What computer, what software for a lab? (take II)

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Gene Kim-Eng provided a good summary, but his last point requires  
clarification: <<If you might need to run both Windows and Mac and  
have the budget for it, get Macs and use Bootcamp to enable you to  
load Mac OS, Windows or Linux without emulators... Whatever you do,  
do NOT attempt to run processor-intensive applications like Maya,  
Max, Lightwave, etc., in Windows running on a Mac with an emulator.>>

It's important to distinguish here between an "emulator", such as  
Microsoft's own Virtual PC, and "virtualization" software, such as  
Parallels or VMWare fusion: Gene is 100% correct that an emulator  
will drive you crazy because it's so slow. (Plus, I'm not aware of  
any Windows emulators that still run on the Intel chips; Virtual PC  
ceased development when the Intel chip Macs came out.)

In contrast, virtualization software runs Windows at full speed, so  
all else being equal (i.e., plenty of memory* and a fast hard drive),  
you'll never notice you're using it. Indeed, some recent tests showed  
that a Mac running Windows under Parallels was faster than a  
comparably equipped PC running the same version of Windows; I believe  
it was Apple vs. Dell, so we're not talking about a cheapie clone  
either. (This seeming anomaly occurred because of how well the system  
components are integrated. In that particular test, the Mac was the  
better machine. A different PC, such as a top-end gaming machine from  
Alienware, might have beaten the Mac by a significant margin.)

* OS X runs just fine in 1 Gig of RAM, as does Windows XP; Vista  
requires at least 2 Gig, and 4 is better. So add at least that much  
RAM (1 + 1 = 2 Gig for XP, 1 + 2 to 4 = 3 to 5 Gig for Vista) to each  
computer if you want to run OS X and Windows side by side. For  
Photoshop, even more is better.

Bootcamp is neither emulator nor virtualization software: all it does  
is let you choose which OS (Mac vs. Windows) should be loaded each  
time you boot. If you never need to run OS X and Windows  
simultaneously, it's your best bet because it's free. If you want to  
run Mac software side by side with Windows software without having to  
reboot, you need either Parallels or Fusion. Which of the two is  
better? They keep leapfrogging each other, but Fusion is probably  
better if you also need to run Linux simultaneously. VMWare has many  
years more experience with virtualization than Parallels.


----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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