OT--Another Mac question

Dear All, Please do NOT reply off-list, several of us are following these Mac threads with a great deal of interest and a growing intent to switch over. Thanks!

Karen, Queen of Squishies

So if read this correctly you want to install windows on a mac?

If that is the case, stick to the PC. There really is no advantage to putting windows on a mac these days. 10 yrs ago it might have been a decent idea as MAC hardware was of better quality and was proprietary to mac but now they pretty much use all the same junk as PC's do.

AFAIK his software will not work on the MAC OS (operating system), a lot of software packages are compatible with MAC but you must buy the version for MAC. I may be wrong on that, I'm not completely up to date with this stuff anymore.

I *think* that should work, but it may depend on the version of Parallels you're using (I haven't used it) - check the release notes for it. Invoicing isn't processor-intensive so that software should run without problems. Might be better to move to a native MacOS version if there is one, though, or else something Mac-native that can do the same job and read his existing files. The point of Macs is to save you time and money, and running Windows as well will simply get you into the same hassles you had before (if you spend the same amount on it, PC hardware is no less reliable than Mac stuff these days).

Might be best to get a cheap PC for the stuff that really needs Windows, and network it to the Mac so the Mac can handle printing, email, file archiving and anything exposed to the Internet (Macs make very effective firewalls).

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 15:38:58 -0500, Pati C. wrote (in article ):

According to the Parallels 3.0 for Mac manual you can run Windows XP. It appears that all the Windows OS since 3.1, 3.11 are supported by Parallels

How well it runs I so not know since I have not installed Parallels or Windows XP, yet.

Lee

rarebirdyatverizondotnet

Park Ridge, NJ

...

I dont' have a MAC, and am unlikely to get one (just purchased a new PC), but I have been following this topic with interest. I took a gander at the webpage and found the info about which OS are supported

--- look for "Guest OS" on the following page -- it looks like most Windows versions are supported, including the infamous Vista (with which I am getting acquainted).

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 14:38:58 -0600, Pati C. wrote (in article ):

I've not used Bootcamp, but with Parallels I'm using XP without any problems at all. The hardest part may be finding a copy of XP.

If you buy you're Mac at an AppleStore, the Apple Geniuses can probably transfer everything for you and get the Mac setup. Then all you'll have to do is plug it in and start it up.

Maureen

Pati, I use XP on my Mac, and it works beautifully. So, yes, it's definitely possible. The Apple crew is quite good at transferring stuff, since they've had lots of practice now that so many people are "switching".

I run XP in Parallels, and it handles everything I need very nicely. I've also heard that it handles embroidery software perfectly, though I couldn't tell you from experience, since I don't have that. I suspect it will run whatever your DH needs very well, since the Intel chip is the same for both PCs and Macs. You will probably need to add RAM, though, if you need to run more than a few big apps at the same time.

The folks at my Apple store transfer from PC to Mac all the time -- friends who've had it done say it was flawless.

I have older Macs so I run Virtual PC instead of Parallels, but no problem using XP for the couple of programs I need.

The advantage is that you're only running Windows for the short time that you need the few special programs. If someone was buying a Mac to always run Windows in BootCamp, I'd agree with you, but in this case you're buying it for the Mac OS, not the hardware. (And FWIW, my PCs have MUCH junkier hardware than my Macs, and cost about the same by the time I added everything I needed to the PCs)

The Intel-chipped Macs (basically 2006 and newer) can run software that will let you run Windows programs at the same time as Mac OS. Parallels and Fusion are two of the more popular programs for that. For older Macs, you can use VirtualPC, but there's a significant speed cost.

I have to agree with you, Kathy -- I only run Windows when I need EQ6 or my French-English dictionary. Another advantage to using a Mac for this sort of thing is that, since I never go online in Windows (except to update XP and my virus checker -- no email, no surfing), I don't have nearly the chance of getting a virus as I would if I used Windows for everything.

I was completely flabbergasted at the speed difference between using VPC and Parallels (it's the same for Fusion, from what I hear). Windows applications run at (or very nearly) native speed, since having the Intel chip eliminates the need to emulate it. VPC used to frustrate me so much that I hardly used EQ5 at all, though I really liked it. Now I can use it with no second thoughts -- it's wonderful to have this capability.

... portion snipped ...

Well, I guess the last laughs on me :-). My husband got so enthused about the latest Macs that he ordered one for me (he's going to take my new Windows Vista machine). It was all his idea -- I never mentioned Macs or any of this discussion with him & we have been die hard PC users from way back. I'll be using VMWare's Fusion instead of Parallels for my MSWin apps.

Bev in TX

I'm not laughing, Bev -- I'm cheering! Congratulations -- both on a sweet DH who buys cool stuff for you and on the new Mac. Which one did he get you? From what I hear Fusion works similarly to Parallels; I'm very happy with Parallels, so I'm betting you'll be equally so with Fusion. Enjoy! :)

Sandy,

The machine, a Mac-Pro, (how sweet it is!) is truly not a laughing matter :-) (unless of course it is a laugh of delight :-)).

I was referring to the fact that I had said I would not be getting a new machine. Since I had just purchased one, I did not expect to get another for quite some time (it was 6 yrs since I had bought my old machine). I am the last person that would have expected to get any new machine, PC or Mac.

There is also the way in which I became curious about Macs after all these years (our first IBM PC was a PC Jr). It was quite surprising to have my DH become so enthused about them just a couple weeks after these discussions in RCTQ.

I usually don't get such high end machines (and never an Apple), so at first I was certain that my DH was talking about getting one for himself. I was a bit dumbfounded when he said it was for me :-), though it was quite easy to become accustomed to the idea after he told me more about it :-).

Parallels does look nice, and they just came out with a new version that is faster than the old version and supports 64-bit Windows Vista. From what I read online, it only handles 32-bit Linux, but I may need 64-bit Linux for my work. That's the main reason why I opted for Fusion. I am also a little familiar with VMWare, which we used at the office for a number of years (base OS Linux / guest OS Windows XP).

It should be an interesting experience :-).

Bev in TX