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+--- Thread: Boot Camp and Parallels: A progress report of test versions (/thread-140.html)
Boot Camp and Parallels: A progress report of test versions - adjuvantjfoster - April 17, 2006
Both BootCamp and Parallels are in pre-release test versions, so more progress is to be expected.
And yes, I known they only run on the newest Intel chip based kit. And yes, the multiple core chip based Macs coming out later this year, and the next major version of the OS will speed up the process.
Exciting times now, and to come for those of us in the Mac persuasion.
John
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/04/16/100bus_boot001.cfm
Published: Sunday, April 16, 2006
Apple's Boot Camp wins out over Parallels Workstation
By Robert Weston
Associated Press
NEW YORK - For years, my desk has been cluttered by two computers - one Macintosh and one PC. It's been an arrangement of necessity, as I prefer the Mac but sometimes need a Windows machine for work.
So it was with great interest that I read about Apple Computer Inc.'s launch last week of a program allowing newer Intel-based Macs to boot Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. A day later, another company unveiled software that runs Windows in Mac OS X at nearly full speed.
In both cases, software emulation isn't required because the new Macs share the same hardware brains as Windows PCs. Unlike Microsoft's Virtual PC program, which lets some Windows programs run on my old PowerPC-based Mac, there's no significant performance hit.
The major difference between Apple's Boot Camp and Parallels Software International Inc.'s Parallels Workstation is that the latter allows the user to seamlessly switch back and forth between the systems without restarting. Boot Camp requires a decision at startup - if you want to run the other OS after that, you need to reboot.
It took each about 45 minutes to install the operating system, which must be purchased separately (Windows XP starts at $199). The process was simple for both programs - even though they're both labeled as test software.
Parallels Workstation's most obvious advantage is its ability to run both operating systems simultaneously. The Windows OS runs inside a Mac window and users can easily and quickly switch back and forth between operating systems.
The system also automatically recognized the Mac's wireless Internet connection as well as the computer's wireless Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
But Parallels Workstation does have significant flaws.
The program doesn't yet provide the native graphics drivers needed to make the display hardware run at full speed.
After installation, I launched the program. But I quickly discovered that it wouldn't allow me to use the iMac's CD/DVD player to install Windows XP. After several attempts to work around this, I found a solution: You need to insert the Windows XP CD into the computer before launching the Parallels Workstation program.
Within the Parallels Workstation environment, DVDs are not yet supported. The company plans to fix that in the next test release.
Still, Parallels Workstation - a free download while it is in testing but available for $49.99 in "a few weeks" when the company says it will be officially released - was a usable solution for occasionally running Windows applications. It should only get better with improved hardware support.
Apple's Boot Camp, which is available as a free download, feels much more like a finished product, despite its test label.
Apple includes most of the hardware drivers needed to make the computer work. During the installation of Boot Camp, it walks you through the process of installing the drivers to a CD, which you'll use after the Windows installation is complete.
Performance is what you would expect running Windows XP on a similarly configured PC.
Even hardware that the company claims wouldn't work within the environment, such as the Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse, ran perfectly in the Windows OS. (The initial setup, however, required a wired keyboard and mouse.)
The only hardware that I found didn't work was the iMac's built-in video camera.
No Windows software tripped up Windows XP via Boot Camp. I installed my company's Virtual Private Networking client and the PC-only software used to write this story, and both worked - just as they would on a "normal" PC.
Windows games installed and played at top speed without a hitch.
Aside from the annoyance of having to reboot the computer to switch operating systems, the only complaint I had about Boot Camp is the Mac operating system's inability to take full advantage of the hard drive partition formatted to XP's default file system.
For hardcore gamers, there really is no option. Boot Camp is the best way to run Windows games on a Mac.
- jagasail - November 23, 2006
OK, now that people have been using these for a while, any thoughts on Bootcamp vs Parallels?
parallels - outstripp - November 24, 2006
I can't compare because I haven't tried Boot Camp. I bought Parallels to run C-Map's PC Planner because I use C-maps on my boat. Runs OK. It doesn't recognize the USB device that holds that c-map card the first you start it up. You have to quit (PC Planner) and start it again. It's not real fast, but that's not because of the virtual machine, I think. Looks like the PC Planner accesses the USB device slowly.
I then downloaded Raymarine's Raytech Navigator and bought a Navionics USB device. The interface is more sophisticated but it is sluggish.
Neither of these can be used for realtime navigation, but that's not what I want anyway.
I like the Parallels VM. It's extremely stable and you can jump in and out with just a click outside the Windows window.
While I was writing this, unbeknownst to me, a new Parallels upgrade was downloaded in the background. This upgrade was just installed without incident in about three minutes and Parallels is running again. All the while I was listening to a Wall Street Journal podcast in iTunes and was able to adjust the volume without leaving the Windows window. I didn't have to restart the Mac.
Not bad.
Steve