it is no secret that I am a huge Mac fan. I am not a mac only fan. I am a big unix fan (mainly linux and sun) and I also like Windows too. Each operating system has it good and bad sides. For example, I really do not like quicken or quickbooks on a Mac but I really like it on Windows.
So you like the simplicity and reliability of the Mac but do not want to have to give up your Windows programs. Well, with the Intel based Macs you no longer have to give up your Windows applications.
One solution is to use boot camp which comes with the Mac. The problem with boot camp is you can only have either Windows or the Mac booted up but not both.
I bet you have heard of Parallels for the Mac that lets you run Windows apps. In this blog I am going to compare Parallels for Mac and VMWare Fusion.
Both applications create a virtual machine that allow you to install Windows inside of the Mac operating system. This allows you to run Windows inside of a window on your Mac. There has been some confusion around some of the marketing for Parallels.
Parallels allows you to run windows apps because it allows you to runs windows. But unless you install windows inside of parallels you will not be able to run windows applications.
I have had people want to install the Microsoft Office programs for windows on their new Mac so they did not have to buy a new copy that was Mac compatible. Yes you can do that but you must first install windows under Parallels or VMWare Fusion.
Both Parallels and VMWare Fusion create a virtual machine that runs inside of the Mac operating system. They have a few other things in common:
Each product has their own way of doing things. Parallels for Mac has been out longer and has a few new features. The beta version of VMWare Fusion is available now for download.
Now Parallels for Mac has been around longer than VMWare Fusion however, VMWare has been around a lot longer than Parallels. VMWare has had VM products for many years that run on Windows and Linux servers.
I have both of these products and have tried them both and I keep gravitating back to VMWare fusion.
According to the Parallels web site they outperform VMWare fusion but from what I have personally seen, VMWare runs circles around Parallels. Also, VMWare fusion does not crash on me. Parallels had some stability issues.
Both companies offer a free trial download so you can try them yourself. If you want to run your windows apps on the Mac, try them both. I can personally recomend VMWare fusion. That is the product I have selected as my choice.
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