Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. The trailing edge attorneys filed objection after objection until by the mid 1990's courts had extended the boundaries of Rule 9009 until the forms being filed bore no resemblance to either anything orginally contemplated by the authors of the Official Forms, or to each other.

The Macintosh has always been the computer of choice among the early adopters as well as the more prosperous members of the legal profession. Unfortunately neither of those descriptions covers the bulk of the consumer bankruptcy bar and so it was with great sadness that we were forced by the market to start programming for the dark side. In 1994, "MacBankruptcy for Windows" was released. But typical of the times, one reviewer suggested we avoid anything to do with the word Mac in the product name if we wanted to appeal to the PC attorneys.

It would be another 4 years, and the release of Windows 98, before the major petition preparation vendors would finally port their DOS programs to Windows. While virtually all of those programs retain their DOS look and feel to this day - no preview windows, no modeless dialogs, and reliance on old 1980's database technology, Bankruptcy2012™ retains it's forward looking Macintosh DNA. This is clearly visible in everything from the real-time WYSIWYG previewing, the advanced Windows navigation and controls, right on down to the same Mac keyboard combinations like Ctrl Q for "Exit", (or "Quit" on the Mac). No bankruptcy program is more Mac-like or takes as much advantage of a windowing environment as does Bankruptcy2012™.

Running Bankruptcy2012™ on a PC

Because of its Macintosh heritage and legacy computer code, Bankruptcy2012™ understands Windows, which itself is based upon the Mac, better than any of the DOS to Windows ports of its competitors. Bankruptcy2012™ has always run flawlessly on every Macintosh emulation program since the first version of SoftPC in the mid 1990's through VirtualPC, and the latest versions of Parallels and VMFusion. Because these emulation programs allow you to run Mac programs side by side with Windows apps, emulation is the preferred way to run Bankruptcy2012™. However there are other alternatives as well.

The first is Bootcamp. Bootcamp, is an Apple program that lets Mac users reboot their Intel Macs as a PC. Once rebooted, you will still need to have a version of Windows in order to run Windows programs, but in this mode you will be running your Mac as if it were a PC with all that that entails. The main drawback of Bootcamp is that you need to restart your computer whenever you want to switch from a Mac program to a PC program. It works, but it's an inelegant solution.

Another alternative is Crossover. Crossover is for the Mac purists and anti-Windows zealots who believe that having a full Windows desktop on their Mac will somehow leave them vulnerable to viruses or will unjustly enrich Microsoft. There is nothing special about the Mac that prevents viruses other than the fact that with such a small market share virus authors have bigger fish to fry by going after Windows users instead. And do you really want to make your life more complicated just to deprive one of the biggest companies in the world from getting the equivalent of a couple lattes?

Crossover creates a Macintosh window for each supported PC program. Crossover lets you run many PC programs on the Mac without a full Windows desktop or operating system. However, because so much of Windows itself is really just a conglomeration of hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny components, it is very easy for Crossover to lack a critical element needed for complete integration within a bankruptcy program. Bankruptcy software today does many things that require third party connections such as creating pdf files, scanning documents, filing cases electronically with the Bankruptcy Court, ordering, downloading and importing credit reports, and a full range of due diligence products like credit counseling and debtor education. So while the basic functions of saving information and producing Official Forms is something that can easily be accomplished with Crossover, the lack of the full range of Windows services makes it an imperfect choice for bankruptcy software.

The Good News! Bankruptcy2012™ Runs seamlessly on a Mac through Emulation

With a decade of experience writing and supporting MacBankruptcy, we have a large user base of Mac users who successfully migrated to Bankruptcy2012™ and now run it in emulation. Virtually all of those using Intel based Macs are using either Parallels or VM Fusion. (A few, with older Macs still use VirtualPC). There are no reported performance penalties and no conflicts or problems accessing any of the affiliate or court sites.

Who Should Use a Mac for Bankruptcies?

The Mac has been around for over a generation. Historically Mac users were the most sophisticated of computer users. Studies have showed the typical Mac user owned and used many more different programs than the typical PC user. In the early days before networks, before the World Wide Web, and before the need for cross-platform programs and operating systems, the Mac was indeed simpler to use, especially for this group of sophisticated users. No arcane file paths, IRQs, extensions, or the myriad of other PC nightmares cluttered their life. The Mac just worked.

Today however there is a new group of Mac users. These aren't the early adopters of old, but quite the contrary. These are the people who frustrated after years of Windows updates and increasing complexity are only now "discovering" the Macintosh. Unfortunately, they have sought out the Mac not because of its elegance or specific capabilities, but because they heard it was easier to use. That may have been true in the 80's and very early 90's but trying to run your office on a Mac in a PC based world requires more, not fewer, computer skills and sophistication. And this group of users who only now have learned what "the rest of us" knew a quarter century ago are ill adapted for the task.

Our typical Mac user knows why he has a Mac. He's probably had a Mac for years. He's sophisticated in the tasks of moving files, finding files, converting files, and running in an event driven environment. He doesn't use a "consultant" or have to ask his kids for help. He's an independent thinker, a problem solver, and knows more, not less, about computers than do his PC using brethren.

What about the iPad?

While an iPad is very handy for viewing pdf's of a bankruptcy, or accessing calendars, emails and databases, it is not a good solution for petition preparation. Petition preparation and filing requires too much user input and too many intervening steps to be efficient.