

Kelly_E

anovikov No—it stopped working on Safari (my version, like my computer, is old...) about two years ago.

My MBP is from 2012.

Believe me, I am fully aware of the ghastly nature of what I just said.

But it does all the work that I need it to do, and I just can't prioritize a computer over other expenses. Got to be able to fit both needs and wants in, before an upgrade can happen.

(I should say that in my work, upgrading the computer would involve upgrading a whole lot of expensive software so it's not as simple or as cheap (?) as it sounds.)

anovikov

Kelly_E It should support macOS Catalina from 2019. 10.15 that is. I am sure Upwork must work on that version very well.

Ravi

Kelly_E But it does all the work that I need it to do, and I just can't prioritize a computer over other expenses. Got to be able to fit both needs and wants in, before an upgrade can happen.

If an old computer/laptop/whatever can do the job, there is no need to upgrade.

I have been using an Intel 3rd Gen till just a week ago.

Now I have an Intel 12th Gen.

And as I had retail versions of Win 10 and MSOffice, I was able to transfer them to the newer PC.

Kelly_E

anovikov The latest I have ever been able to get onto it is 10.11.6.

anovikov

and you can't install the latest Chrome? it seems weird. this is an OS from 2015. what changed so badly in OS since then that Chrome doesn't work?

Kelly_E

anovikov It never allowed Chrome to be installed. Something in the innards of the computer doesn't get Chrome. I know there was an error code that explained it, but it's been a long time so I don't remember anymore.

Kelly_E

Robin As above: The latest I have ever been able to get onto it is 10.11.6.

You guys, getting my hopes up... kinda scaring me here...

I actually have a partition for running Windows but I never ended up using it. Not that I remember how to get at it or have any clue what to do next...

also scary...

ETA: 16 GB

ETA 2: Hmm, looking on Disk Utility, maybe I ditched the partition at some point? I don't see it there... 1 TB internal disk looks quite whole, and rather stuffed full.

Ravi

Kelly_E ETA 2: Hmm, looking on Disk Utility, maybe I ditched the partition at some point? I don't see it there... 1 TB internal disk looks quite whole, and rather stuffed full.

You can thin down the contents and create a new partition.

Robin

If it's the 2011 model, I think using OCLP (warning: technical noodlings required; risks ahead) would get you using Big Sur or Monterey reasonably comfortably for day-to-day tasks. Stuff that requires heavy graphics work wouldn't be so good.

I have Sequioa installed on a few years later Macbook Air and was surprised how well it runs in 8Gb RAM. Also installed Win11 on top of OCLP (which functions as a very good bootloader, too), and that runs very nicely.

Difference is my later Air has a later GPU, which is better, and means less cpu-intensive emulation going on to support later macOS versions, however if you have the 2011 Pro, you have a faster CPU and so that should make up for it a bit.

There's life in the old dog yet with OCLP.

Robin

Also a note to say that second hand Macbooks are imo the best way to buy Macbooks – very cost-effective method of upgrading. Wouldn't have to spend much to upgrade to the last Intel-based Pro, and OCLP will definitely get you happily onto Sequioa on such a model.

Kelly_E

Robin mid-2012 (that’s buried somewhere above)

Kelly_E

Robin Agreed! I always buy used… but as mentioned above, a newer Mac would entail a lot of expensive newer software… if I had the money for a newer Mac that would be less than half the battle, I’m afraid

Robin

re: current machine, this link is the last version of Brave Browser that will run on your current version of macOS.

Brave is based on Chrome, but give this a whirl. Link is official Brave download of this specific version from github.

https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/download/v1.40.1/Brave-Browser-Nightly-x64.dmg

Kelly_E

Ravi Well, other than not being able to use Upwork right now, which is how this conversation began above... but I don't even know that a newer computer would help, because as Customer Service told me, other people are unable to open jobs this week, as well.

So will they fix it for people with newer computers... are all the people reporting it also on older computers... is it a Mac thing... will they fix it for everyone... who the heck knows.

Kelly_E

Ravi I wish I could thin it down but looking at Disk Utility, it appears most of the "problem" must be programs and client design work. I don't store videos, I hardly take any pictures... probably not a lot on here that I could toss!

With all this partitioning talk, I'm wondering whether I could put a newer OS (& browser) on an external HD and make the computer work for me a while longer that way. Isn't that very similar to a partition?

When the only thing misbehaving is the web browser (since obviously I don't have any newer software, haha)... if it IS the problem, I mean I don't even know that's the issue... It's pretty annoying to have to consider this. But maybe I could give that a try.

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