The push for us to upgrade our old computers continues, with the latest version of Google's Chrome web browser dropping support for operating systems prior to Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

Microsoft and Apple are both becoming rather pushy when it comes to upgrading your old computers to their latest offerings – Windows 10 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan – but they're not the only ones encouraging us to wean ourselves off older operating systems.

Google's Chrome, the world's most popular web browser, has joined the push by declaring that the newly-released Chrome 50 requires at least Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks due to security concerns.

Earlier versions of the Chrome browser will continue to run on older operating systems, but they won't receive updates and security patches – leaving users at risk from new threats.

The decision is going to frustrate people who've held off on upgrading older computers, taking the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and preferring to wait until they buy a new computer which will come with the latest OS pre-installed.

If you're still running Vista or XP then your computer is probably at least six years old and perhaps due to be replaced, but Apple was selling Macs running Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion until October 2013.

Upgrades to Windows 10 and El Capitan are free but for every person who tells you that upgrading an old PC or Mac is smooth sailing, you'll find another with a horror story of an old computer brought to its knees by the latest OS.

Microsoft has also scrapped security updates for older versions of Internet Explorer as it pushes PC owners towards Windows 10 and its new Edge browser.

Windows users who've stuck with Internet Explorer must update to IE11 if they want to receive security updates, but you can't install IE11 on Windows XP or Vista. Microsoft has already scrapped security updates for Windows XP, with Vista updates scheduled to cease this time next year.

Meanwhile Apple's Safari 9 browser is not available to Macs running Mountain Lion or earlier, with security updates for Mountain Lion ceasing in late 2015. Of the major browsers, Firefox and Opera offer the best support for older PC and Mac operating systems but they might not be able to protect you from underlying OS security flaws which haven't been patched.

Most people will argue that it's no longer safe to use Windows XP – it's time to move on but it's not a nice feeling to be forced into a major upgrade, even if it's for your own good.

Is Chrome's lack of support for older operating systems the final straw that will see you upgrade or replace your old Mac or PC?