Does Adobe advise the best way to run FrameMaker 2019 on a Mac?

[sue_c]

I am a long time Adobe and Mac user — about 30 years — but it's a struggle having to run FrameMaker on a Mac using VM software. I have a 2018 iMac with FrameMaker 2019, and currently use Parallels to run Windows 10. Compared to running my other Adobe programs on the Mac (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), running FrameMaker thru VM is slow and kludgy. And every time Windows forces an update on me, it causes things in FrameMaker to malfunction. (Like not being able to Save As PDF, or not being able to Find/Change straight apostrophes to curly — both critical to the work I do.)

When I search for solutions, see mostly old threads and not a lot of help. I'm sure there must be other Mac users also experiencing issues that impact their daily work.

So this is to the Adobe FrameMaker Team, and anyone else who has the answers:

- Are you testing ways for your Mac users to best make FrameMaker function smoothly on a Mac?

- Since VM software is currently the only option, what is the most reliable VM software that I can use?

- Why are there always problems with FrameMaker after Windows 10 makes me do a maintenance update?

- Is there anything I can do to prevent FrameMaker issues when I update Windows?

- Will you please roll-out a Mac version of FrameMaker?

- Will you also please make it part of the Adobe CC suite of programs?

Thank you, from a life-long Adobe and Mac devotee.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi Sue:

I have been running FrameMaker on my Macs for years (about 10), but chose VMware Fusion over Parallels and have been very happy.

Two notes: I tend to purchase high-end iMacs and MacBook Pros, and upgrade every 3-4 years so I'm sure that helps with the speed and performance, and I have run into issues after Windows upgrades, but VMware has excellent (and free) tech support and each time I call, they get back to me quickly and get me up and running again.

Day-to-day, FrameMaker runs as it is supposed to and when I'm teaching I just put Fusion into a full-screen view so that my students never know I'm on a Mac.

Currently:

• MacOS Mojave 10.14.5
• VMware 11.1.0
• FrameMaker 15.0.3.603

I believe they offer a 30-day trial if you want to give it a go. And I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a Mac version to be re-released (we had dedicated Mac versions years ago). The FrameMaker team put out a survey recently and while I couldn't track it down for you, as I recall, those users who wanted FrameMaker to run natively on a Mac were few and far between.

~Barb

[sue_c]

Hi Barb,

Thank you for your reply! I've been using FrameMaker and Parallels for about 3 years. I will try VMware Fusion. It sounds like you have found the issues after Windows upgrades to be related to the VM as opposed to FrameMaker... is that correct? What type of solutions did VMware have > ie: reinstall VMware or reinstall FrameMaker?

Best,

Sue

[Barb Binder]

Hi Sue:

They log onto my system remotely, tweak the VMware configuration, and then I'm up and running again. They are super knowledgeable and fast. Once specific incident that I remember was at a conference where I was presenting and FrameMaker kept crashing whenever I opened the Paragraph Designer. I thought it was a FrameMaker bug so I asked around it was only me. I called support, and they fixed the settings and I was able to start my presentation on time.

~Barb

[Dan Phillips @Korg]

Unfortunately, since Adobe has been glacially slow about support for ARM, this is no longer a viable solution. It's not possible to run an Intel Windows VM on any Mac currently in production. And re the survey: it's pretty clear why they would get such a response, since most people don't know that FrameMaker exists. The translator I use now insists that we buy a license for them, since no other clients request it.

[Thomas Böttiger]

There is one solution that might help, whichever VM you are using: Windows eats RAM for breakfast. Assign 16GB to Windows if you can afford it.