VT: Next Steps and Other Options
Continued from 'Virtualization: Keeping the Processor Occupied'….
Parallels Desktop for Mac currently doesn't comprehend the DirectX or OpenGL APIs, so all 2D- and 3D- graphics functions are software-emulated versus GPU hardware-accelerated. For the next major release of the program, Parallels hopes to add some amount of graphics acceleration support, along with enabling the VM to tap into multiple CPU cores. The recently-released VMware Fusion for Mac Beta does support multiple cores, although it doesn't support Boot Camp-derived VMs. Other Windows-under-OS X alternatives include CodeWeavers' CrossOver Mac, a WINE variant, Falling Leaf Systems' Sapling (formerly known as the Alky Project) and TransGaming Technologies' Cider. In all of these latter cases, the full Windows O/S is not being virtualized; instead, API translation enables Windows applications to run directly on the host O/S.
I've written up my virtualization experiences not just to tell you about a cool new OS X product. Multi-core, as I regularly remind you, is a coming-soon or already-here fact of life for all CPU architectures, regardless of their heritage and instruction set. Even if your system design looks nothing like a PC or Mac, it behooves you to begin thinking about how you might be able to exploit the ability to run non-native applications, and maybe even entire virtualized operating system suites, under your prefered host O/S. What sorts of ideas can you come up with? I look forward to hearing about them!
One last thing, flipping my consumer hat back on for a moment. If you decide to take the plunge and invest in a sleek new Intel-powered portable Mac, you're probably going to want to shield it from the side-effects of careless handling and a savage environment. Soon after I bought my MacBook, Apple's Black Friday Sale brought an Incase Neoprene Sleeve to my door (I recommend removing the tag inside the sleeve, to avoid any potential for it to mar the MacBook's plastic outsides). If a more svelte sleeve suits your fancy, give RadTech's Sleevz a look; the company's Notebook ScreenSavrz now come in multiple colors and prevent your keyboard from scratching the LCD face. And for the ultimate in laptop attire, check out the luxurious leather offerings from Case-mate; the Glovez, Signature Sleeve and Signature Suite are all very, very nice….
Followup: Whoops, I almost forgot. I do have some benchmarks for you. Here's an Xbench v1.3 report on the MacBook. Compare it against the Xbench data I published on the G4- and G5-based PowerPC Macs back in September of 2005 (Table 3), noting that you can't directly compare the CPU results since my earlier data was taken on Xbench 1.1.3, while Xbench's developers recalibrated the 100 point baseline to a 2.0 GHz G5 beginning with Xbench v1.2. Also, compare the results against the Xbench user-submitted System Index archive. See why I made the x86 switch?
Followup II: In re-reading my writeup, I realize I forgot to mention a few points. First off, one of the other big reasons I went with the MacBook instead of the MacBook Pro is that it's easy to upgrade both the MacBook's HDD and memory (HDD upgrades of the MacBook Pro, in contrast, are quite difficult). iFixit has instructions; the Apple support site also provides do-it-yourself documentation.
Note that for neither system is replacing/upgrading the optical drive something the faint-of-heart should tackle. I'd personally recommend you buy a SuperDrive up-front if you want DVD burning capability, versus assuming you can upgrade after-the-fact (there's also the issue that non-Apple-branded optical drives won't be recognized by the operating system without installation of an unsanctioned hack), or go with a USB- or FireWire-tethered external optical drive upgrade instead.
Also, whereas most (but not all) of my preferred OS X apps are now available in x86-native versions (either Universal or Intel-only), including my primary browser Firefox, I'm still running Firefox (v1.5.0.9) in Rosetta mode. That's because Manfred Shubert's excellent Acrobat-within-browser PDF Browser Plugin isn't yet x86-compiled. For similar reasons, folks interested in test-driving the various Universal and Intel-only betas now emerging from Adobe's labs will discover that all of their non-x86 plug-ins no longer function on an Intel-based Mac.
Followup III: Check out this Flickr page of a Parallels user who not only is running Windows XP under OS X in Coherence mode as I've showed you, he/she has altered the XP GUI via Stardock's WindowBlinds (specifically using the Aqua skin, whose distribution Apple has been trying to squelch) in order to make the XP and OS X application windows nearly indistinguishable. Impressive!
Followup IV: If you're still sold on a Core 2 MacBook, Micro Center's got a $150 rebate deal going on right now. Expires 1/14.
