Running TimeTabler on an Apple Mac, etc

Running TimeTabler on an Apple Mac, Chromebook, Linux, etc

TimeTabler (and our other programs; Options  & StaffCover) are written for Windows, but we do have quite a few schools who use them on a Mac and other devices, as follows:

    Apple Mac: our Mac users use a PC emulator** such as:

- 'CrossOver' (from www.codeweavers.com ) [see also the CrossOver page and this page]
- or 'Parallels' (from www.parallels.com/uk ) [you will probably need 'Parallels 18' or later]
- or 'VMware Fusion' (from www.vmware.com/uk/products/fusion.html )
- or 'VirtualBox' (from www.virtualbox.org/ ) [free for personal and education use]
- or 'WineBottler' (from winebottler.kronenberg.org )

... any of these will allow you to install the TimeTabler software/CD exactly as on a Windows PC, and they are reported to work well (and quickly) on the latest versions of Windows.

You might also try using ‘Bootcamp’, which may be free on your machine, if you have an Intel processor - it creates two partitions (Windows and Mac) on your computer, and you can then choose which to sign-in to. More details here: bootcamp.

    Windows Laptop: **Alternatively, Mac schools often have and use a (single) PC/laptop for timetabling ... because timetabling tends to be a standalone task performed by one person (until you reach the final stage of transferring it to your MIS / SIS / Admin System).

    Linux  users can also use VMware and VirtualBox.  If you install VirtualBox on your Linux installation and then a copy of Windows XP, you can run TimeTabler seamlessly on your Linux desktop, and can flick between Linux programs and TimeTabler as if they were running on the same OS.
 
    Chromebook : We are told that CrossOver runs on a Chromebook but we have not tested it ourselves.   For more information, please see this article.   And for other ways to run Windows on a Chromebook see these articles:  article-2  , article-3   , article-4   .

Further notes:

    Excel : If you are using one of these emulators and wish to use the "Export to Excel" features within TimeTabler, then you will need to have Excel/Office installed in Windows.  And if you have an Excel spreadsheet which you wish to import into TimeTabler, then you may need the "Excel ODBC drivers" installed - but if in doubt, please ask your IT Dept.

    Apple M1 Chip : If you have an M1-Mac, please check with the PC emulator suppliers above whether their emulator runs on your Apple, before buying the emulator.  Some are still working on it (as at Dec 2020).

    Windows 10 in S mode : This will only load apps from the Microsoft Store, and so is not suitable for our software.