Putah Creek Development

Daylite 6 is made for building the future. It puts heavy demands on the computers that run it. Today we examine the Mac. Tomorrow we will get to iOS devices.

Don’t expect Daylite 6 or Daylite Server Admin 6 to function on that old iMac from 2006. Even Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) does not support everything it has to do. And memory? You won’t get by with 1GB.

So what does Daylite 6 need on a Mac? 

1. Let’s start with the operating system.

OS X 10.0.x (Yosemite), which came out in late 2014 is the earliest that will support it on the Mac. Naturally, you can also run it on the latest version, OS X 10.11.x (El Capitan).

2. What about hardware? Only fully 64-bit Macs can run Yosemite. Here is a list of models that should get you started.

• iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
• MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, Early 2009, or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2007 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
• Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
• Xserve (Early 2009)

These will run Yosemite and El Capitan, and the newer ones (say, 2013 and up) can be expected to support another OS X version or two.

3. How fast must the clock run?

An Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at a 2.0 GHz clock is the slowest Daylite 6 will tolerate - for now. Daylite tends to add new capabilities within a major version, and your own database will tend to grow, so its need for speed will also grow. What you really should shoot for is a recent Mac model, which will have a faster processor and chipset. Adequate clock rate generally comes automatically, if you do that. The numerical clock rate by itself means little - the industry has been putting out chips that run between 2 and 3 GHz for a decade. However, if there are two or more clock rates offered on the same processor, try to buy at least one step up from the slowest.

4. How much RAM should be installed in a Mac that runs Daylite 6 or Daylite Server Admin 6?

RAM (random-access memory) chips are the scratchpad for immediate use by software like Daylite. The more you install, the less a big app will use the slower alternative - your hard disk or SSD.

The minimum RAM that Marketcircle requires for Daylite 6 is 2 GB. My observation is that even on one of the two oldest qualifying Mac models, a Mid 2007 MacBook Pro with a Core 2 Duo running at a 2.4 GHz clock, 3 GB of RAM and an aftermarket SSD, 2  GB would be adequate. The memory usage of this computer while running El Capitan, Daylite 6, Safari, Mail, and a video conversion app never rises above about 1.7 GB. However, if you use a newer, hyper-threading, multicore Mac, it will generally make productive use of more RAM. For example, consider my work Mac, which is a MacBook Air (Mid 2013) with a Core i7 (dual core), 8 GB of RAM, and a 500GB SSD. The memory usage stays between 4.8 and 5.3 GB when I load it up: Daylite 6, Mail, Safari streaming Netflix, Xcode, Adobe Reader, and Sandvox.

So if you are checking a Mac for its ability to run Daylite 6, I would advise going to at least 4 GB RAM, and preferably 8 GB. Remember that you cannot upgrade RAM later in many newer Macs, since the chips are often soldered permanently to the logic board, so choose wisely at initial purchase.

So what about RAM for Daylite Server Admin 6 for those who Self-serve? The considerations and observations above still apply. Marketcircle doubles their RAM requirement figure to 4 GB. Remember that the server has to manage images for multiple Daylite clients, handle database backups, and communicate with the various CalDAV and CardDAV subscribers. Since you can also run Daylite on the same Mac, you should add another 1 GB or so for it. Therefore, I would advise boosting your Mac’s memory capacity to improve performance: 8 GB or even more will help a lot.

5. Finally, Marketcircle says that your display must  have a resolution of at least 1200 pixels (horizontal) by 800 pixels (vertical). Frankly, it would be hard to meet the other specs and fail to meet this one. I would take it higher again, but this time it is your own performance that improves: More screen real estate = More awareness and flexibility for you.

Remember, next time we will look at the iOS devices - iPhones and iPads.