FMS 5.0 and Mac Mini

[ahz]

Hello,

Would FMS 5.0 run on Mac Mini?

I already own FMS 5.0 for Mac/Win. We are losing our Windows NT server. Though we have a Linux server, upgrading to FMS 5.5 Linux is expensive and the software is hard to find. I would rather buy a Mac than Windows computer.

We don't need a lot of performance (the Mac Mini is much faster than our Windows NT dinosaur).

[Ender]

As I recall Server 5.0 is a classic app. While this may run in Classic on OS X, I don't think it's ideal.

How many files and how many concurrent users do you have?

[stanley]

I think Ender is right - you'd have to score an upgrade to FileMaker Server 5.5, which runs natively in OSX and is perfectly stable. I wouldn't run FMS in Classic Mode, as you'd just be begging for all kinds of performance hits. Also, the Mac mini is not considered appropriate for FMS due to the fact that it uses a low-speed laptop drive. However, if your databases are not too large and your user base is fairly small, you should be able to get away with it.

-Stanley

[Reed]

You can probably also score a relatively fast (and cheap) G4 tower that will boot into OS 9.

I think the last one was the MDD Dual 1.25 GHz. If you're thinking mac mini for price, you could also just go with an older iMac that will boot OS 9. You can get those real cheap, and if you slap a fast HD in it, it should do fine for a small workgroup.

As far as upgrading to FMS 5.5, I'm not sure where you can get an upgrade at this point, at least not from FMI.

Dana

[Vaughan]

You'd think that MDD would stand for some kind of new technology that distinguisted this model of G4 from it's older, lesser siblings... but no. MDD stands for "mirrored drive door" to signify that the CD/DVD disk popped out through a shiny metallic flap at the front.

[stanley]

The MDD's claim to fame is that it has space for two optical drives (so officially it's Mirrored Drive Doors, in plural) allowing those who wished to rip CDs & DVDs to do so at twice the pace. And yes, it's the last G4 tower to boot natively in OS9. There is a caveat to that, so if you're interested, look at Apple's up-to-date OS9 compatibility chart here:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25114

-Stanley

[ahz]

I have two concurrent users with one database (ebase, a donor management software) consisting of about 29 files and 300MB. Only three of the files are larger 10MB.

My concerns are price and stability, but performance is not a significant issue.

I am new to Apple and didn't know about Classic. Thanks for the tips.