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Dad wont buy Mac Unless...

Eric Lewis

Eric Lewis

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Feb 4, 2007
2,380
1
CANADA? eh?
There is a version of Simply Accounting for Mac!

thats the only reason? is there a version? he doesnt want to do bootcamp/ virtual machine?

thanks
 
a few years ago I had windows emulator on my old mac =- ?)

won't the accnting pgm work thus ? (and anything else from wndows)
 
Sounds like your Dad does not need a Mac and should instead buy a Windows machine.

Virtualization is still a geeky way to do things (meaning it is not good for older people), plus it adds a couple hundred dollars to the price of the Mac.
 
nsbio said:
Sounds like your Dad does not need a Mac and should instead buy a Windows machine.

Virtualization is still a geeky way to do things (meaning it is not good for older people), plus it adds a couple hundred dollars to the price of the Mac.
Click to expand...

Virtualization works fine for me and I don't see that it would be so hard for "older people". Either VMware Fusion or Parallels would work just fine in this case. If his Dad is already using the program he may already own a copy of Windows.
 
nsbio said:
Sounds like your Dad does not need a Mac and should instead buy a Windows machine.

Virtualization is still a geeky way to do things (meaning it is not good for older people), plus it adds a couple hundred dollars to the price of the Mac.
Click to expand...

Parallels works just fine for me and I only use it for one program.
Also what does age have to do with it :confused:
 
OK, not the biological age, but the "computer" age. :) Nongeeky people just want to push a button and expect an app to work, without giving a second thought to parallels, perpendiculars, etc. Plus, as I said before, virtualization costs money. Not all people have a retail copy of Windows lying around (OEM versions can not be legally transferred from one computer to another), plus the perpendiculars program costs some money. Sure, the setup will work, but why bother? Just buy a $199 no-brand desktop on sale and use it to run the needed Windows software. Cheap and no need to relearn anything.

Macs are better in many respects, but running proprietary Windows software is not one of them. You can do it on a Mac, but it requires extra software = extra money.
 
nsbio said:
OK, not the biological age, but the "computer" age. :) Nongeeky people just want to push a button and expect an app to work, without giving a second thought to parallels, perpendiculars, etc. Plus, as I said before, virtualization costs money. Not all people have a retail copy of Windows lying around (OEM versions can not be legally transferred from one computer to another), plus the perpendiculars program costs some money. Sure, the setup will work, but why bother? Just buy a $199 no-brand desktop on sale and use it to run the needed Windows software. Cheap and no need to relearn anything.

Macs are better in many respects, but running proprietary Windows software is not one of them. You can do it on a Mac, but it requires extra software = extra money.
Click to expand...

The only reason I can think of for not going with a Mac and a virtual machine in this case is the fact that the OP has already said his father does not want to do so. Aside from that I can't think of one reason not to.

My parents are 65 and 71 and I am getting them to switch to a Mac soon. My mother is looking forward to it. She's had about all she can take with crappy Windows machines over the years. She will be installing either Parallels or Fusion because there are a few programs she still needs to run.

People who (in your words) "just want to push a button and expect an app to work" are definitely prospective Mac users. Windows is for those who have the patience to occasionally push the button 12 times and reboot a few times in between to get an app to work and sometimes never succeed.

By the way there is another potential solution: Crossover Mac. According to their application database Simply Accounting is untested but it might work. If so Crossover Office is $59.95 and you do NOT need a copy of Windows to use it.
 
nsbio said:
OK, not the biological age, but the "computer" age. :) Nongeeky people just want to push a button and expect an app to work, without giving a second thought to parallels, perpendiculars, etc. Plus, as I said before, virtualization costs money. Not all people have a retail copy of Windows lying around (OEM versions can not be legally transferred from one computer to another), plus the perpendiculars program costs some money. Sure, the setup will work, but why bother? Just buy a $199 no-brand desktop on sale and use it to run the needed Windows software. Cheap and no need to relearn anything.

Macs are better in many respects, but running proprietary Windows software is not one of them. You can do it on a Mac, but it requires extra software = extra money.
Click to expand...


One button to push (Option) on boot.

Just Bootcamp him.... :)
 
I was going to say CrossOver, but that app is untested. If you have an intel mac, you should install the crossover demo and try it out to see if it works.

Otherwise bootcamp is a great option.
VMware or Parallels would work too.
 
nsbio said:
Sounds like your Dad does not need a Mac and should instead buy a Windows machine.

Virtualization is still a geeky way to do things (meaning it is not good for older people), plus it adds a couple hundred dollars to the price of the Mac.
Click to expand...
Remember: Intel Macs *are* also Windows machines.

Bootcamp isn't virtualization, and it would allow the OP to run OS X and his dad to run Windows. Add Parallels later and they can run whatever Windows app from inside OS X if they want. Two for one, everybody wins.
 
I know I'll probably find out goooogling in a few minutes, but what is

parallels? and what will it run on?
 
John.B said:
Remember: Intel Macs *are* also Windows machines.

Bootcamp isn't virtualization, and it would allow the OP to run OS X and his dad to run Windows. Add Parallels later and they can run whatever Windows app from inside OS X if they want. Two for one, everybody wins.
Click to expand...

Yes, Intel Macs are Windows machines .... that do not come with a copy of Windows! So, running Windows software on a Mac requires a few extra dollars, right? Plus in most cases it requires you to be aware of whether your are in a Mac or Windows side. It is not difficult to do, but some people do not wish to make that step.

