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Pima County Geographic Information Systems

Using Autodesk MapGuide with Macs and UNIX

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer on Windows is the best environment for using the MapGuide Viewer. However, Mac and UNIX users may be able to view the MapGuide maps using the Java Edition of the MapGuide Viewer. Mac and UNIX users of the Java Edition MapGuide Viewer do not get all of our site's features as some features only work with Internet Explorer on Windows. Mac users may also be able to run Windows (along with Internet Explorer and the MapGuide Viewer) to have the same optimal MapGuide Windows environment as explained below. The iPhone, iPad, other tablets and phones are not supported and do not display MapGuide maps. We are working to implement new web mapping technology that will be browser and operating system neutral but can't specify a timeframe at this time. Read more about using other web browsers besides Internet Explorer.

Options for Mac Desktop and Laptop Users

  1. Mac web browsers do not support all our site's map features and maps do not appear as intended. The MapGuide Viewer Java Edition 6.5 may work with Safari and other web browsers on Macs. In these cases "works" means a map displays and some of the map features do not work. To try this, simply acknowledge the "unsupported" warning pop-up and wait a bit longer than you usually might for the map to display. If the MapGuide map does not display for you in these unsupported browsers, then it's not likely we can offer more than what you see here.

    MapGuide needs to have Java installed and enabled to have any chance of working on a Mac. (Don't confuse "Java" with "JavaScript". While JavaScript has "Java" in it's name and is also a programming language, that's the only thing JavaScript has in common with Java.) You can test your Java installation with the "Do I have Java?" link on Oracle's Java web site. Another good site for checking your Java installation is Java Tester. The Java Tester site also has a Java Version page with lots of good information for Mac users. Scroll down until you see "Java on Macs".

    The Java Tester home page said "January 12, 2013: Apple has remotely disabled Java 7 on OS X, which required no action on the part of the end user." Apparently Apple enabled Java after that and we then see another Java Tester entry saying "January 31, 2013: Apple has again used their XProtect feature to block Java. They blocked Java 7 from running applets in Lion and Mountain Lion and blocked Java 6 in Snow Leopard..."

    Here's a checklist that you may find helpful:

    1. Make sure you have installed the latest operating system updates from Apple.
    2. Confirm that Java is not disabled in Safari. See How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari for the setting you need to enable.
    3. Use Oracle's Java web site and the Java Tester site to be sure you have the latest version of Java installed and working on your Mac.

  2. A good option for Mac users is to actually run Windows and Internet Explorer by booting Windows or using virtual machine software on your Mac. Virtual machine software allows you to install and use the MapGuide Viewer ActiveX Control (not the Java Edition MapGuide Viewer) with all features using Windows in a virtual PC environment.

    Examples of related software for Intel-based Macs include Boot Camp from Apple, VMware Fusion from VMware, or Parallels Desktop for Mac. Boot Camp allows you switch between booting Mac OS X and compatible versions of Microsoft Windows on an Intel-based Mac. VMware Fusion and Parallels enable you to run Windows as a virtual machine under Mac OS X with Windows appearing in a separate window on your Mac OS X desktop. Our users have reported good results using VMware Fusion.

  3. Find or borrow a Windows PC to use. The MapGuide Viewer doesn't require a powerful PC. That old Windows computer from your closet or your friend's closet may be all you need as long as it can connect to the Internet. You should also be able to use the computers at the Pima County Public Library.

  4. The officially supported Mac platform uses the MapGuide Java Edition Viewer version 6.5 and only works on Mac OS X with Internet Explorer 5.x as the web browser. This option is no longer practical as Internet Explorer 5.x for Macs is no longer available from Microsoft and may not work with current versions of OS X.

    If you can find Internet Explorer 5.x for the Mac, it's the preferred browser on OS X for MapGuide. Most say that version 5.2.3 is the latest Mac version but we've seen references to version 5.5 for the Mac. We see that Pure Mac and OldApps.com have Internet Explorer 5.2.3 for Mac available for download.

UNIX Supported Platforms

The Java Edition of the MapGuide viewer is supported on the following UNIX platforms:

Downloading and Installation

Read the material above to see if you have a supported Mac or UNIX configuration.

Generally, the Java Edition MapGuide Viewer downloads dynamically like any other web file and no special installation is required. You may want to try to do a manual installation of Java Edition if you are already a Java Edition user and want to speed up starting your MapGuide map initial display.

If you have a supported Mac or UNIX configuration and want to try a manual install see Autodesk MapGuide Viewer Java Edition Manual Install or Uninstall.

Autodesk's installation web pages look at your current operating system and web browser. Therefore, it's best to download from the same system that will run the MapGuide Viewer. We recommend trying the automatic installation first and then the manual installation if that doesn't work.

If you get the message "Do you want to trust the signed applet distributed by 'Autodesk, Inc.'", pick the "Always trust content from Autodesk, Inc." option. Otherwise, when loading our maps you may get a message like "Security violation requesting dynamic map layers...". This may also appear as "JavaScript or a Java Applet from 'Autodesk,Inc.' is requesting additional privileges." in which case check "Remember this decision" and pick "Grant".

Things that work differently with the Java Edition

The MapGuide Java Edition Viewer has a few features that work differently. See About the Java Edition of Autodesk MapGuide Viewer. Also, if you have a one button mouse, remember to use Control-click to "right-click" in the MapGuide map.