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Is Parallels 4.0 worth it?
- Thread starter bostic220
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Boot camp is a complete boot into Windows (insert version of choice here). Parallels and Fusion allow you to run Windows on your desktop within OS X. Sans full features of DirectX. (gen.)
If you don't want basic 3d support (and I mean basic) try www.virtualbox.org instead. It's free and performs just as well.
In my post, I stated "Sans full features of DirectX. (gen.)"
Sans meaning, less or not including, the FULL features of DirectX. Followed by (gen.) meaning it was a generalization. I didn't say it had NO DirectX features, I stated in a generalization, that is does not have the full feature set.
Let me clarify: Parallels does NOT have the full feature set of DirectX 9.0c. You only partial Shader 2.0 support. Same deal with Fusion although Fusion's implementation is faster.
...K?
@OP: Fusion is still the better product and is made by the company who have pioneered the best virtualization engineering to date: VMware.
So you're saying it's the same deal in DirectX 9.0c support for both programs, but that Fusion is somehow better and faster anyway? Without a reason as to why it's faster, you're really not helping anybody reading this thread. It's easy to say "the BEST blah blah in the world to date!" but without anything to back it up, it doesn't really mean anything.
Trip.Tucker has alluded in the past that he works for VMware, but I don't think he's ever come out and said it. I could be mistaken... and I'm not about to add him to my "people to stalk" list just to find out; but maybe he'll admit to it one way or the other when prodded.
If people out there want to compare their options, please do yourselves a favor and try the demo versions first. For real results you need to look at benchmarks and experience the program for yourself.
I'm not positive how the Fusion 2.0 demo works on this; whether or not you need to uninstall and reinstall if you buy the box, but the Parallels Desktop 4.0 fro Mac demo lets you just enter a full-product key if you decide to buy it, which will lift the trial's 15-day time limit.
For those interested in researching the newly released Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac, there is a feature comparison HERE and the trial page is HERE along with other product info. If you guys have any questions about the software, I'll stick around here or feel free to e-mail me at Leto@Parallels.com
I've purchased VMware Fusion after reading good things. After spotty performance and some blue screens, I went to Parallels 3. It was reliable, infallible, and it did suspend way better. And no blue screens. It also ran Autocad2008 much smoother. Near native mac app smooth. Then Parallels 4 came out. Better performance, lower resource usage.
I'm a designer. I don't have time for things to not work. That's why I use Parallels.
I'm a designer. I don't have time for things to not work. That's why I use Parallels.
Hm, dissenting opinion here. Bought Parallels 3. After it instantly "integrated" with OS X, had a bunch of problems. Bought VMWare Fusion instead. Much happier. The work environment and private life is hermetically sealed off from each other. Performance is great (for what I do (not games)), so I'll stick with Fusion, thank you very much.
So I can use something like PowerPoint (with presenter screen), EasyWorship, or MediaShout with no (or few) problems?
Ah, I see what you mean now. You can use dual monitors when in Coherence mode under Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac, but this is a visual setting that uses OS X to extend the area Windows programs can use onto two screens. Windows doesn't register dual displays that way.
So I just tested PowerPoint with Presenter view, and it wouldn't let me turn it on. I'm not familiar with the other two programs you mentioned, but MediaShout looks somewhat similar and unless the feature you want can also be used with single-monitor view, it probably won't let you enable it.
That's kind of tricky, I'm going to pass it on to the engineer team as a suggestion to improve the program.
Yeah that's how I work about 75% of the time using my MacBook, I love it. The rest of the time I don't have the second monitor so I swap to Coherence.
The features that ingenious needs require Windows to recognize the dual monitors, though, and unfortunately that's not how Desktop 4.0 for Mac currently works with monitor displays.