It's possible to install Wine on Mac easily: just look for a software named WineBottler (or its rival Wineskin).
Its installation package includes Wine, already packaged as a standard MacOSX application.
It is therefore possible to install WineBottler (with its Wine.app) (or Wineskin) and to run with it GIMP for Windows (http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/), which allows to run the Mathmap plugin and, yes, also the PSPI plugin on a Mac (PSPI and the last version of Mathmap do not exist in a native version for Mac).

Besides, it is possible to use on your Mac many .8bf filters (photoshop plug-ins for Windows) also by using (with Wine and WineBottler or Wineskin) some Windows freeware applications like Image Analyzer, PixBuilder Studio, Chasys Draw IES and IrfanView (it is advisable to try them all, not only IrfanView, and, if needed, to read the information on their sites about how to use the .8bf filters with each of them).

oh that seems perfect...i mean not much run Gimp on wine but that allows to run gimp normally and call irfanview xnview or what else for the PS plugin

Humm sure the Mathmap plugin could run only on windows and linux...maybe just because nobody did try yet to compile for Mac should not be obstacles (except that Mathmap require a quite unusual building enviroment ).

ok for a starter...I can and do run windows on the mac anyway when I need to so why do I need Wine???
Whats more, I can and do run PSP several versions son the mac as well....I use VMware Fusion...is this not good enough???
For me that would mean learning a whole new ball game as I really wouldnt be using mac to do thee things but one of the windows programs or Linux which I can also install on VMware Fusion...so making the right choice is an iussue for me and also I am not keen to use any of the virtual machines and have the internet available as it means I would have to then purchase antivirus software as well..I think I'd rather use LINUX than WINDOWS, but know nothing about either.

Pauline,

If you are already running Windows on your Mac, then no need to fiddle with Wine which allows you to run Windows applications on Linux.

Partha

Yes… Speaking about running Windows PC programs on the Mac, it is a little different on the Mac: Wine on Mac (that is: WineBottler or Wineskin) allows you to run many Windows applications on the Mac (it works like Crossover, for those of you who know it), without actually running Windows.
This has the advantage that you don't have to worry about Windows-related viruses and antiviruses.

If you already have VMWare Fusion, you may use it, of course, to run your Windows applications, including Image Analyzer, PixBuilder Studio, Chasys Draw IES, IrfanView, XNView or GIMP with PSPI (and Mathmap), and use the Photoshop filters for Windows with these programs.
Be aware, anyway, that if you run the Windows applications through VMWare Fusion, you will be actually running Windows really, and will have to install a Windows antivirus.

This will not happen if you run the Windows applications through WineBottler or Wineskin (that is Wine for Mac), because in this other way you are not running Windows really. The negative side is that in this way the compatible Windows programs will be fewer (some will not install or will not run). Anyway, GIMP for Windows with PSPI and all the other Windows programs I mentioned run well on a Mac with WineBottler or Wineskin.

Thanks Forest but I did mention in a previous post in this thread that I would have to have antivirus if using VMware Fusion..as it is at the moment, I use that to get into PSP solely for the purpose of transforming psp tubes into .png...and with the availability of so many filters etc via GMIC, I'm not sure its really worth my while to go further with it to figure out how to install all of the extras using GIMP on a WINDOWS interface...it kind of defeats the purpose of having a mac in the first place for me...however, I have had come into my hands a pc laptop which is not 2yo and has been replaced by a newer one...and its possible I may begin to expand my horizons on thatI think so stay tuned...I know I am going to need help with somethings I dont understand on it when I get started. I'm just waiting for boy wonder to restore it to factory settings and then I'll be starting to play with it..

I learned gimp on a windoze machine and don't find it different...it used to be different, but with Partha's new mcgimp build, it's very similar.

For me its learning how to install all the extras ..... I dont really have a clue about pc computers but I have had a windows 7 lappy fall into my hands in the past few days

Pauline,

It's similar to the Mac version. Under Windows as of now, you have a user folders called .gimp-2.8 or .gimp-2.7 etc. On Windows 7, this resides in C:\Users\$Username\, where $Username is your login in ID in Windows.

The rest is the same, put scripts in scripts, fonts in fonts, plugins in plug-ins etc.

Hope that helps,
Partha