Is it ok to use older version of Debian?

[emil_21]

Some older extensions and themes doesn't work on Debian 8 Gnome. Is it ok to use older version of Debian, like Debian 7?
In general what are the disadvantages of using Debian 7 or Debian 6?

[Ardouos]

Is it ok to use older version of Debian, like Debian 7?

Debian 7 should be fine to use until it's support ends in mid 2018.

In general what are the disadvantages of using Debian 7 or Debian 6?

As I already informed you in this post. 7 should be fine to use for another year, but 6 has not been supported since Feb 2016.

https://wiki.debian.org/LTS

The bottom line is:

• >If the computer is separate from the outside world (offline), there should not be an issue.
  >If the computer is connected to the internet or a network (online), it is not recommended.
  >Older software may or will run into issues if you want to install recent software on the machine, this is because the software may will require newer libraries. Older software may also will have bugs that would not have been fixed, unless you fix them yourself.

Hope this helps.

[GarryRicketson]

It is ok to run any version you want to, the main thing is that the version you run
suits your needs.
I run Debian 7 , and for me there are no disadvantages,...how ever that does
not mean that some one else will see it the same way.
If the extensions, or or themes , or packages, you choose to use are no longer supported in the newer versions of Debian, well logically it is a advantage to use
a version that supports what you want to use.
The point about if the computer is not online is valid and a important consideration,
when a older version of Debian is no longer supported , there are no security up dates.
It all depends on the user and what they need.

[dasein]

Is it ok to use older version of Debian, like Debian 7?

As Ardouos pointed out, Wheezy (Debian 7) still has LTS support for another year or so, which means you can use it with some basic confidence. Squeeze (Debian 6) receives no support at this point, which raises deep security concerns that basically make any/all Internet use risky at best.

The single most likely problem you'd encounter using an older Debian version relates to hardware support. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, older Debian versions can't and don't support hardware that didn't even exist when they were released. So, the newer your rig, the less likely it is that older versions will work on it.

But this all started with your observation that:

Some older extensions and themes doesn't work on Debian 8 Gnome.

But consider: as important as screen aesthetics are (and they are), incompatibility with ever-older extensions and themes is only going to worsen as time goes by. So even if you install Wheezy now, you'll face this exact same choice again in another year or so, when Wheezy loses its long-term support.

So instead of merely relocating the problem temporarily, maybe take this as an opportunity to explore other WMs or DEs. Who knows? There may be aesthetic choices that accommodate your preferences even better than what you have now.

[darry1966]

I'm using Wheezy on an old emachines E625 and it is working well but I use latest version of Palemoon for browsing.