I don’t mind threadjacking. :) The Mac OS has its compelling features, despite what Vista currently offers. (Although I have heard great things about Vista; my PC's hardware won't support it. I'm also not paying for it, and I no longer crack software.)
From what I understand, BootCamp is merely a dual-boot system--just as you describe. I have no experience with it, but from what I understand--it does provide decent driver support. I suspect that it might be a conceptually easier solution for any (computer-illiterate) staff; I also expect that it would be less “quirky”.
Parallels, as you describe, is nothing more than a virtual machine. However, it allows an X-86 based OS to run (functionally) natively on an X-86 chipset. So with that said, I don’t want you to compare it to Virtual PC, which tried to emulate the X-86 architecture on the PowerPC platform. (Tim, please correct me where I am incorrect.) Point being, Virtual PC has inherent limitations that an X-86 virtual machine does not. While I’ve never used Virtual PC, I’ve heard that it was sluggish and buggish.
In short, there is no speed degradation working on Parallels. And the virtual machine is a little quirky, such as the use of a “shared folder” in which you can share files between the two platforms, rather than drag-and-drop from one OS into another. (Note: Quirky does not equal Buggish. Sharing files between the two platforms isn't difficult, it's just different. One simple solution is to set the Parallels "shared folder" as the Mac's "Documents".) And as for Parallels essentially hijacking certain processes--yes, that can be an annoyance. I’ve not had any problems relative to the DVD drive, but I have had a few hiccups relative to who controls a USB thumb drive. As it seems, it can either be read by the Parallels virtual machine, OR the Mac OS can mount it as a drive. Both cannot share. And sometimes when I want to read the USB thumb drive on the PC side, the Mac picks it up (and visa-versa). But this really isn’t a problem as it is a hassle that one learns to work around. (As I have.) (There is a setting allowing Parallels to automatically mount the drives, or mount them upon your direct command. Both options have their own quirks.) The only limitation that I have run across w/ Parallels (and it’s one that I didn’t spend any effort rectifying) is that I couldn’t run my Classroom Clicker program under because of this USB annoyance issue. I expect that I could have found a work-around for the quirk, but I just didn’t care.
Any DVD-drive based quirks do not concern me. A simple work-around is to pre-load the DVD’s data into the “shared folder”, thereby bypassing any of the mounting/control issues. But with that said, I’ve not had any quirks w/ the DVD drive--primarily because I don’t use them. (My life is all online FTP servers and thumb-drives.) BTW--this “Shared Folder” is really the cat’s pajamas; it makes life *so* much easier relative to earlier builds of the program. Sharing data between the platforms won’t be a problem. I bet that your concerns over Parallels are based on past builds, and not the most current. (Recent within the past two weeks.)
And I’ve use a variety of builds (versions) of Parallels, and they have continually improved upon it. And this most recent build upgrade is a *vast* improvement over the past builds, and I’m quite impressed. Except for the USB thumbdrive annoyance, Parallels has been a terrific solution without any insurmountable barriers. Their “Coherence” feature is freakin’ awesome. MSFT apps actually show up in the Dock; and there is no problem relatives to the mouse knowing that it needs to be in the PC world or the Mac world. It’s been pretty flawless in terms of bi-platform usage.
But with that said, it may not be an ideal solution for the computer illiterate. One such example is that you have to remember special key-strokes to emulate a right-click on a 1-button mouse. (The simple solution, however, is to use a two button mouse!) There’s a few other key-stroke issues that a computing novice may find intimidating. And any time you change platforms, the lesser minds will whine and complain. Prepare yourself.
So my final comments are two-fold: (1) I don’t know your essential PC-based programs, so I can’t provide any intelligent feedback. If it’s a simple program, I’m not concerned. But if your programs require special USB keys or dongles, then we may have a problem. (2) I think Parellels has a free trial offer--so the best thing for you to do is get your paws on an OS-X86 computer and give it a whirl. Shame that we didn’t live closer; I’d just come over and let you play with it... I bet you can play around w/ it at an Apple store.
My final suggestion is to make sure that your Macs have a minimum of 2 gigs of ram memory; that way, you can dedicate 1 gig for XP, and 1 gig for the Mac.
/ Hope this helps...
P.S. I've not used MSFT Office 2008 for the Mac, but Office 2004 runs under that Rosetta emulation. And that has been of significant annoyance to me. To be honest, I prefer iWorks anyway; I have found their Pages and Keynote software to be superior in almost every way. I've also goofed off w/ NeoOffice, and find that to be on par with MSFT Office. So I wouldn't even waste the money on 2004 until the new (native to OS-X86) MSFT 2008 comes out. And even when it does--it may not be worth the investment.
