Parallels vs WMWare Fusion
ronk (52 points) | Fri, 2008-12-12 17:04Hello,
After all the helpful advice I've received on a previous HTML/CSS editor recommendation post, I have another question regarding what have people found to be the easiest app to use:
Parallels vs WMWare Fusion sofware?
There's a certain amount of testing that has to be done on Windows (damn you MS Explorer), Parallels used to be a bit shit in the days before intel chips on the Mac, anyone got any views on VW Fusion?
It's all about getting away from that box and reclaiming some desk space!
Bootcamp is no use to us, we don't have time to keep rebooting when testing.
Thanks in advance for any input =)
Cheers,
Ronk
I don't use either, simply because I'd never taint my mac with WIndows.
I bought a cheapo Compaq laptop for $400, and I use the (now free) Virtual PC along with an IE6 Virtual PC Image so I can test on IE6.
I have Parallels installed on my G5 here at work. It works as advertised. I only fire it up to do PC web testing and the occasional BS file conversion. I have had no problems with it at all, though it does take a bit of resources. That is not too big a deal for me since, as stated, I only fire it up occasionally.
I have used Fusion a few times on a MacPro laptop, and I would say that it too does the job.
You aren't tainting your Mac when you run Windows through these programs. Windows runs in its own virtual bubble and has no idea it is running on a mac.
With both of these products retailing (suggested) at $79.99, it really is the best option out there.
No groundbreaking stuff here, I think it is pretty much apples to apples at this point. Just compare the prices (You may find a deal out there) and features and go with the one you feel best about.
I can say how nice it is to be using the old PC as a doorstop. Getting rid of that awful box has been a blessing.
I have purchased both.
On a technical level I can barely tell the difference.
However, VM Ware is MUCH more widespread. You can get vmware player for free for Linux and Windows. There are loads of Linux systems available as ready to run VM Ware images.
My client needed to run an entire PHP/MySQL site I developed on her Windows latop. What I did was to create an Ubunto server in VM Ware on my mac, then sent the VM Ware image to her. (4GB file compressed to 2GB).
She then just double clicked it and it ran. Ubuntu Server with Mysql, PHP etc and firefox installed so she could easily demo the full site with search engine etc working.
Would not have been able to do this with Parallels.
There is a 3rd option now, which is free, called Virtual Box from Sun. Does the same thing as Parallels and Vm Ware, but not as nice interface and a bit tricky to setup.
Will
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http://www.macscan.net/
I just started using VMWare Fusion and it works great. Highly recommend it. Can't say I've used Parallels.
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Natobasso
dirtandrust.com
"Powerpoint is not a design application"
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The Salon Design Tech
Thanks for the advice everyone, it's greatly appreciated, it looks as though Fusion has come in with the better reviews.
Cheers,
Ronk