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VMWare Fusion Updated…. Now Includes “Protection” For Free

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 12, 2009 by itnerd

VMware has released Fusion v2.0.2 to Mac users who need to run a craptastic operating system Windows on their Macs. You can check the release notes for changes and new features. There’s also a list of Resolved Issues and remaining known issues. The big news with this release is that Fusion now includes a 12-month complimentary subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 antivirus software. I guess that’s a response to Parallels Desktop including Kaspersky anti-virus and firewall protection (not to mention Acronis True Image Home for backing up the VM) with their latest version (not that I use it as AVG is much less resource intensive IMHO).

If you’ve tried this version of Fusion, please leave a comment and share your experience.

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Parallels And VMWare Ship Updates To Their Mac Based Virtualization Software

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 21, 2008 by itnerd

Parallels posted an update to Parallels Desktop 4 on its servers [Warning: Direct link to the download] yesterday. The full changelog is here, but from what I can tell it is meant to clean up some issues that were likely floating around in the version that hit the streets last week. I’ll give them points for coming up with this so soon after releasing a new version. It shows that Parallels is attempting to get the upper hand in this market.  I guess that I should mention that VMWare also released an update to VMWare Fusion 2 on the 14th as well. It has a bunch of bug fixes in it that their users will like.

Oh yeah, InformationWeek reviews Parallels Desktop 4 and its compared to VMWare Fusion 2. It’s actually a good resource if you want a (mostly) balanced review of both products.

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VMWare Fusion 2.0 For Mac Relased….One Less Reason To Run A Real PC [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags on September 16, 2008 by itnerd

If you need to run that crappy operating system Windows on your glorious and superior Macintosh, this news will interest you. VMWare Fusion 2.0 has hit the streets:

“Building on the award-winning VMware Fusion 1.x, and leveraging nearly a decade of desktop virtualization technology, VMware Fusion 2 delivers the most advanced Mac virtualization software available today.  VMware Fusion breaks down the walls between Windows and Mac OS X, transforming Windows applications to work seamlessly within OS X like native applications, letting users launch any Mac file with any Windows application, seamlessly share data and folders between Windows and Mac, use Windows applications across multiple monitors, and even custom map the Mac keyboard to special keystrokes for Windows applications.

VMware Fusion 2 also makes Windows even safer on the Mac, through automatic virtual machine snapshots, that keep Windows safe from bumps in the road, and an embedded, complimentary 12-month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus.

Power users will be happy that VMware Fusion 2 incorporates more of the raw technological power that VMware virtualization technology is known for, including multiple snapshots, the ability to add up to four virtual CPUs to a virtual machine, and newly added support for Mac OS X Leopard Server as a virtual machine.”

Parallels must just be quaking in their boots as one of the things that VMWare has brought to the table is DirectX9 support. That means that you can play all of those PC only games that have 3D images within VMWare Fusion. Parallels is going to have to step up their game if they wish to compete as they currently don’t have DirectX9 support.

If you already run VMWare Fusion 1.x, you can upgrade for free by clicking this link. If you want to try it, they offer a 30 day trial as well. I’ll be downloading it tonight to see what it’s like. If the USB support is better than Fusion 1.x, then I may be tempted to switch from Parallels Desktop.

UPDATE: Downloaded it, tried it, it’s FAST. It migrated my test Windows 2000 virtual machine from Parallels Desktop with ease. It worked with a few games that I tried it with. To top it off, I didn’t even have to read the manual to use it. But that’s where the good news ends. The bad news is that it works with every USB device I tried it with except my MobiKEY which Parallels Desktop has no problem using. That’s a deal breaker for me. I’ll be sticking with Parallels Desktop for the time being, but I have to give VMWare credit. Except for the USB issues, VMWare Fusion crushes Parallels Desktop rather easily. Parallels needs to look at this and step up with something that works as well or risk losing users to VMWare.

