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Grants.gov Mac Support

 

Currently Grant Application Packages are only available as .xfd files and therefore can only be opened using the PureEdge Viewer (now sometimes referred to as IBM Workplace Forms). Initially the PureEdge viewer was only compatible with PCs and Mac users had to use Citrix (see below) to open .xfd files. Grants.Gov has released a Mac Viewer for IBM Workplace Forms (PureEdge) that now works on Macs with either PowerPC or Intel processors running OSX 10.4.6 or higher. Using this viewer eliminates the need to login to Citrix.

Grants.Gov has also announced that they expect to release a completely new version of the Grant Application Package that will be platform independent (PC, Mac and UNIX) in April 2007. Untill then the following 3 options are available to Mac users:

  1. NEW PureEdge for Mac | Learn More at www.grants.gov
    Very recently Grants.Gov released a newly developed PureEdge viewer that runs natively on Macs. This program works with both Intel and PowerPC (G4 or G5) processors, but you must be running OS X 10.4.6. For more information on system requirements and installation instructions please read PureEdge for Mac [PDF]. Also note the limitations listed below (also available on the Grants.Gov site.)

    • Occasional crashes and subsequent loss of any unsaved data
    • Inability to run on Mac OS version prior to 10.4.6
    • No current support for screen readers for visually impaired users
    • The viewer is installed at the root level of the user account home directory. (e.g. /Users/jsmith/). Do not move the application folder to any other location as it will not work.
  3. Citrix | Learn More or Download Citrix at www.grants.gov
    Citrix is a program that allows you to "tunnel" to a federal server running PureEdge in a Windows environment. While this had defiantly proven the most popular work around to date, it is important to note that you must be connected to the internet to be able to open any .xfd on a Mac and during business hours the Citrix connection can be slow.
  4. Windows Virtualization Programs
    Programs like Virtual PC, Boot Camp (currently in beta version for Intel chip Macs), and Parallels allow Mac users to run Windows based programs. There are however the costs of both the virtualization program and the Windows operating system, and may involve a learning curve to get used to running two separate operating systems on one machine.