Does a Mac really do Windows?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by hyo silver, Jan 2, 2006.

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  1. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Office for the Mac is what started me on this whole adventure. During January, it's on for half price, and the pro version throws in Virtual PC. The 'Mac premium' is much less than it was. I'm not big into either gaming or graphics, so my computing needs aren't great. I'm pretty much married to Simply Accounting, because this is what all my clients use, and to CanTax. (I'm in Canada. A US tax app is not useful to me.)

    If I had a second machine, I would put it elsewhere and keep the girls off mine. My data would be secure and my desk would have less cookie crumbs on it, but I'd have to go to the other machine to use the net. Not the ideal solution, but that would seem to be the consensus.
     
    #21 hyo silver, Jan 5, 2006
  2. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    That is just the kind of software that runs well under VPC. Wait until next week after the Keynote address at Mac World. Things will change including prices.
     
    #22 hdrygas, Jan 5, 2006
  3. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    I had an MBA statistics class about 4 years ago now and purchased VPC 4 w/ Win98 so that I could run Minitab. I was using at that time and still today a PowerBook G3/500. I found that Minitab ran as well as it did on any of the Windows boxes I had access to. Standard office and productivity applications run well on VPC. Anything that has a rather normal interface and does mostly integer number crunching will also work well on VPC. VPC isn't about being able to play Windows based games or about doing complex 3-D modeling, but about being able to use pretty standard software that is exclusive to a Windows environment on your Mac in a competent fashion.

    As for configuration or exposure to viruses, the first thing you should do with VPC is get your OS setup, and your applications installed. Once you have that VPC virtual disk setup, duplicate it and store it someplace. If your working version of the virtual disk gets corrupted or infected then trash it and replace with a copy of your known good copy of the virtual disk. Couldn't be easier.
     
    #23 jeromep, Jan 5, 2006
  4. skruse

    skruse Senior Member

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    I use Mac because it is UNIX-based and runs Mac OS, Wintel, Linux and other platforms. Macs do not crash and are less subject to virus problems.

    I run many Wintel programs on my Mac using SoftPC or similar, including Basic and other number-crunching programs. I need the best of all worlds - a Mac.

    Macs are more cost effective - virtually no down time for hardware or software, far less support needed, more intuitive. On a Mac "god is in the details."

    The new Wintel OS, VISTA, about to be released by Microsoft, is at least two years behind the Mac OS. You get regular and systematic software upgrades with Mac OS. Why handicap yourself by purchasing a Wintel machine?
     
    #24 skruse, Jan 5, 2006
  5. Kiloran

    Kiloran New Member

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    I think you have 5 choices:
    1) 2 computers: Keep your current computer for your critical applications and buy a Mac or whatever for all your new applications. You can use a single monitor with a switch.
    2) 1 computer: Keep your old PC with its critical applications.
    3) 1 computer: Replace your old PC with a new PC and transfer over your critical applications.
    4) 1 computer: Replace your PC with a computer of your choice which has versions of your critical applications available for it.
    5) 1 computer: Replace your computer with a computer that can emulate a PC (not recommended).
     
    #25 Kiloran, Jan 5, 2006
  6. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    This has probably been asked elsewhere before, but why wouldn't an Intel-based Mac have the same problems as Intel-based PCs? Or is it in the software?
     
    #26 hyo silver, Jan 6, 2006
  7. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    Nope, that's a good question. Answer is (as you suspected), that it's in the software. The security problems are at the operating system level, not the code in the processor.

    A good example of this: almost all Linux systems run on Intel-based (or Intel clone) chips. They don't suffer from the security problems that Windows systems suffer from, because the Linux (Unix variation) OS doesn't have the security flaws that Windows has.

    Note: Unix isn't without security problems; but I'd say (1) they're much less frequent, (2) much less critical (Unix and Mac OS X systems strongly avoid "blank-check Administrator" rights), and (3) not exercised as much because there are fewer Unix viruses/worms out there.
     
    #27 bookrats, Jan 8, 2006
  8. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    So, the new iMacs are out, twice as fast and cheaper than the old iMacs. I'll take two! But wait, the new iMacs don't do windows, or even pretend to. Virtual PC will not run on the intel chips, and no one I've asked has any idea if or when it will be rewritten. I cannot imagine that XP can just be loaded on to the new iMac, intel chips or not, and I'm not going to embarrass myself by asking the question. Counterintuitive though it seems, it looks like I'd be better off with the old iMac and a VPC that works. Does this make sense?
     
    #28 hyo silver, Jan 19, 2006
  9. jkash

    jkash Member

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    I read on one of the Mac sites, that Microsoft was working on coming out with a new VPC. The next day it was reported that they weren't working on it. So it seems we really don't know what Microsoft is doing. You may find the following links interesting.

    http://engadget.com/2006/01/11/no-xp-on-in...-is-good-to-go/

    http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060110120028762

    Jeff



     
    #29 jkash, Jan 19, 2006
  10. jfschultz

    jfschultz Active Member

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    The new MacTel's do not have BIOS on them so they will not run Windows in a dual boot configuration. (This would be where you could select to run either Mac OSX or Windows.) The EFI developed by Intel is used by the Intel builds of Mac OSX and is supposed to be used instead of BIOS in the new Windows version under development.)

    There may be some hacks being developed that will add BIOS to EFI.
     
    #30 jfschultz, Jan 20, 2006
  11. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Well, I'm about to join the Mac revolution. The iMac G5 is $250 cheaper than it was at the start of the month, and Office for the Mac with VPC7 and Windows XP Pro is bundled for $350. (Canadian, after rebate) I'm also going to bump the memory to 1 gb and get the AppleCare. Thanks for all the help!
     
    #31 hyo silver, Jan 24, 2006
  12. flareak

    flareak Fleet Captain

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    you want an iMac G5 instead of an iMac intel?
     
    #32 flareak, Jan 24, 2006
  13. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Yes, strangely enough, I do. The new intel mac doesn't do what I need it to, and the old one does. The new one isn't as fast as the claims, depending on the application, and the software to take advantage of the new chip hasn't been written yet. It will be better, but it isn't yet. The base of knowledge and experience is far greater with the old G5 than it is with the new intel. It might seem like I'm buying old technology, but from my point of view, I'm buying technology at the peak of its development at 'discontinued' pricing, instead of 'bleeding edge'.
     
    #33 hyo silver, Jan 24, 2006
  14. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    actaully might be the time to get a good bargain on the Mac 5's... something that is a pretty rare site at Apple
     
    #34 DaveinOlyWA, Jan 24, 2006
  15. mlkco

    mlkco Member

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    Wow Mac is almost worth buying now that it does windows.
    I have 7 PCs and 1 Mac.
    Guess which one is nothing but trouble.
    My Daughter got a new Ipod video and her mac couldn't handle it and couldn't be upgraded.
    She uses it on her PC laptop with no problems.
    I think she is now sold on PC.
     
    #35 mlkco, Jan 25, 2006
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