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FAQs on running Windows programs on a Mac

How do I get the Windows version of Netica to run on my Mac?
Netica Application is currently only built for Windows. To get Netica to work on your Mac, you'll need to install a compatibility layer for running Windows programs. This will allow Netica to run with full speed and capability. If you already have a Windows VM, emulator, and or environment on your Mac, you can simply install the Windows version.

What are my options for compatibility layers?
There are many options for running Windows-based programs on your Mac, such as Parallels, VMware Fusion, and Apple Bootcamp. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages. Netica works well on all of them, but we have found that CrossOver Mac is one of the least expensive and easiest-to-use options for non-programmers. The other solutions mentioned will enable you to run a wider variety of Windows programs but are larger and more expensive.

Why am I downloading a trial version of CrossOver for the Netica install?
Codeweavers offers a 30 day full featured version of CrossOver Mac, so you can try it out for free and get support along the way. It is a quick install and once you are satisfied with its performance on your machine, you can purchase it for $39.95 (which goes to support the open-source development).
Or, if you are comfortable with programming and using open source software, use one of the other options listed above.

What about WINE?
CrossOver Mac itself is based on something called "WINE", which is an open source re-implementation of the Windows API, consisting of 100% non-Microsoft code, allowing applications to run as if natively on Windows. The original open-source version of WINE can be complicated to install and is written by volunteers, hence there is no user support. If you are comfortable with a more technical approach to getting WINE on your machine, you can try out the free Wine Binary Downloads, as well as the Recommended Packages for building Wine on 32bit.

Will this download pollute my Mac?
No! CrossOver Mac is just a compatibility layer (in other words, you are not actually installing Windows on your Mac), and it won't affect anything else on your Mac.

Can I easily get rid of CrossOver if I decide I don't want it on my machine?
Yes! To erase all traces of CrossOver, follow these steps.

I'm having trouble with installing CrossOver, help!
Go through the steps of the official Installation Guide. If you're still having trouble, check out their FAQ page. If you are having trouble finding your hard drive directory, read this.

Once I get Netica running on my machine, are there any known problems with the software?
There are a few minor issues, all with workarounds:

  1. Right-clicking: Control-click, as you're probably used to with Mac programs, doesn't work under WINE (so far).
    Solution: Enable secondary click. To do this, go to System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Trackpad and enable 'Tap trackpad using two fingers for secondary click'. You can then right-click by tapping the trackpad with two fingers.
    Update: If you are running a current version of Xquartz, you can go into the X11.app preferences when it's running and select what you want to be modifier keys for right and middle clicks.
  2. Messages window: When Netica first opens, the Messages window may appear as just a word in the upper left of the screen instead of bottom left.
    Solution: You can double-click the word "Messages" to open the window. Or, you can choose Window > Messages from the toolbar. Moving forward, the Messages window may appear as a blank white square in the bottom left of the Netica screen. Again, you can double-click the white square to bring up the Messages window. If you don't see the word "Messages" or a white square, try resizing your Netica window to make it bigger. The square should appear.
  3. Redrawing: When you open other parts of your net (CPTable, node palette, dialog boxes, etc), or other windows, they often do no redraw correctly when closed/minimized, leaving residual images in the way.
    Solution: Minimize the Netica screen you wish to view and then maximize it. It will redraw correctly.
  4. Onscreen Help: the Index of Netica's built-in onscreen help does not function correctly- you need to scroll the entire Index rather than search on a term and the browser arrows do not work. The rest of the Help works as intended.
    Solution: we encourage you to use the online Help system for documentation on all the latest features and for a properly functioning Index.
  5. Learning from Excel files: You will get error messages if attempting to learn cases from an Excel file.
    Solution: You must convert your Excel case file into a text file and then you can proceed with the steps listed in the chapter "Learning From a Case File" (in the online Help).
  6. Learning from text case files produced in "R": when producing text case files in R, the output is in Linux line coding, by default, which will result in an error message.
    Solution (submitted by Martin Koechy): those case files must be in Windows format to be processed properly (i.e. line endings must be coded CRLF). The free text editor Textwrangler will do the conversion.

Help us improve Netica on a Mac by sending us your feedback.
Unanswered questions? Email our support team.

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