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Sun xVM VirtualBox: free x86 virtualiztion
We first noted the open-source virtualization application VirtualBox way back in 2007, and since then this open-source competitor to VMware Fusion and Parallels has come a long way. Most importantly, perhaps, the project was acquired by Sun Microsystems and has now become Sun xVM VirtualBox with a great deal more support.The application is free for personal use and is available for a wide variety of x86 platforms including OS X on Intel Macs. The feature set is extensive and includes a lot of the features of its commercial counterparts. That said, it lacks many of the niceties of those programs, including any kind of 3D graphics support. Nonetheless, it's hard to argue with free and is probably worth checking out if your virtualized Windows requirements are modest.Sun xVM VirtualBox is a free download from Sun.Thanks, Dean!
VMware Fusion 1.1.2 adds Time Machine support
Over on the blog for VMware Fusion, they've announced the release of version 1.1.2 which adds support for Time Machine backups of your virtual machines. Apparently 10.5.2 fixed some problem that prevented virtual machines from being backed up properly and they have now enabled it. They warn, however, that since Time Machine backs up anything that changes, and virtual machines tend to be rather large, you may want to exclude certain virtual machines to avoid losing too much space on your backup drive. The new version also adds support for the MacBook Air (fixing a problem with the virtual drive), Windows XP SP3 Boot Camp partitions, and simplified Chinese, as well as quashing various bugs.VMware Fusion 1.1.2 is a free update for registered users and $79.99 otherwise.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Parallels vs. VMWare: Benchmark results
Like it or not, lots of us who own Intel-based Macs have to run Windows from time to time. Although Boot Camp is pretty fantastic if you need to run a processor intensive application (or you want to play games), virtualization is the more attractive solution for users who need to access productivity applications, like Microsoft Office 2007, but don't want to have to live in the Windows environment. The two big players in the virtualization field are VMWare's Fusion and Parallels' Parallels. Both applications let you install a Windows XP or Vista virtual machine on your Intel Mac without having to leave OS X, both offer a level of integration between the two operating systems and both retai for $79.99 (USD). So, which virtualization program is the fastest? Well, that's what MacTech attempted to find out in their exhaustive benchmarking trials, comparing Fusion 1.0 (build 51348), Parallels 3.0 (build 5160) and Boot Camp head-to-head-to-head in a variety of different computing tasks.So what's the bottom line? Because of how the software if designed to integrate between the two platforms, Parallels came out ahead in many of MacTech's tests. For certain more processor heavy uses, VMWare, thanks to its ability to take advantage of both cores, came out the best. For networking performance, Boot Camp was king. While I found the benchmarking tests very interesting - and useful - prospective buyers should be aware that in the middle of MacTech's testing procedure, all three Windows options for OS X were upgraded. With the release of Leopard, Boot Camp came out of beta and VMWare is now at version 1.1 and Parallels was updated on December 5 to build 5582. I know just from my own unscientific experience, Fusion 1.1 improved significantly in speed and overall performance from version 1.0 and while I was a big fan of Parallels under Tiger, I have "switched" to Fusion for Leopard.Trial-versions are available for both programs. Remember that in order to use Windows XP or Vista, you need a valid user license.Thanks, Rich.
CNET Labs benchmarks Parallels and Fusion virtualization products
Whenever two options are presented, it is often a smart move to weight the pros and cons of each and make a decision based on your needs. If you need to push Windows in a virtualization environment, Daniel A. Begun at CNET Labs has benchmarked Windows Vista running in both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. The short of the long? If you really need to push Windows, do it in Boot Camp if at all possible. If Boot Camp is out of the question, VMware Fusion was the winner in heavy duty, multimedia tasks by a landslide, due largely in part to its support of multiple core processors (Parallels, as of this writing, only supports one core per CPU). On the flip side, however, Parallels Desktop is the only virtualization product that supports 3D gaming right now, but as a Parallels owner, I'll still vouch for running your games in Windows via Boot Camp.At the end of the CNET Labs day, both apps still have their pros and cons. Begun hails Parallels Desktop for being the more usable and intuitive of the two (and during my initial tests of both before deciding to buy, I agreed), though I had a much easier time getting non-Windows OSes installed in VMware Fusion (to this day, Parallels Desktop still won't install Ubuntu, and I have received no response as to why). Still, the moral of this particular story is that if performance is at the very top of your virtualization shopping list, VMware Fusion is, at least for now, the reigning champion. Check Begun's full article for more details on the tests and how they were performed.
