Frequently Asked Questions about MacClade 4
This page contains some commonly asked questions about MacClade,
or questions that illustrate particular techniques in using MacClade.
Q: Can I use MacClade on
a Windows machine?
A: Yes. You can purchase
a MacOS emulator that will run under Windows, and MacClade can
then run in the MacOS environment on the Windows machine. There
are several of these available; we have tried out Executor (http://www.ardi.com),
and worked with its author to make MacClade as compatible as possible
with that environment. It's not perfect (there are some limitations
on printing, and its slower, for example), but several users have
found it a viable alternative. More details are given in the MacClade
manual.
Q: I can't get MacClade
to install. When I start it up, I get various error messages. What
should I do?
A: First, make sure MacClade
is on your hard disk, not on the CD; MacClade won't start up from
the CD. If MacClade is on your hard disk, the likely cause of
this is a conflict between MacClade and a system extension, as
discussed in the Installing MacClade section of the Getting Started
chapter in the MacClade manual. The simplest way to deal with
this is to restart your computer, holding down the Shift key during
start up. This will cause the computer to start with system extensions
disabled. Then, install MacClade, and start MacClade up. Personalize
your copy at this point by typing in your name and institution.
Once this is completed, and you have successfully started MacClade
once, you can then restart your computer. You will not need to
hold down the Shift key.
Q: I've heard about Mesquite
(http://mesquiteproject.org);
should I get that instead of MacClade?
A: The two programs have
different strengths. MacClade is a more mature program than Mesquite,
and much faster at what it does. It is much better at parsimony
calculations than Mesquite, and has several features in the tree
window (including Trace All Changes) not present in Mesquite.
One of the bigger differences is the data editor, which is much
better developed, especially for sequence data, in MacClade than
Mesquite.
Q: Will MacClade 4 run correctly
on Mac OS X?
A: Yes. Make sure you
have the MacOS X version installed.
Q: When I save trees in
MacClade as PICT files, they look horrible when I open them in a
graphics program. Is there anything I can do about this?
A: All graphics programs
we have tested read PICT files incorrectly. One option is to save
the files as PostScript files; see the MacClade manual on your
CD for details, in the chapter on printing and saving graphics
files.
