Adobe DNG Converter compatibility

Adobe Camera Raw / Lightroom presently get annual upgrades which allows for the support available in the new version. At present ACR is at version 16 LrC is version 13.

Adobe DNG Convertor 16 to be in sync with ACR 16.

I stands to reason that if ACR/ LrC require a particular Operating System to function then it will also be applicable to Adobe DNG converter.

I am is that situation at the moment my iMac cannot beyond version 11, so I cannot upgrade to ACR 16 / LrC 13 and Adobe DNG Converter 16.

Even if you could import a DNG which was created in version 16 to LrC 12 the new features for LrC 13 will not be applied.

Let's say I'm running older hardware or Windows 7 and can not upgrade Photoshop or Lightroom Classic.

But I will not be able to run DNG Converter on that system either.

And if I can run DNG Converter, then I will be able to run latest Photoshop or Lightroom Classic because system requirements are basically the same.

Being able to run the DNG converter is not the point. The point is being able to create a DNG file that the user can bring into old Adobe Post Processing software. A user not having a version of Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Bridge, or Photoshop, that supports the camera they have is the point. People with perfectly capable computers say a computer bought just today, say with maximum CPU, maximum RAM, maximum VRAM, the fastest greatest  GPU ever sold, will not be able to use their old ancient Lightroom Perpetual v6.14 on a brand new just produced camera. So, they use the DNG converter to create a nice DNG that will work in old Lightroom Perpetual 6.14 or older.

Another set of individuals that may need to use the DNG converter, are those with fairly new computers, that could use say LrC v 10.0, but cannot use LrC v13.1 on a computer that could run say LrC v10, biut not V13.1. (more of a MACOS issue than Windows, but eventual this will occur on Windows, for example, stuck on Windows 7)

If you go and look at the Adobe document for Adobe Camera RAW supported Cameras:

Cameras supported by Camera Raw | Adobe

you will see lots of cameras that are not supported in say Lightroom perpetual v6.14 and older.

Now to look at that statement again:

Note: 

Adobe provides backwards compatibility for the latest cameras for use in older versions of Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, After Effects, and Photoshop Elements through the DNG Converter.

To provide compatibility for older Adobe post processing software, not for compatibility with older OS.

Maybe I should summarize

• Users who refuse to move on to a subscription, who still use old no longer supported Lightroom Perpetual v6.14 and older, but with new cameras, can use the DNG converter.
• Users who computer, no longer supports upgrading to the latest LrC, and who's brand new camera requires LrC v13.2 can use the DNG converter.
• Users who are using a computer with 2 GB of RAM, a 1 GHz CPU running 32 bit, on Windows 7, are out of luck.

Your explanation doesn't explain anything at all.

Lightroom Classic, ACR and DNG Converter are released at more or less same schedule and support same cameras, and they all have similar system requirements.

If your camera is supported by LrC/ACR - you don't need DNG Converter, and if it doesn't - you will need DNG Converter that is newer then your LrC/ACR and will have higher system requirements.

If you can satisfy those requirements you may as well just upgrade your LrC/ACR, and if you can't - DNG Converter will not run either.

Also DNG Converter have compatibility levels for ACR 2.4 (Photoshop CS), ACR 4.x (Photoshop CS 3), ACR 5.x (Photoshop CS4) and so on.

For what?

Following your logic it shouldn't be there because neither of them are supported on Windows 10/11 which is required by latest DNG Converter.

It's funny how people are trying to protect what is obviously not very well though decision.

Come on, exact same thing already happened to Lightroom 6 which is fully 64bit, but can not be run on modern MacOS due to someone's great decision to make it's installer 32bit.

"But I will not be able to run DNG Converter on that system either."

Yes you will - but only versions compatible with that OS.

So Adobe's claim is accurate, but "nuanced" - they don't promise backward compatibility with old operating systems, just with their own software.

In that regard, they're just following the providers of those OS' - MS doesn't support its "antique" platforms either.

"So what's the point?"

The point is to to enable conversion of RAW files that your versions of Lr, PS etc. are too old for - the starting assumption is that you can run it.

Adobe has no responsibility for your operating system, though - that's 100% on you...