VMware Fusion set for August 6th release
Running Windows is something that most people need to do at some point, that's a fact. Luckily for us Mac users running Windows on Intel Macs is much better than emulating Windows on PPC Macs (I still shudder when I think back to my Virtual PC days). This is because instead of having to emulate the processor architecture, as well as run the software, it is possible to 'virtualize' Windows on Intel Macs. This means that Windows runs in its own little space on your Mac's Intel chip (that's a gross over simplification, but you get the idea).My virtualization app of choice, VMware Fusion, is finally entering the home stretch of its beta. VMware told our friends at Ar Technica that the final version of Fusion will be available for purchase on August 6th for $79.99 (you can preorder it up until the 5th for $39.99). VMware Fusion builds on VMware's rock solid virtualization technology and wraps it up in a pretty Cocoa shell. Check out all Fusion's features here.
VMware Fusion Beta 4 now available
Recall that very cool video we posted showing off VMware Fusion's new Unity feature? Now you can try it on your very own Mac. VMware Fusion Beta 4 has just been released and it includes Unity. It also includes: Better support for booting off of Boot Camp partitions Better performance UI tweaks Clearly the big ticket item is Unity, and I wonder if it is a cosmic coincidence that this beta was released on the same day that Apple released Boot Camp 1.3 and Parallels released Parallels Desktop for the Mac 3.0.VMware Fusion is free while in beta, and no release date has been specified.Thanks, Marcus.
VMware Fusion Beta 2 with Experimental 3D Graphics
Well this is interesting, in the wake of all the hype over the new release of Parallels comes a potential bombshell from competitor VMware. We mentioned the first beta release back in December, but now the second beta of VMware fusion has appeared and includes the long sought-after "experimental" Direct X 8.1 accelerated 3D graphics support (news of which leaked some time ago). It also features a Rollback feature that lets you "take a snapshot of your virtual machine configured just the way you like it, so you can quickly roll back to that ideal state whenever you need to, with a single click." Of course, Parallels still has cool exclusive features like Coherence mode, but VMware's offering looks more and more tempting. Hopefully this will spur the Parallels guys to getting 3D support out the door.The beta is available for download, but registration is required.[Via Digg]
Found Footage: VMWare Fusion To Bring 3D Hardware Acceleration
We've all been waiting patiently for Parallels to deliver on their promise to add hardware accelerated 3D graphics support in their Intel Mac virtualization solution, Parallels Desktop. Apparently, however, competitor VMware already has some working code. The above video, featuring 3D accelerated gaming, appeared recently on Youtube, and now it seems that a VMware employee is confirming that for some time VMware has contained a "semi-hidden switch" for activating 3D support on the Linux and Windows versions. Since VMware's still beta Mac product, VMware Fusion, is built on the same codebase as VMware Workstation 6, it too will support Direct X 8.1 (as demonstrated in the video). They are apparently working towards an internal goal of supporting Direct X 9 and thus Vista's Aero. As much as I like Parallels Desktop, this just confirms it: competition is good! Now get back to work Parallels!Thanks Mark!
VMware Fusion public beta available
After months of waiting, the public beta of VMware Fusion is finally available. What is Fusion? It is VMware's OS X virtualization client. Most of you are probably familiar with Parallels for the Mac, which allows you to run Windows, and other OSes, on your Mac. Fusion is VMware's answer to Parallels. VMware is the market leader in the virtualization space, and so having a VMware app for OS X is a big deal.The beta works with all Intel Macs and allows you to virtualize a number of different operating systems. You can assign multiple processors to your virtual machines, and Fusion supports USB 2.0 out of the box. One of the largest selling points of Fusion, besides VMware's track record, is that you can download and run a number of Virtual Appliances which run the gamut from a complete Oracle 10g environment to a lightweight Knoppix install. As with any betas, there are bugs so make sure to read this page detailing them all.Read on for some pictures of the beta in action.Thanks, Jamie.
VMWare Fusion beta round up
Virtualization on the Mac is heating up, and Parallels isn't the only company with some stakes in the game. VMWare, the Juggernaut of the virtualization world, has been running a private beta of their Mac client, Fusion, for awhile now. They point to a few bloggers' thoughts on the product in a recent post to the company's blog. Some people aren't too thrilled with the simplifed 'wizard' setup that Fusion exposes to the user. They want to be able to tweak more settings, though I imagine the typical OS X user will just want to get Windows (or another OS) running as soon as possible.It seems to be quick, versatile, and fairly solid in beta. I'm hoping to get my hands on the client myself and put it through its paces, but there is no denying that this is an exciting time to be a Mac user.
