Thanksgiving tech support: Replace older browsers

Q: I've started seeing sites saying my browser is too old or unsupported, but I can't download a newer version of it for my computer. Now what?
A: If you keep using the browser that came with your computer, you can eventually find yourself in this bind. Both Microsoft and Apple reserve the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Safari for newer editions of Windows and OS X, and an aging computer may not be able to run the latest models of those operating systems.
If your installed browser is only a release or two back, that usually won't cause compatibility issues. But it often increases your security risk: Older browsers tend to be a little more trusting of websites than the latest releases, and they may stop receiving security fixes at some point.
For example, version 5 of Safari, the newest version available for the 2009-vintage Snow Leopard OS X release, last received a patch in September 2013 and didn't get the fixes included in Safari 6.
At Microsoft, meanwhile, you need Windows 7 or 8 to run the current Internet Explorer 11; those of you with Windows Vista or XP — we know you're out there! — can go no further than Internet Explorer 9. IE 9 still gets security fixes but doesn't benefit from foundation-level improvements in IE 10 and 11.
(IE 8 remains mystifyingly popular — StatCounter found it remains the second-most widely run version of IE after IE 11— but was obsolete two years ago. Please stop using it, already.)
An older browser is also increasingly likely to experience hiccups, lose features or get turned away by some sites.
Gmail, for example, generally supports only the two most recent releases of a browser — which leaves users of older versions stuck with a crummier "Basic HTML" version of the site. The same requirements apply at Google Docs, although you may lose only some features of those Web-productivity apps in older browsers.
Apple's iWork for iCloud doesn't support Safari 5, while Microsoft's Office Online warns Mac users that they may lose some features if they don't use a current version of Chrome.
(USA TODAY's site recommends "the latest version of the following: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer.")
If you have an older machine that runs nothing older than Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.6, your two primary alternatives to retired versions of IE and Safari are Google's Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
For most people, I give the nod to Chrome. Beyond being fast, stable and frequently updated, Google's browser includes a built-in version of Adobe's Flash Player that eliminates the annoying need to update that plug-in separately. And some sites and Web apps — for example, the group-calling service UberConference— require Chrome.
But if making your browser yet another outpost of Google's sprawling online empire seems bad, go with Mozilla Firefox. And use the option, new in the 33.1.1 version shipped last week, to set its default search engine to the privacy-minded DuckDuckGo.
I know, I know: Many of you are probably thinking: "Who's still running five-year-old software?" Well, how about some of the relatives you'll be seeing over Thanksgiving? When they inevitably ask you to take a look at the computer, make upgrading their browser part of your holiday tech support.
Tip: A new search site for online movies and TV shows
The Motion Picture Association of America just took a big step toward reducing unauthorized downloads of movies. No, it didn't file any new lawsuits against downloaders or push for a round of new copyright laws; instead, on Nov. 12 the MPAA launched a search site for legitimate movie and TV options online called WhereToWatch.
And it's good. Compared with the site I've used and recommended before, Can I Stream.It?, WhereToWatch offers a cleaner and more flexible interface: One search box lets you look for movies or TV shows, and you can type in the name of an actor or director.
"WTW," however, doesn't encompass as many online sources as "CISI," so you may want to stick with the latter site if your usual video services aren't at the former. For example, a search for The Grand Budapest Hotel yields six online sources at WTW (Amazon, Flixster, Target Ticket, Xbox Video, iTunes and Vudu) and nine at CISI (those six plus Google Play, YouTube and Sony Entertainment Network).
Note also that some of these prices are for standard-definition versions, and HD will cost a dollar or so extra.