Sage MAS 90 on a MacBook Pro? Are You Nuts?!

A few people noticed that while I was at Sage Software’s Insights 2008 conference that the laptop I used was a MacBook Pro. This has brought forth the question of:

“Do you run MAS90 on that thing?“

.The answer is yes. I use VMWARE Fusions which creates a virtual Windows XP box on my desktop. From within VMWARE I can run any Windows XP compatible application. Granted that I don’t run MAS90 in a production environment on my MacBook Pro (my use is limited to support questions and testing). I have a stray client or two that runs older MAS 90 versions on a MacBook with no reported issues.

Of course the Apple Leopard OS includes a free utility called BootCamp which will allow you to dual boot either Apple or Windows OS. The issue with BootCamp is that it’s an either/or boot. In order to swap operating system usage you must reboot your Mac.

The most common way around this is to use virtualization software (such as VMWARE or Parallels) that create a large partition on your Mac and supports running multiple operating systems simultaneously.

Before you jump and buy a Mac, realize that Sage Software does NOT support Sage MAS 90 on any platform other than what is in their official supported platforms matrix.

The two most common programs for running Mac and Windows on the same hardware are Parallels and VMWARE Fusion. See the links below for more information. Both programs are available for under $100. You will need to supply a copy of the OS. For that purpose I strongly recommend obtaining a membership in Microsoft Technet which provides for evaluation licenses for the different Microsoft operating systems (Technet is a $349 initial subscription and $249 renewal).

Tip: Another way to run MAS 90 or MAS 200 on a Mac platform is via Citrix or Terminal Server.

Link: VMWARE – Fusion
Link: Parallels
Link: Microsoft Technet Subscription Information