I do not believe that the thread starter's Dad is against virtualization per se - he is most likely against having to deal with additional, albeit rather small, hassles as I outlined above.

And he is not alone - a large number of people think and make purchasing decisions on that, whether it is wrong or right.

Ideally, every computer should run any software out of the box - then all such problems will go away promptly. I am hoping that this will happen within the next few years. As of now, it is a shame that one still has to be aware of what operating system is running on a computer.
 
jeff elohim said:
I know I'll probably find out goooogling in a few minutes, but what is

parallels? and what will it run on?
Click to expand...
http://www.parallels.com. It allows you to run a virtual Windows session from inside OS X on your Mac. You can even run just one application in its own Windows window without launching a complete Windows session. If you used Boot Camp to create completely separate OS X and Windows partitions on your Mac, Parallels can use the Boot Camp Windows partition as either a bootable Boot Camp disk or as the Windows data disk from inside a Parallels virtual session. That's what I mean when I said they could add Parallels later.

The other option people use is Fusion from http://www.vmware.com. They are also new-ish to the Mac, but they have been in the virtualization business with other operating systems for a long time. My company has dozens and dozens of Windows and Linux servers running from the enterprise version of their virtualization software called VMware ESX, and we are adding more all the time.

Neither Parallels or vmware Fusion is perfect but both will do what the vast majority of people need to do and both are getting better. The obvious advantage of Boot Camp is that you choose the OS when you boot the computer, so Windows from Boot Camp the exact same as Windows on any other PC (Dell, HP, etc.). Note that Boot Camp is now Leopard only.

Edit: I still think Boot Camp is the reasonable solution for the OP, since it will make both father and son happy. It would be cheaper than two separate computers anyway...

HTH
 
Vmware fusion in Unity mode will make the app appear like a 'windowed' app in the mac OS - ie no need to run the windows desktop...

...or better still he could stop being a wierdo and get some proper accounts software for mac...

http://www.myob-us.com/accountedge/newfeatures/

I vote for MYOB AccountEdge - proper mac app! Even looks sexy for an accounts package - accounts life doesn't get any easier than this!

or I suppose there is Quickbooks...

http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/pro-mac-business-finance-software.jhtml
 
nsbio said:
Ideally, every computer should run any software out of the box - then all such problems will go away promptly. I am hoping that this will happen within the next few years. As of now, it is a shame that one still has to be aware of what operating system is running on a computer.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with what you are saying. Sure the easiest solution is to buy two computers, but that is definitely not the cheapest route.

As with anything, if there is a gap someone will find a way to fill it and make money besides. I've never ordered anything from MacMall.com myself, but I do know that in addition to the regular Macs, they are also selling new Macs with Boot Camp preconfigured running Leopard and XP or Vista. A base level 20" iMac with Leopard, Parallels 3.0, and XP Home preconfigured runs about $100 than the exact same iMac with Leopard only. It seems like another option for someone less technically inclined or who just didn't want to deal with the hassle, as you say.

Note: I have no financial interest in Mac Mall.
 
You can prolly find a decent windows machine for the same price as buying parallels and windows xp. i've seen desktops (and possibly laptops) as low as $200-$300 bucks. Second option is to by a used computer off craigslist or even from hp, dell. They usually sell used computers that are still very good but were leased to companies for a couple months then returned.

But, if you really really wanted to just get a mac, i would recommend to always start the imac to its windows partition, so that your dad will simply just have to press the power button or restart the computer. When you want to use it, just hit the option key and boot into os x. Make the transitions simpler for you dad so in the end it can benefit you!! hehe :)

-JoE
 
MacBookJoePro said:
You can prolly find a decent windows machine for the same price as buying parallels and windows xp. i've seen desktops (and possibly laptops) as low as $200-$300 bucks. Second option is to by a used computer off craigslist or even from hp, dell. They usually sell used computers that are still very good but were leased to companies for a couple months then returned.

But, if you really really wanted to just get a mac, i would recommend to always start the imac to its windows partition, so that your dad will simply just have to press the power button or restart the computer. When you want to use it, just hit the option key and boot into os x. Make the transitions simpler for you dad so in the end it can benefit you!! hehe :)

-JoE
Click to expand...

we have a imac and hes used to mac 100% but he just doesnt want to ever use windows for this software thats all
 
Even though you can run windows and all the programs that require it through bootcamp, if this program is important to your father, enough so that he would need to be in bootcamp or running a virtualiziation of windows a majority of the time, or even a large portion of the time, the premium that apple charges for their computers combined with purchasing a copy of windows and a virtulization progarm such as VMware (assuming that you aren't using bootcamp) comes with a very high price tag that really isn't worth all the effort.
 
aiterum said:
Even though you can run windows and all the programs that require it through bootcamp, if this program is important to your father, enough so that he would need to be in bootcamp or running a virtualiziation of windows a majority of the time, or even a large portion of the time, the premium that apple charges for their computers combined with purchasing a copy of windows and a virtulization progarm such as VMware (assuming that you aren't using bootcamp) comes with a very high price tag that really isn't worth all the effort.
Click to expand...

This. If his most important program doesn't run on the computer you're buying to run a particular operating system, save the money and get a regular PC.
 
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