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The 411 for Macs in Alaska
How best to run Windows on Macs
Written by IT Doc | 
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A recent poll indicated that some of you want to run a Windows program on a Mac. The purpose of this article is to explore three ways that one can run a Windows program on a Mac. This article will focus only on current technology - i.e., Intel based Macs. While there are ways to run Windows programs on the PowerPC series of Mac, the performance is slow to unacceptable.
The are three basic methods to run Windows programs on an Intel based Mac:
- Run Windows natively (Boot Camp)
- Run Windows in a virtual machine (Parallels, Fusion)
- Run Windows programs in a "Windows" environment (Crossover Mac, Wine)
Boot Camp is a utility from Apple included in OS X 10.5 that enables the user to perform a native boot of the Windows environment. I see this as most useful for the Windows user who has recently converted to the Mac environment and who has a great many Windows programs that they need/want to run. This manner of running Windows programs requires that you purchase a Windows' license and dedicate a portion of your disk drive to Windows (this is called disk partitioning). So this is really the heavy-duty option for running Windows programs - also, this method, in my opinion, requires the greatest understanding of Windows. Remember, with this environment you choose at system start up which environment you want to use - Windows or OS X.
A virtual machine (VM) has been around for many years - I remember using it in the 70s on a mainframe! On PCs it has been viable since the late 1990s. The key to using the virtual environment successfully is to have plenty of memory, a reasonably sized hard drive, and a multicore processor - remember - the more the better. Running a VM environment does require the user to purchase a Windows license. One nice feature of the VM environment is that one can install different operating systems, such as DOS, Linux, Unix, OS2, etc.
Parallels arrived first on the Mac scene - it is a viable solution for the user wanting to run Windows applications (programs) while running Mac programs. Both can run at the same time, unlike the Boot Camp option where one must choose at boot time which environment they want to run.Parallels is a good program that offers good support.
Fusion by VMware is very similar to Parallels. However, I find Fusion more useful because I also run VMWare in my Windows environment. This way I can easily move an environment from one system to the other and know it will work properly. I recently installed the new Windows 7 Beta in the Fusion environment without any issues. To be fair, Parallels does offer a utility to convert a VMware "environment" (basically a file) to Parallels, but I find the utility difficult to use because it frequently produces errors and a non-viable environment. So my recommendation is that if you use VMware on a PC, use Fusion on a Mac!
The last way to run Windows programs on a Mac is to use a program that "simulates" the Windows system by implementing code that responds to "Windowscalls" - both Crossover Mac and Wine do this. One key point here is that you do not need to purchase a Windows license to run Windows programs on the Mac. One major drawback is that program support is limited! Before deciding which method best fits your needs, I recommend that you ensure that the program that you want to use is supported. For Crossover Mac, a database of supported applications is provided.
The key decision points are:
- what applications do you want to run,
- do you want a dedicated Windows environment,
- how much money do you want to spend,
- do you want to run Mac programs at the same time as Windows programs,
- and what are your available computing resources.
If you have questions about running Windows programs in the Mac world, drop me a line using the form provided in the Resources section of this site.
49 54 20 44 6F 63 (Anyone know what these numbers represent? Write to me here.)
So you want high-speed InternetWritten by IT Doc | | |
In Anchorage, there are at least four major offerings of high-speed Internet - I jokingly use the term because the base speed for ACS, and AT&T WiMAX starts at 320Kbps and 384Kbps respectively - this is a snails pace for anyone wanting to use the Internet for any multimedia task or to browse many sites. So let's take a minute to lay out the competition. (Listed alphabetically) ACS - Two offerings - DSL to the home and EV-DO Rev A. AT&T - While AT&T Alascom has been a long term Alaskan telecommunications provider, they just recently started providing WiMAX Internet to Anchorage. WiMAX is designed to deliver high speed Internet. When I spoke to an engineer from AT&T at a trade show this fall he said that he was able to get the system to perform at 10Mbps - in a limited situation. The price for this service starts at $19.95 when bundled with local and long distance service. The low end speed is 384Kbps; they do offer a speed of 2 Mbps in some areas (for more money as well). AT&T does not require a contract so you can bring this puppy home to try it and if you hate it, you can take it back -sweet. Clearwire - A relative newcomer to Anchorage offers a wireless solution that uses the licensed spectrum to deliver its service. They claim up to 1.5 Mbps and their base cost is $29.99. On their website they do not specify their rates and costs. I suspect that the $30 per month get you about 384 to 512 Kbps - but that is a guess - contact them for exact pricing.There is a bit of fine print that you need to be aware of: "Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed." GCI -GCI is best know for providing cable TV - they also provide a full range of other services including Internet connectivity - while they have some low end offerings - some "free" - their best value, in my opinion, is their Ultimate Xtreme- speeds start at 3Mbps down and 512Kbps up to the top of the line 10Mbps down with 1Mbps up. The price? $39.99 to $99.99 for the Xtreme package. To get this package you must and buy a bundle - basically cable TV, local, and long distance services. But they do have the fastest speeds and according to a technician that I talked to, they guarantee 85% of the purchased speed - better than most - and they can change your Internet speed at a moments notice - sweet if you have an immediate need. There you have it - the major Internet offerings available in Anchorage - they all work well if you are in the right location - and they all can perform badly if there is a technology issue. I have had ACS DSL, TeleAlaska WiFi (at a T-1 speed), and now GCI 3Mbps- thus far I've had few problems with GCI and their tech support people are good - whenever you call them.
Happy Surfing
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The 411 about Mac issuesWritten by IT Doc | | |
Have a problem? The purpose of this site is to inform and to assist Alaskan Mac users in using their technology. Everyone is encouraged to use and reference this site, but the author believes that Alaskans have special needs due mainly to the remoteness of their state and to the lack of resources - there is not an Apple Store or Genius Bar within sight. Thus there exists a need to help each other. I hope that you enjoy this site and find it useful. We're still expanding the site. Feel free to suggest or request new areas of concern by using the "Submit a question" form. Questions about mainframes, PCs, a RAID-5 backup system, or ways to store thousands of digital RAW photos are welcomed, too.
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