Be Careful if You Get a New Computer

[Guest]

And in today's world, running Mac and Windows side by side is so simple. Personally, I do not use Windows for anything, however I do have Parallels so that I can run Windows apps within OSX if I need to.

There are a few issues with running a Mac. Obviously there is proprietary software that carriers have that only run on Windows. For example is the excellent quoting system that Ohio National gives you. Windows only.

Same is with Winflex.

Finally, there are some websites (like Winflex on Web) that either only work or work better in IE 6 or 7.

The solution is to have a Mac with at least 2 GB of RAM. You can run Windows and Mac at the same time with Parallels, but with only 1 GB of RAM the Mac side runs slower than the XP or Vista window. However, pop 2 GB of RAM (or more) and you can keep Windows running all day inside the Mac. (Personally, no matter what computer I was buying today, I'd get 4 GB or RAM. You will eventually need it.)

I am honestly amazed at how well XP and Vista run under either Parallels or VMWare (both cost about $70... but there is a new, free, open-source program called Virtual Box that I've not tried but people say is good.) I find XP runs faster on my Mac than on my Toshiba XP PC (which I only use to take to client homes/offices to run life illustrations.)

You don't HAVE to run XP via a virtual program like Parallels. The Mac comes with Boot Camp which lets you easily install XP or Vista on a partition of your hard disk. The advantage of this is that it will run faster. However you have to re-boot and can only run Mac or Windows at a time. I think the virtualization method makes more sense, but you have to buy the software (or work with Virtual Box. Most open-source software requires a bit of tech expertise to get going.)

These days I find XP to be as stable as the Mac, and if you keep your virus protection up to date (I use the free AVG on both the Toshiba and on my Windows window (yeah, you need it if you run Windows on your Mac!) XP is just fine. Vista, on the other hand is a mess. I'd stay away from it.

I don't use Windows too often but I keep a minimized window of XP running on the Mac just in case I am on a website that is IE specific or I need to run a quick quote on Ohio National's software. If you have enough RAM and a modern Mac (with a fast processor) you won't find any degradation in speed or stability.

It's a good solution IF you like the Mac and the OS X system... which I do. But if you are a Windows person you will probably want to stick with Microsoft. There is no wrong answer here... it's all about what you find works best for you. I like the quality of Apple hardware and the ease-of-use of OS X and that if something goes wrong I only have to make one phone call (i.e. the one neck to strangle philosophy.)

Yes, you pay out the A$$ for Apple stuff, but I find that in both the hardware and the software, the quality is there, the problems and risks (malware) are NOT there, and a support rep is a phone call away if I should need it. And Apple support is very good... at least in my limited experience.

YMMV

Al

 

[djs]

Serious question....
Can you run dual monitors on XP running in a Mac?
So much of what I do is windows specific, switching back to a Mac (or even back to Linux) is virtually impossible. I am in the market for a new computer soon though....

Yes, I used to use a Mac, went back to a PC, lots more stuff available for it. This has changed (or rather, my needs have changed) in the last few years.

Dan

 

[Guest]

Serious question....
Can you run dual monitors on XP running in a Mac?
So much of what I do is windows specific, switching back to a Mac (or even back to Linux) is virtually impossible. I am in the market for a new computer soon though....

Piece of cake. Here is a pix and story showing a guy with Mac on one monitor and XP on the other.

Read this:
Dual Monitors on OS X Leopard

Most folks just have one monitor. When you run a virtualized guest operating system (in this case XP is a guest on Mac) it just runs as a window on the Mac... just like the browser is in a window, mail is in a window, etc.

Here is a shot of a XP window on a Mac show two XP windows open inside of it. Just think of the XP window as an embeded monitor. Simple. Works great. If you don't want to see it you just minimize it and it puts it on the task bar way at the bottom of the Mac screen.... just like Windows.

When I had two monitors my desk looked like this. Note how small the Mac Mini is. I run my whole empire on it!! (I don't use dual monitors anymore since I'm not monitoring stock options like I used to.) I've heard they are going to upgrade the Mini, but my bet is that they will discontinue it. You can do the same thing with a laptop. No big deal running two monitors and Windows under Mac (on one of them if you wish.)