Run Windows On Mac
The Windows versus Mac debate seems to be one of those arguments that hark back
to the very early days of home computers. Tempers rage over the relative merits
of the two operating systems. Die-hard Windows fans say that Macs are
overpriced, less compatible, and obsessed with style. Some Mac enthusiasts
insist that typical PCs are ugly, use clunky and poorly designed software, and
are not really as cheap as the sticker price implies. The most realistic
appraisal of the situation is that there are useful elements in each. In
practice, given the different workflows that professionals use, having access to
both operating systems is important. For this reason, it is becoming more and
more popular to run Windows on Mac computers.
Benefits
of using a Mac to run Windows
Theoretically, it is possible to
run Mac OSX on a regular PC, but
this is against Apple's EULA and
results in a complete lack of
support should anything go
wrong. Therefore, if you want
both systems, you need to learn
how to run Windows on Mac OSX.
This combination is fully
supported, and many Mac users
have found it very useful. To
run Windows on Mac OSX is to
have access to a wide variety of
games otherwise not available
for the Mac. It also allows you
to run any software and open any
files required for your job,
which can be extremely
beneficial when working in
certain fields. It is common for
companies to choose either one
or the other system for their
entire staff, and it is vital
that you have full compatibility
with any of the files a contact
might send you.
The new Mac 10.5 runs like any other standard windows computer and Mac allows you two choices for running windows. You can run windows OS allowing you to boot Mac or you can boot with Mac OS and run windows within Mac OS.
An
overview of the options
Apple's own software, which is
called Boot Camp, is used most
often. Boot Camp has the basic
functionality you need to run
both the native Mac OS and
Windows as well. However, it is
also quite limited. If you want
more options and greater
versatility, you should look
into getting a copy of either
VMware Fusion or Parallels
Desktop. These two pieces of
software are far more elaborate
and allow far more advanced
performance. We will now go into
more detail on the three options
and their relative merits.
Boot camp
in detail
As we said above, Apple's Boot
Camp certainly has the basic
functionality you need to run
Windows on Mac OSX. Boot Camp
comes with every Mac, but you
will need to buy yourself a full
copy of Windows to get started.
Boot Camp's main limitation is
that it only allows you to run
one operating system at a time.
You will need to restart the
entire computer if you want to
log in with one system or the
other. One advantage of this is
that you can be sure that your
Windows installation will make
full use of your Mac's speed,
which is great if you just want
to play a game. The downside is
that moving between the two
operating systems is far more
laborious and cannot be done
instantaneously. For that, you
need either VMware Fusion or
Parallels Desktop. We will look
at VMware Fusion first.
VMware
Fusion in detail
VMware Fusion is a very popular
choice for those who need to run
Windows on Mac computers. Unlike
Boot Camp, it allows you to run
Mac OSX and Windows
simultaneously. Essentially, you
start your Mac as normal and you
can then run any Windows
application you want in its own
window. This then allows you to
switch back and forth between
applications seamlessly,
resulting in a far more
intuitive and efficient
workflow. In principle, a
virtual desktop like Fusion will
never be quite as fast as a
native installation through Boot
Camp. However, the latest
release of Fusion promises much
improved speed and performance,
so you may find that it is so
fast you are unable to tell the
difference. VMware Fusion's main
rival is Parallels Desktop, so
we will look at that as our
final option.
Parallels
desktop in detail
Parallels Desktop for Mac is in
many ways very similar to VMware
Fusion. It works in essentially
the same way and similarly
allows you to run Windows on Mac
OSX in its own window. In other
words, you can run both
operating systems in parallel,
hence the name. Parallels has a
few interesting features,
including the ability to make
Windows applications look more
like the Mac apps with which you
are familiar. This can greatly
help the transition between the
two, as you no longer have to
readjust your inner language to
cope with the different
interface designs. Parallels
even offers the ability to use
the complex Mac gestures within
Windows applications, which is
especially useful with laptops
and their track pads. Other Mac
interface elements can be
similarly combined with Windows
functionality. Exposé and Spaces
can be used to gain greater
control over your various open
applications and documents.
Conclusion
It is very easy to figure out
how to run Windows on Mac OSX.
The difficulty is in deciding
exactly how to do it. There are
three very good software choices
available, and each offers its
own advantages. Boot Camp is
included with every Mac, so it
is undoubtedly the least
expensive option. However, it is
also the most limited. It is an
excellent choice if you just
want to experiment and run
Windows on Mac OSX a few times
to see if it is worth it. If you
want more functionality,
however, you will need to
graduate up to one of the more
elaborate virtual machine
software titles, such as VMware
Fusion or Parallels Desktop.
Choosing between these two
titles is extremely difficult,
since they are roughly
equivalent and each presents
many of the same features. In
general, we might suggest that
VMware Fusion is optimized for
maximum speed and efficiency
while Parallels Desktop offers a
few extra features and slightly
better integration. Having said
that, it is unlikely that you
would be disappointed with
either the performance or the
feature set of either title. I
hope that by now you have a good
idea of how to run Windows on
Mac OSX. Choose the method that
will suit you personally and you
will be up and running in no
time.
|
|
