Excuse my ignorance, but how would you connect an 20" Apple Cinema Display Model A1081 (Alu, not current gen), to an Alu Macbook without a firewire port? What is the firewire cable used to transmit? I know to use the mini-display port to DVI adapter, it's the firewire connection I'm confused with.
Ignore it. The firewire cable is because you can use the monitor as essentially a firewire hub, so it will function perfectly except the firewire port on the back won't do a thing.