Mac running Windows

[guest]

So I heard that Mac is developing some program (?) to allow them running Windows operating system. I think that is a great idea. Windows has dominant the market for so long that it is overpriced and bulky. The more choice, the better, right? How do you guys think? Is this going to happen? Will this work? Will it last?

I think so far they have program that allows Mac to run some Windows program (parallel?). But to run the entire OS, like Windows XP, is still out of reach. I could be wrong.

[Joojoobees]

Originally Posted by guest

I think so far they have program that allows Mac to run some Windows program (parallel?). But to run the entire OS, like Windows XP, is still out of reach. I could be wrong.

They already have this. Apple has a free download called BootCamp that you install, then you need a copy of the Windows install disc. I did this on my laptop and can boot into whichever OS I need. I know it works well because I took a course in Assembly programming for the Intel processor (which goes much deeper than merely getting a particular program to work) using this setup.

There are also other companies that provide software so you can run both OSes simultaneously, but wouldn't have enabled me to program in Assembler, so I really haven't experimented with them. Now I do all my programming in Java, so I don't even bother booting into Windows anymore.

[WanderingKnight]

The more choice, the better, right? How do you guys think? Is this going to happen? Will this work?

If anything, this will broaden the reach of Microsoft's market >.<

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

If anything, this will broaden the reach of Microsoft's market >.<

I don't know about that. I know that a lot of regular users, and even some of my tech-savvy friends, desire the Mac OS because "it's pretty" and it's relatively simple. The trouble is, people don't want to switch entirely or they can't switch entirely because they're either afraid of moving over to something they're unfamiliar with, or a program that they require exists only on Windows. As you know, I'm attempting a migration to Linux, but I'm retaining my Windows for both reasons that I just stated. I'd imagine that when people discover that they can use Windows AND the Mac system they desire, more people might move over to the Mac side.

Then again, maybe only the tech-savvy would care to have a feature like that.

[Joojoobees]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

As you know, I'm attempting a migration to Linux, but I'm retaining my Windows for both reasons that I just stated.

Good luck with the migration. I used to use Linux at work. They gave me a POS Windows machine and I converted it myself. When the tech guys came around they were pissed, but, hey, I was the one who had to use it on a regular basis.

I think most people won't try something new, so they'll never know there are options out there. It's the same reason Anime is a niche market. Most people watch what is easy to watch on TV. There are a select few who will seek something else out, but most just don't bother.

[killmoms]

Yeah, there was never any great technical thing to surmount in order to make Windows work on the new Intel-based Macs (aside from the use of EFI instead of BIOS). Basically all Boot Camp consists of is a BIOS-compatibility (legacy) layer for EFI, a CD of Windows drivers for the hardware found in current Macs, and a little tweaking to the boot manager to recognize Windows volumes as bootable. All the other hardware is the same now, so it's not like the old PowerPC days.

I find it extremely convenient to have Windows available for the occasional game I want to play (or esoteric utility I want to use) on my Mac Pro that's Windows-only (though the only game I play with any regularity now works on OS X as well). And I do think it will help bring switchers over to the Mac platform. As they get more comfortable in OS X, they'll start using Windows less and less.

[Epyon9283]

I played with boot camp when it was first released but I quickly got rid of it. The hardware support in Windows when I tried it wasn't quite there yet. Sound would come out of the internal speakers when I had external speakers connected, and it kept messing with the brightness on my screen when I rebooted. Also since Windows keeps the hardware clock at local time whereas OS X does it correctly the time was off whenever I rebooted into either OS.

Now I use parallels if I ever need Windows. I mostly only ever use it at work on my macbook pro. I don't need Windows for anything at home.

[killmoms]

Originally Posted by Epyon9283

I played with boot camp when it was first released but I quickly got rid of it. The hardware support in Windows when I tried it wasn't quite there yet. Sound would come out of the internal speakers when I had external speakers connected, and it kept messing with the brightness on my screen when I rebooted. Also since Windows keeps the hardware clock at local time whereas OS X does it correctly the time was off whenever I rebooted into either OS.

Now I use parallels if I ever need Windows. I mostly only ever use it at work on my macbook pro. I don't need Windows for anything at home.

And you haven't messed with it since? Well, DUH when it first came out it'd be a bit buggy. It's significantly better now. It'll be even better in Leopard, when it's actually done.

[Ledgem]

I'll apparently be receiving a MacBook Pro some time in the near future to replace my trusty Toshiba. Since I don't game anymore, I don't mind the thought of Mac OS, but given that I'm also trying to learn Linux, I was thinking of tribooting the system. Does anyone know how x86 Apple systems fare with Linux?

It may be a non-issue, though, given what Parallels and VMware are doing. I know that neither will allow you to run Mac OS through them (due to licensing issues) but both should let you run Windows and Linux.

[Joojoobees]

Ledgem, you can also learn a lot that is applicable to Linux with just the straight MacOSX. For example, a lot of Linux users use the Bash shell extensively. Bash is the default shell, just open up the terminal application. Also many applications for Linux run fine on MacOSX, either via
Java, the command prompt, or X-windows (which is a free download).

[Epyon9283]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I'll apparently be receiving a MacBook Pro some time in the near future to replace my trusty Toshiba. Since I don't game anymore, I don't mind the thought of Mac OS, but given that I'm also trying to learn Linux, I was thinking of tribooting the system. Does anyone know how x86 Apple systems fare with Linux?

I haven't really done any in-depth investigation but I have tried a couple of Linux livecds on my Macbook Pro. Hardware support out of the box is lacking. I haven't tried installing Linux so I don't know whats involved in setting up a boot loader with EFI and stuff.

If you want to run a lot of open source apps that are available in Linux you could install macports. http://www.macports.org/ It gives you a ports system similar to the one in BSD.

I use Linux and OS X on a daily basis and I don't miss using Linux when I'm on my iMac or Macbook Pro.

[Azrael_Azure]

Why in hells name would you buy a mac to install windows on it?

[Joojoobees]

Originally Posted by Azrael_Azure

Why in hells name would you buy a mac to install windows on it?

In my case, I needed to run Windows for school projects, but I didn't want to buy a computer that could only run Windows, that's like having half a computer!

[killmoms]

Originally Posted by Azrael_Azure

Why in hells name would you buy a mac to install windows on it?

I'd ask this question too if one wanted to completely replace OS X with Windows. Unless, of course, they just wanted the seamless aesthetics of a Mac machine, in which case I guess I really don't care what they do, since my favorite company still gets their money. In my opinion, at least, there isn't another manufacturer out there that makes cases as attractive (and functional) as Apple. The MacBook Pro and Mac Pro are works of fucking art.

But as a second OS, it can be quite convenient to have around in case you need it.

[Ledgem]

But Parallels can be used to run Windows over the Mac OS, can't it? Or is Parallels just a dual-boot manager?

Does Parallels also support Linux?

[Joojoobees]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

But Parallels can be used to run Windows over the Mac OS, can't it? Or is Parallels just a dual-boot manager?

Does Parallels also support Linux?

Parallels can run Windows over MacOSX, and it also runs Linux. Boot Camp is a dual-boot manager. I used Boot Camp, because I needed very low level access for my purpose (Assembly programming).