P.P.S. If your office has broandband, I'd give all staff a Skype-out account, and reduce your long distance bills to (functionally) zero. One could also use SightSpeed for videoconferencing.
From what I understand, BootCamp is merely a dual-boot system--just as you describe. I have no experience with it, but from what I understand--it does provide decent driver support. I suspect that it might be a conceptually easier solution for any (computer-illiterate) staff; I also expect that it would be less “quirky”.
Parallels, as you describe, is nothing more than a virtual machine. However, it allows an X-86 based OS to run (functionally) natively on an X-86 chipset. So with that said, I don’t want you to compare it to Virtual PC, which tried to emulate the X-86 architecture on the PowerPC platform. (Tim, please correct me where I am incorrect.) Point being, Virtual PC has inherent limitations that an X-86 virtual machine does not. While I’ve never used Virtual PC, I’ve heard that it was sluggish and buggish.
In short, there is no speed degradation working on Parallels. And the virtual machine is a little quirky, such as the use of a “shared folder” in which you can share files between the two platforms, rather than drag-and-drop from one OS into another. (Note: Quirky does not equal Buggish. Sharing files between the two platforms isn't difficult, it's just different. One simple solution is to set the Parallels "shared folder" as the Mac's "Documents".) And as for Parallels essentially hijacking certain processes--yes, that can be an annoyance. I’ve not had any problems relative to the DVD drive, but I have had a few hiccups relative to who controls a USB thumb drive. As it seems, it can either be read by the Parallels virtual machine, OR the Mac OS can mount it as a drive. Both cannot share. And sometimes when I want to read the USB thumb drive on the PC side, the Mac picks it up (and visa-versa). But this really isn’t a problem as it is a hassle that one learns to work around. (As I have.) (There is a setting allowing Parallels to automatically mount the drives, or mount them upon your direct command. Both options have their own quirks.) The only limitation that I have run across w/ Parallels (and it’s one that I didn’t spend any effort rectifying) is that I couldn’t run my Classroom Clicker program under because of this USB annoyance issue. I expect that I could have found a work-around for the quirk, but I just didn’t care.
Any DVD-drive based quirks do not concern me. A simple work-around is to pre-load the DVD’s data into the “shared folder”, thereby bypassing any of the mounting/control issues. But with that said, I’ve not had any quirks w/ the DVD drive--primarily because I don’t use them. (My life is all online FTP servers and thumb-drives.) BTW--this “Shared Folder” is really the cat’s pajamas; it makes life *so* much easier relative to earlier builds of the program. Sharing data between the platforms won’t be a problem. I bet that your concerns over Parallels are based on past builds, and not the most current. (Recent within the past two weeks.)
And I’ve use a variety of builds (versions) of Parallels, and they have continually improved upon it. And this most recent build upgrade is a *vast* improvement over the past builds, and I’m quite impressed. Except for the USB thumbdrive annoyance, Parallels has been a terrific solution without any insurmountable barriers. Their “Coherence” feature is freakin’ awesome. MSFT apps actually show up in the Dock; and there is no problem relatives to the mouse knowing that it needs to be in the PC world or the Mac world. It’s been pretty flawless in terms of bi-platform usage.
But with that said, it may not be an ideal solution for the computer illiterate. One such example is that you have to remember special key-strokes to emulate a right-click on a 1-button mouse. (The simple solution, however, is to use a two button mouse!) There’s a few other key-stroke issues that a computing novice may find intimidating. And any time you change platforms, the lesser minds will whine and complain. Prepare yourself.
So my final comments are two-fold: (1) I don’t know your essential PC-based programs, so I can’t provide any intelligent feedback. If it’s a simple program, I’m not concerned. But if your programs require special USB keys or dongles, then we may have a problem. (2) I think Parellels has a free trial offer--so the best thing for you to do is get your paws on an OS-X86 computer and give it a whirl. Shame that we didn’t live closer; I’d just come over and let you play with it... I bet you can play around w/ it at an Apple store.
My final suggestion is to make sure that your Macs have a minimum of 2 gigs of ram memory; that way, you can dedicate 1 gig for XP, and 1 gig for the Mac.
/ Hope this helps...
P.S. I've not used MSFT Office 2008 for the Mac, but Office 2004 runs under that Rosetta emulation. And that has been of significant annoyance to me. To be honest, I prefer iWorks anyway; I have found their Pages and Keynote software to be superior in almost every way. I've also goofed off w/ NeoOffice, and find that to be on par with MSFT Office. So I wouldn't even waste the money on 2004 until the new (native to OS-X86) MSFT 2008 comes out. And even when it does--it may not be worth the investment.
P.P.S. If your office has broandband, I'd give all staff a Skype-out account, and reduce your long distance bills to (functionally) zero. One could also use SightSpeed for videoconferencing.
posted by Greg | 10:22 PM
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