Apple has a reputation for ending support for tech it deems outdated, long before other platforms do the same: floppy disks, USB-A ports, Intel chips (ba dum tss). But every once in a while, a feature hangs on for dear life for longer than expected, and then we’re all surprised to hear that the Mac still did that.
In this case, the “that” are macOS help files for dial-up modems. 9to5Mac reports that the fourth developer beta for macOS Ventura will no longer have the help files for the ancient way to connect to the internet and online services. This doesn’t mean you can no longer use a dial-up modem—that sound you hear in old 90s movies when people need to check their AOL mail. You can still connect a USB modem and Apple has those support documents on the web. Surely, these system help files don’t take up much space, so why get rid of them? 9to5Mac speculates:
With macOS Ventura, Apple has rebuilt the System Preferences app (which is now called System Settings) from scratch. This probably explains why the company is getting rid of references to dial-up.
Apple
It’s a safe bet that no one will miss these help files, but if you’re wondering just what the heck I’m talking about, you can see the dial-up modem documentation for yourself on the Mac if you haven’t upgraded to the macOS Ventura beta. In the Finder, click on Help in the menu bar and in the Search field, type “dialup.” Among the results you’ll find include, “Connect your Mac to the internet using a dial-up modem,” “Change advanced dial-up modem options on Mac,” and “Troubleshoot dial-up modem problems on Mac.”
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.