MyMathLab/MathXL Pearson

You will need to contact their tech support to find out if the product can work on a Mac. The Apple Discussions has no support for third-party products. MathLab requires certain browser plug-ins to work, and unless they have versions that are compatible with a Mac you will not be able to use the product.

The latest MathXL Player has moved to Flash, so as far as I know it's now browser independant...

Best to check with their support though.

Yeah, I would have tried that asking their support. But oddly enough, the links to their customer support pages don't work. Go figure. The support pages that they do have say that it's still compatible with Safari and Firefox.

Here's the really odd thing. My friend runs the Mac section of the student bookstore here on campus and they're selling 75 macs to every 1 pc. Yet sites like this have no support, and no solutions for all the mac users. You can't even get a hold of the teacher through the website, so you're really up the creek without a paddle.

Sounds like an issue you need to address to the school's IT department. I've been retired from my university for 8 years, but I certainly don't recall having problems then. Couldn't say about now, however. That's in my past.

But oddly enough, the links to their customer support pages don't work.

What links exactly? Have you looked at this?

http://www.mathxl.com/support/contactus_stu.htm

There were two or three links on the page for my class that wouldn't do anything. I eventually found the links on the homepage, which even then took me through several seemingly unnecessary steps (after setting up an account) just to send them an email.

I'm really not so sure that my school has anything to do with it. I'm not sure how this this whole site works, but it seems that Math XL is a service that the several different schools use to host their lessons, homework, quizzes etc. I don't think my local university is the only one using Math XL's website.

I'm really not so sure that my school has anything to do with it.

If your school expects its students to use this, then the school IT dept should normally be the very first place to ask for help. Then the people who make the product. Apple really plays no role at all for products like this, and the only way you are likely to find help on this user-to-user forum is if someone else happens to be using the same program.

Having dealt with the IT guys at the school, I'd rather just avoid them all together. Not so helpful, especially regarding Apple products. Their canned answer is to just just use windows like the rest of the drones out there. That's why I just go straight to the source, because the IT guys at school can't make the right plug-in. You're exactly right. I'm not posting here so that Apple can make a fix. I'm just asking if anybody else has got it to work.

Can you provide some info on what your problem is exactly? For example, their help says this:

In most courses, you can use recent versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari to work in your course. A few older courses, however, are only available using Internet Explorer. If your course uses the Installation Wizard, you must use Internet Explorer 6 or 7 to work in your course. If your course offers the Browser Check, you can use any of the three standard browsers.

Which kind of course do you need to use it with? If Firefox or Safari should work, what is happening for you instead?

Have you seen this?

http://www.mymathlab.com/mxlplayer_update.html

That's just what happened. It's the Installation Wizard that has to be run, so that course is necessary. I only really want to know if it has to be used with IE. There have been a lot of times that websites will say they need IE to work, but it's not always the case. If there's any round-about way of getting it done on a mac, then I hope to find it. And the thing that really confuses me is that it's a Pre-Algebra course, not a upper level class, so I would think that for the classes where more students would have to take them, (to get their generals completed) would be compatible before any others, even if it's older.

PS-If I sound frustrated, it's not at you or anybody else here. I'm sorry if it sounds like it on these forums. I guess I'm just a true mac user through-and-through, and I tend to get a little ornery when people don't make compatible software.

Is your course one of those that are supposed to work with the Flash player?

http://www.mymathlab.com/mac_books.pdf

Otherwise, I am certain there is no way you can do what you want other than via Windows apps. Of course you can run Windows on a Mac via bootcamp, parallels, or VM. You can also try running just Win IE 6 via the Crossover program:

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

I'm not sure which course it is. It's actually not for me, it's for my sister. I have Windows and Fusion on my computer, but she doesn't. That crossover program sounds perfect! Thanks!!!

I am also having the same problems. Let me know if this stuff they suggested worked out.

AND


Craig Salmond
Yes, how come most software doesn't work on a MAC? More and more people are using MAC's now and especially college students. Why are MAC's not able to function with general software. True MAC user here, born and raised. 🙂

OMG it worked! There is no expression to how happy I am that someone was able to figure it out. Last semister I was up at the college in their lab's trying to get my labs done. NOW, thanks to my loyal mac buddies, I can do my labs at home!!!! What a concept huh. lol Thanks soooo much for ya'll helping us college kids out.

🙂