Parallels on MacBook

I've been using Boot Camp on my MacBook ever since I bought it last December to use those programs that run exclusively on Windows XP - programs like my Sony SonicStage and my Willfame.

Since last Wednesday, I've been playing around with Parallels which when installed on the MacBook, allows you to create a virtual machine that lets you instal Windows XP, Windows Vista and even Linux.

Parallels is so convenient that anyone using this program will eventually want to stop using Boot Camp. I know I will. My version of Parallels is only for trial use so it is quite inevitable that I've got to get myself an activation key before the end of the month.


Here is how my MacBook looks like with Parallels. The Paint program and ZoneAlarm are both running on Windows XP Home while the flash video clip is running on SWF on Mac OS X (Tiger). If you look closely, the video clip is showing the two richest guys on the planet, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

One nice feature about Parallels is the Coherence mode which makes the virtual machine practically invisible on the MacBook. Here, you see both Windows' Internet Explorer (displaying my other blog, It's All In The Planning, at ssquah.wordpress.com) and Mac's Finder side-by-side. The only visible trace of Windows XP running is the taskbar above the Mac's Dock, but I can even auto-hide it. Neat, eh?



parallels