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VMWare Fusion 2.0 Beta Available….. Looks Interesting So Far

Posted in Products with tags on June 9, 2008 by itnerd

When I wasn’t watching for news on the new iPhone 3G, I was checking out the new VMWare Fusion 2.0 beta. Since I run Parallels Desktop, I was interested in how it stacks up. Given the fact that it’s a beta, you can’t make hard and fast conclusions about it. But you can form some opinions. Here are mine:

  • There is experimental support for DirectX 9.0. They have support for Shader Model 2 (Fusion 1.1.3 supports DirectX 9.0 without pixel shaders). Shader Model 2 support means you can play SOME of those PC-only 3-D games in a Windows XP virtual machine (it’s an emulation so, don’t expect perfection).
  • It has multiple monitor support, so PC apps that require more than one monitor can leverage this feature.
  • You can take your virtual machines from Parallels Desktop and convert them into VMWare format virtual machines. (It should be noted that Parallels Desktop has had the ability to go the other way for some time).
  • Shared folders work better in this release.
  • You can now auto-start virtual machines when Fusion starts up and the virtual machines will even remember their windows settings.
  • It “feels” faster than Fusion 1.1.3. It’s also not as resource hungry as Parallels Desktop.

The only thing that stops me from using this is the USB support isn’t as good as Parallels Desktop. Things like memory sticks work fine, but my webcam and my MobiKEY didn’t work (they both work fine with Parallels Desktop). To be fair, that was the case with Fusion 1.1.3. Perhaps they’ll improve the USB support before it exits beta. Otherwise I may be tempted to stick with Parallels Desktop.

I wouldn’t recommend using this beta for anything important. But it’s worth experimenting with if you’re interested in running Windows on your Mac.

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Parallels Desktop Vs. VMWare Fusion: Which Is Better? [UPDATED]

Posted in Tips with tags , , on May 31, 2008 by itnerd

Full Disclosure: I run Parallels Desktop for my virtual computing needs.

I often get asked which Macintosh virtual computing product is better. Is it Parallels Desktop or is it VMWare Fusion? I’ve tried both and the best thing I can say is that it depends on why you need to run it.

To recap, what virtual computing products do is they allow you to run Windows (and other operating systems like LINUX) on an Intel-based Macintosh without having to choose an OS at startup. You can run Windows in a window on the Mac desktop, in full-screen mode, or in a free-floating configuration in which Windows applications are detached from the Windows desktop.

My observations are as follows:

  • Installing Windows is a breeze with both products. You can run a wizard which basically allows you to do a quick and easy install of Windows in an unattended manner.
  • If you need speed, choose VMWare Fusion. It’s way faster than Parallels. It also seems to be a bit less resource intensive than Parallels. An important factor if you run a MacBook or MacBook Pro on a battery.
  • If you need USB support, choose Parallels. I find that more USB devices work under Parallels than under VMWare, which is important for me.
  • If you need to run Windows Vista, choose Parallels. The Vista support is better in Parallels as it seems to run faster than under VMWare Fusion.
  • VMWare Fusion works with other VMWare products which are used in enterprise environments. So if you use VMWare Workstation example, you can import virtual machines from those products and use those in VMWare Fusion (or vice versa).
  • Neither product wins on the tech support front. Both products require you to pay for phone support if you have to phone them. Also, I tried to submit a bug to VMWare regarding Fusion’s support of USB devices and never heard back from them. Not great customer service IMHO. Parallels has a bad reputation in terms of it’s support in the Mac world (check this Google search for examples). But they do have a support forum that offers user to user support as well as a limited amount of support from Parallels staff. Questions that I’ve posted there have tended to be answered by either Parallels staff or by other users quickly. Your mileage may vary. One thing that I will say is that the first company to improve their tech support and get the word out there that they have superior tech support may be able to steal this market.

So, hopefully this can help you to make an informed decision about which virtual computing product to choose. One thing to point out is that there are free trials available of for both products so that you can test both out and see which fits your needs better.

UPDATE: Parallels Desktop 4 has shipped. Read my review of it here.

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