OSX and Windows Only Apps

[tokenuser]

Does anyone have experience with MS Visio and Access under VMWare or Parallels?

Can you access printers and network resources?
Mac apps and the Windows apps at the same time?
Using a Mac keyboard?

Any other challenges with this sort of setup?

No - don't talk about using Mac equivalents or Linux ... I need info on those specific apps.

[computoman]

You could also consider Crossover Office for Mac.

[tokenuser]

You could also consider Crossover Office for Mac.Its a nice option, but it doesn't have support for newer versions of Access. I suspect she will need to use VMWare or Parallels to do it properly. Crossover Office Pro is only about $15 cheaper than VMWare or Parallels (plus a copy of Windows ... wonder if Win7 is supported) so price isn't a big deal.

Since this is a requirement purely for teaching, it doesn't need to be powerful or blazingly fast. Her research runs on large scale grid computers, so even a netbook would probably work in that instance (terminal server). The only other apps she runs locally are MS Office and Endnote.

A MBP would work well for her. It has great battery life, a nice screen, and low weight. Downside is lack of dockng station, and a need to carry a minport DVI/VGA dongle to classes so she can plug into the projector.

I suspect she will probably go for another Thinkpad, but the option of an OSX box is still there.

(BTW - Price not such an issue. This is an academic purchase so she gets discounted Apple pricing on it).

[computoman]

Before you give up on crossover office, I would contact them and discuss your concerns. They are very amenable to mac users to improve their product.

[tokenuser]

Before you give up on crossover office, I would contact them and discuss your concerns. They are very amenable to mac users to improve their product.I like the idea, and wine (which reading the website seems to be at the heart of Crossover) has come a long way, but I suspect that it wont cut it. She needs dependable software, and a virtual machine will give her the environment that might need to go beyond MS products in the future.

Its a shame.

[computoman]

dual boot?

[ArmpitOfDeath]

You should have less problems (bar the increased need for resources / heat on the substandard hardware) virtualising Windows and the apps than Boot Camp.

It's either very clever or very fortunate that Apple has legions of tech-press fanboys (although poverty-line, self-important tech press are not that hard to sway - I've done it on sufficient occasions. I just wonder why M$ doesn't get the plot sooner, or if they are now so bloated to be genuinely that rubbish at marketing) swooning away at the incompatible environment that is EFI-emulated BIOS.

[ricekrispies]

Does anyone have experience with MS Visio and Access under VMWare or Parallels?

Can you access printers and network resources?
Mac apps and the Windows apps at the same time?
Using a Mac keyboard?


i don't have exprience running Visio or Access directly but i can tell you that
- you can access printers & network resources without having to install drivers on your windows VM (you would have to install parallel tools which installs a couple of drivers)
- the apps will run at the same time as long as you have the processing power; everything will run slower/ seem to freeze if you don't
- the mac keyboard will work

the only thing you really have to watch out for is your processor speed. i am running the 2.53 core 2 duo MBP and parallels 3.0 was working excellent for me and i upgraded to 4.0 and was thoroughly disappointed.. i always hated VMware for mac, it ran alittle slower and i found the parallels 3.0 gui to be a little better 4.0 and VMware gui are almost identical though.

you also probably want to find yourself a copy of XP... everything runs a little slower in vista