Parallels

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Running Windows on a Mac

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        "Here's a good article (here) on comparing all the available resources for running Windows on a Mac," states John Carter.  He explains,  "The comparison includes Dual Booting, Running Windows in a Virtual Machine, and Running Windows Apps Directly in Mac OS X — Without Windows. There is even a link for Choosing the Right Windows 8 For Your Mac.

        John goes on to explain his viewpoint, "Personally, my choice is to use Parallels Desktop for Mac. I’ve tried all the other resources and this one has the fewest problems. I’ve been using Parallels for a several years and I have no regrets using it. Occasionally, I’ll try out VMWare, VirtualBox, and CodeWeavers only to be disappointed by them."

Parallels Confusion

        Got Parallels?  Got confusion?  Got frustration!  David Passell alerts us to this notice:  "Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac users:  It's your last chance to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac at an upgrade price!
        "Soon, Parallels will end support for Desktop 5 for Mac. That means no future software updates, no technical support and no discounted upgrades to newer versions of the software. We don't want that to happen to you. Upgrade today!   Hurry! Offer ends on 12/31."
        Here's where the problem becomes evident, according to David.  He writes, "If you open your Parallels 6 desktop and 'check for updates' you will be informed that Parallels is up to date, checking further you will find information that the Parallels' team has been working with Apple and that 6 is compatible now with Lion. So what is Parallels 7?
        "Trying to get further information, I went to their website and after getting logged in (I had to do the PITA of getting my PW in order with current email address) I got little, so I went to the phone number for information.
        "I was very quickly (after another PITA push button 1, ... 2, ... 1, etc.) got a representative. He, with an accent, had a bit of trouble understanding me, bad connection. (I remarked that 'maybe that's because you are in India somewhere' -- he laughed and said 'yes').
        "In any case, to cut to the chase I told him about the fact I get the message about upgrading to 7, I have Parallels 6 which says it is up to date. He said I should ignore the emails, and I suggested perhaps the message should say if you have 6 ignore this message. He said he would pass the suggestion on.
        "I still don't know why they have a 7 from 5, but no 7 from 6. Oh well, what the h---:) In any case, it apparently is not going to cost me 39.99 (or 49.99 if I delay)."
        And here David draws his conclusion, "Logic may run one way in the digital world, but in our squishy analog brains, never the twain shall meet--the twain jumps the twack."

A Great Deal on Parallels -- Act Quickly

        Save money!  Now that we have your attention here's the deal on Parallels.  John Carter writes, "Parallels is having a one day sale on Black Friday: Parallels 7 Desktop for Mac for only $49.99. But this sale is for current users only. For non-users, the sale price is $59.99. If you are a user of Parallels 6, you can get the upgrade for $39.99. See http://www.parallels.com/ for details.
        "So, if you have been interested in purchasing Parallels for your Mac but have been balking at the $79.99 price, now’s your chance to take advantage of me as a current user.
        "How does this work? If you really want a copy, send me an email before 10 PM Friday night and I’ll place an order for you. You pay me back on delivery.   If you have any questions about Parallels, don’t hesitate to ask."  Send John an email at webmaster@pmug.us
        To clarify, John adds, "The offer for Parallels 7 at $49.99 is one only to a customer. So if I get more than one response, it will be first come, first served."

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Dual Boot, VMWare, Parallels, or Crossover?

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        Here's more about applications for Lion sent from John Carter.  He explains, "I’ve heard people say that they will have to have two versions of OS X in order to run some applications that are no longer supported in OS X 10.7 (Lion). Any dual boot configuration really hampers your quality up-time and turns it into down-time while waiting for your system to reboot into the other OS. Enter VMWare. Reports have it that VMWare is better than Parallels for installing multiple versions of Mac OS X. I can’t say. But this solution should only apply for those PowerPC applications that no longer run in Lion such as MS Office for Mac and Quicken.
       "I’ve gotten around the need for a dual boot configuration. One method is by installing Crossover. With Crossover, I can install a number of Windows applications without having to install the complete Windows OS. For now, I have Framemaker 6, Quicken 2010, eFax Messenger 4.4, and LibreOffice 3.4 installed under Crossover - and will most likely be installing other apps in the near future, specifically MS Office 2010.
        "Similarly, Parallels  for Mac 6.0 will install the complete Windows OS  whatever version you like - on a Mac. All the Windows applications that you install will run on a Mac without a dual boot configuration. I am currently running Windows XP and Windows 7 as guest operating systems on my Mac without any problems of compatibility that sometimes beleaguer Crossover."
        Here's John's conclusion for the dilemma:  "So, for any of those Windows apps that people like to have, either Parallels or Crossover should be considered as opposed to any dual boot configuration. But if you're a gamer and want things to run native, then I guess you have to dual boot."

Parallels Looks Good

David Passell shares some good news, "I responded to this email yesterday and got Parallels 6. I installed it rather quickly without much headscratching. It is much better integrated with the Mac than the previous Parallels 5. I had Windows XP installed and it transferred over nicely. Today I installed the Zinc browser and it runs fine. The text looks ugly though, compared to the Mac. (This seems true of our Mac site and newsletter too, though). There are a lot of mysterious (to me) things that happen in Windows though :(. Anybody who has Parallels 5 probably should update to this and save."  The sale expires 12-31.