Frame on the Mac

[Dr Rick Smith]

On Jul 23, 2010, at 9:31 AM, boenat at gedok.com wrote:

> Hi, there,
> 
> we here were working as long as possible with our old Framemaker 7 on the mac. Adobe got us on the wrong foot with discontinuing Framemaker on the mac... :-(


Brag: I'm using Frame 9 on an Intel Mac Pro
Admission: It's running on Windows 7 using VMWare Fusion.
Another admission: I'm a technical geek. I also have two separate displays and enough RAM to run two operating systems. 

In any case, let me ask how others are running PC versions of Frame on the Mac. For a while I wondered why so many people still use Frame 7, but I assume it's because lots of people still run it on a Mac. 

My own solution might not work for everyone. Installation is nasty, since you have to install VMWare, Windows, and Framemaker, and keep Windows up to date as well as OS X. 

Once it's running, it is as if I am using two separate computers with the same keyboard and mouse. One display shows Windows and the other shows OS X. I find it easiest to keep each OS on a separate display. 

I have no performance complaints. There are practical disadvantages since I am essentially running two separate computers, each with its own hard drive. I use Microsoft's free SyncToy to keep an up to date copy of my files on the Windows hard drive and in the OS-X file system (where Time Machine backs it up). 

VMWare also has a mode called "Unity" in which the PC applications appear in their own windows on the Mac desktop. I tried that briefly, but found it confusing. Others might have better luck.

Rick Smith.