Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Looks Like Microsoft Virtual PC 7 Was Rushed

J

jobutex

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 19, 2004
41
0
Arlington, TX
Hello folks,

Looks like, according to this article, Virtual PC 7.0 from Micro$oft was rushed out the door:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=651

Lack of accelerated graphics, limited memory support, and more are going to make this product not worth buying, at least for now. I was planning on purchasing this, but I think I will wait for the next iteration...
 
I laughed, I cried...

Here is a great quote from that article:

"...sources said that the software may not run as fast as some users may have come to expect."

What could this mean? Does it mean that they have found a way to make it run slower than slow?

When is that Transitive software going to be released?!
 
&RU said:
Here is a great quote from that article:

"...sources said that the software may not run as fast as some users may have come to expect."

What could this mean? Does it mean that they have found a way to make it run slower than slow?

When is that Transitive software going to be released?!
Click to expand...
Probably slower than expected on a G5, on G4 they *Hopefully* still use the H/W byte swapping... unless somehow actually managed to make it slower!
 
Rushed?

What, hasn't this been almost two years in the making coupled with numerous delays? Can't MS ever get a goode product out the door somewhat near the original schedule?
 
Welcome to the world of Microsoft. Yes, Apple has it's share of screw-ups, but MS takes the cake.
 
G5 should help now

Rushed? I still don't see them in stores. More waiting.

Also the 10% to 30% improvement doesn't mean anything. When it runs on a G5, I expect a lot more speed compared to Virtual PC running on a 1Ghz G4. If fact, with 8 GBs of memory, you can run Windows in memory so there isn't any disk I/O. I saw several Ram disk utilities for OS X under versiontracker. I noticed a huge performance gain from 5400rpm to 7200rpm on a Windows PC so running a 2 or 4 GB virtual drive in memory and giving Windows about 512 MB of ram should make it run faster. Your Mac still has plenty of memory available for it's own use.
 
Will those of you that are surprised that a Microsoft product has been delayed, is far behind schedule, and yet is still total and utter crap, and appears rushed, please raise your hand.







Hmmmm, no one?



Didn't think so.
 
macnemo said:
Anyhow M$ likes to screw the consumers.
Click to expand...
How are you being screwed when your money stays in your pocket? The problem with Virtual PC specifically and Microsoft products generally is not that the Redmond Monopoly is screwing around releasing its products. The problem is that Microsoft makes promises that it cannot possibly keep. Some of its promises are outright lies, such as Windows 95 would eliminate MS-DOS. In other cases, Microsoft bit off more than it could chew, such as Windows 2000 would merge its DOS-based OS (Win 98) and Win NT to produce a single OS family. The occasional outright lie notwithstanding, I believe that Microsoft is doing the best it can. (Think about it.)
 
MisterMe said:
The occasional outright lie notwithstanding, I believe that Microsoft is doing the best it can. (Think about it.)
Click to expand...
It probably is.

I think the screwed part is, there really aren't any "new" features aside from G5. So we're screwed as in, not getting what we request (more speed), and there's nothing we can do about it (no alternatives).

It should have been called VPC 6.5 TBO. Though if they give back all those features (video acceleration etc) in an update, then maybe we don't have anything to complain about. :)
 
&RU said:
Here is a great quote from that article:

"...sources said that the software may not run as fast as some users may have come to expect."

What could this mean? Does it mean that they have found a way to make it run slower than slow?

When is that Transitive software going to be released?!
Click to expand...
Transitive clearly states that its emulator, Quick Transit, is not an end-user product. This product is targeted at systems integrators and enterprise-level IT. Having said that, if you believe that Quick Transit will be faster than other emulators, I have a really great deal for you on a bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.
 
I'm happy I never feel the need for VPC these days. everything I need is released for OSX. It would still have been nice to get a taste of what my computer can do with an emulator and winxp.. but if the products is that crappy, i'm sure not gonna install it on this baby.
 
Windowlicker said:
I'm happy I never feel the need for VPC these days. everything I need is released for OSX. It would still have been nice to get a taste of what my computer can do with an emulator and winxp.. but if the products is that crappy, i'm sure not gonna install it on this baby.
Click to expand...
I really have no need for VPC either these days. My Windows needs can't be fulfilled well on VPC (sound programs don't work too well under emulation). That's why I have a real PC to use. Too bad the thing's broken and is in for repairs...
 
