[DM-MUG] Parallels vs Boot Camp

[Matthew W.]

Curiously, my Windows-using friends tell me that the the best  
computer to run Windows on is a Mac. Macs are not "bog-standard" and  
I think this is where some confusion may arise. Windows running on a  
Mac is going to run identically as on similar Windows hardware, if  
not better. The performance is based on hardware and driver  
interaction. Apple's writing their own drivers and if they make  
Windows run poorly, it would reflect very badly upon the quality of  
their engineering.

Boot camp *boots* Windows via Intel's own EFI. After the boot loader  
is done, it's a Windows box, end-of-line.

Aside from Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop is the most popular (and most  
expensive) way to run Windows on the Mac interface. CodeWeavers  
Crossover <http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/> is an  
alternative, but it's still a little behind. VMware Fusion Beta 3 is  
getting some good press <http://www.vmware.com/products/beta/fusion/>  
and <http://www.macwindows.com/>, and there is another (no, it's not  
Leia) <http://openosx.com/index.html>. I know nothing about OpenOSX,  
but the online tutorials make it look pretty easy to set up. And, no,  
there are no "standards." It's Windows running in emulation, via  
hardware abstraction and/or running natively. Do your own research  
and good luck.

As for waiting for Vista, there is some consensus that Vista  
basically sux right now for many reasons, and at one point legal-wise  
(don't know if this is still in place), the license restricted Vista  
owners from running it within a virtual machine. This doesn't apply  
to Boot Camp, as it's not a VM, but all the others are. I'm sure that  
won't stop anyone from doing so, but for those honest folks out  
there, be aware.

YMMV. Enjoy the ride.

Matthew

On Apr 14, 2007, at 12:45 PM, John Kisner wrote:

> I'm looking at ordering a MacBook with Windows pre-installed.  Some  
> have Parallels and some have BootCamp.  Would someone mind running  
> down the pros and cons?  Also, is one more of a "standard" than the  
> other, or does that really matter?
>
> Finally, would I be better off just waiting awhile and buying a  
> copy of Vista for the MacBook?
>
> I use Windows on a very limited basis, but thought these bundles  
> were a cheap enough add-on to be worthwhile.