MisterMe said:
... The occasional outright lie notwithstanding, I believe that Microsoft is doing the best it can. (Think about it.)
Click to expand...

"The occasional lie" .. that made me chuckle- Thanks :)

I agree with the above posts as well; I don't really need windows either. Everything I need is is OS X based (this isn't 2001 anymore :rolleyes: ) and I never touch my pc (only the one that has Linux on it.)
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
I really have no need for VPC either these days. My Windows needs can't be fulfilled well on VPC (sound programs don't work too well under emulation)...
Click to expand...

Ditto.

If I want to study Unix, no problem. If I'm interested in Linux, well, YellowDog works just fine on a PPC.

Just about the only thing that runs better under Windows is Internet Explorer (and does this really surprise anyone?). Of course, there are also a few specialty programs that are only made for Windows, though the thought of running something like Acid under VPC also makes me cringe.

In fact, VPC is much more of a toy for me at this point than anything else. That, and I run a few older copies of Eudora and some DOS email programs that have archived emails from like 1991.

Given how slow VPC 6.1.1 was, and apparently the lackluster upgrade provided by M$ in VPC 7, I'm kind of curious as to how long this product will actually last. Knowing M$, maybe they're trying to drive it under...
 
I built an old PIII out of spare parts, and tried to install DOS on it. The disks were fine, but because I formatted the hard drive using Damn Small Linux into 5 different partitions. DOS dosn't support that many. I tried installing DOS in VPC 6.1.1 and guess what! DOS dosn't run! Something about unknown disk types, and I sure as heck am not going to format what it wants me to.

Also, VPC is slow...but from what I have heard Win2K is much faster.

Additionally, is just plain bad. I once ran it on my iMac (see sig), but the performance is not much better on my PowerBook :eek:

I say we wait for Longhorn, then compare how many features were dropped from each. Whatever one suckes the most, wins! :D :cool:
 
5300cs said:
...Everything I need is is OS X based (this isn't 2001 anymore :rolleyes: )...
Click to expand...

According to the many PC-only video games out there, we ARE still living in a past era of single-platform compatibility. I've got to give props to some of the game makers, though, like the people behind UT2K4, Call of Duty, and America's Army, who developed their games for multiple platforms. Granted, I don't know the first thing about coding games, but considering it's now 2004, you'd think there'd be some kind of system in place that would allow everyone to develop their games cross-platform right off the bat. Now if only they'd release some good, new cross-platform games that weren't shooters. I'm not really into those types of games. I like RPGs, but I haven't seen any decent-quality ones since Diablo II, Neverwinter Nights, and Lineage 1 (I'm still sorta hoping NCSoft ports Lineage 2 and/or City of Heroes to the Mac so I can play online w/ my brother).

Oh, well. Just my two cents...or less ;)
 
YOU have got to face the facts MS can't build GOOD software...

... MS should be a political organization -- THEY CAN'T BUILD GOOD SOFTWARE. :rolleyes:

If it can't be built in Basic MS can't build it. :eek:

THE END IS NEAR The MS is falling :D


Connectix was an amazing company, they came out now where and shook the world up a little for a little while, tell your grandchildren about Connectix and morn their death !!!
 
WTF Took Soooo Long?

It was my understanding that VPC 7 had been finished for a while but was delayed in order to incorporate SP2 into the release. Now we find out they pulled 90% of the features everyone was expecting and are told not to expext much improvement in performance.

Exactly what has MS been doing since it bought VPC?
 
BornAgainMac said:
...with 8 GBs of memory, you can run Windows in memory so there isn't any disk I/O. I saw several Ram disk utilities for OS X under versiontracker...
Click to expand...

Trying to emulate Windows on a G5 with 8GB of ram... :eek: just buy a PC, it's a lot cheaper. I switched in March and never feel the need to use Windows anymore. The only reason could be to play games on... however I remember how quickly PC Games outgrow PC hardware and how you have to upgrade all the time. :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back