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13" VMWare or Parallels?

I use VMware Fusion but everytime I check the Console I see errors messages... I don't know how to resolve those annoying messages.

The performance and usage is fine (no probs).
 
VMWare is definitely more stable, Parallels is definitely much faster if you need performance or 3D processing -- IE, games. VMWare lags behind on the gaming front so badly it's not even funny. Parallels smokes them, but then Parallels has so many strange inconsistencies and bugs that it can be really frustrating.

I only use virtualisation for gaming, and Parallels' last two versions (5 and 6) make performance of that actually plausible and not just a funny joke.

But I've had a lot of strange issues with installing Windows (both XP and 7) in a fresh Parallels VM that were only solved by (ironically) first creating a VMWare machine and using the Parallels transporter to copy it over when I was finished and set up.
 
mixvio said:
VMWare is definitely more stable, Parallels is definitely much faster if you need performance or 3D processing -- IE, games. VMWare lags behind on the gaming front so badly it's not even funny. Parallels smokes them, but then Parallels has so many strange inconsistencies and bugs that it can be really frustrating.

I only use virtualisation for gaming, and Parallels' last two versions (5 and 6) make performance of that actually plausible and not just a funny joke.

But I've had a lot of strange issues with installing Windows (both XP and 7) in a fresh Parallels VM that were only solved by (ironically) first creating a VMWare machine and using the Parallels transporter to copy it over when I was finished and set up.
Click to expand...

Oh man...that is all to confusing to me.

When I do get my MBA I only need Internet Explorer for a couple things at work that will not load up correctly on any other browser. It really sucks.

Can't there just be a simple solution?

Cya
 
EARL97850 said:
Oh man...that is all to confusing to me.

When I do get my MBA I only need Internet Explorer for a couple things at work that will not load up correctly on any other browser. It really sucks.

Can't there just be a simple solution?

Cya
Click to expand...

Depending on what version of IE you need, you could use Crossover or Wine to run it natively on mac without any VM or Bootcamp. I can imagine it being really annoying to use a VM for JUST using IE. I'm not sure on the compatibility of it but i don't think IE 8 works properly.. You could get away with 7 or 6.
 
If I only needed IE, I'd install it through CrossOver as linkandzelda said. Running a full VM just for an internet browser is a bit of a waste; even if you install XP, you're looking at 2 gigs of space being used simply for the operating system.

If you only need IE, CrossOver Mac will work for you. If you want to run games too, I'd suggest the CrossOver Mac Pro bundle, since that includes licenses for both CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Games (though obviously it's the more expensive option.)

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

IE 6 and 7 are officially supported by the CrossOver team and score pretty well. IE 8 isn't officially supported, although I suspect it will be eventually, but it's got the same "stability" medal as IE 7 does. I've used IE 6/7 through CrossOver since I do web design and have to confirm rendering compatibility and I've never had any issues.

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=15

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=1491

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=4225
 
VMWare vs Parallels for DirectX DXi music performance?

Along these lines: I'm trying to decide whether to use virtualization or Boot Camp for my situation. The reason I need Windows is Cakewalk SONAR Producer, a Windows-only pro audio workstation app. It uses a subset of DirectX called DXi for most of it softsynths, though it also runs VST instruments and effects.

Will this sort of thing run OK in virtualization without audio glitches, or am I better off with Boot Camp?
 
mixvio said:
If I only needed IE, I'd install it through CrossOver as linkandzelda said. Running a full VM just for an internet browser is a bit of a waste; even if you install XP, you're looking at 2 gigs of space being used simply for the operating system.

If you only need IE, CrossOver Mac will work for you. If you want to run games too, I'd suggest the CrossOver Mac Pro bundle, since that includes licenses for both CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Games (though obviously it's the more expensive option.)

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

IE 6 and 7 are officially supported by the CrossOver team and score pretty well. IE 8 isn't officially supported, although I suspect it will be eventually, but it's got the same "stability" medal as IE 7 does. I've used IE 6/7 through CrossOver since I do web design and have to confirm rendering compatibility and I've never had any issues.

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=15

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=1491

http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=4225
Click to expand...

IE6 is our best supported option at the moment, 7 is coming along, and 8 is not good, frankly. We're working on better support for 8, of course, but the technical challenges are a bit of a bear, frankly. But we appreciate the kind words and recommendations regarding our product. It *does* save you the hassle of having to install a whole VM just to run one application, and CrossOver's performance is generally better than a VM, because you're running natively on top of OS X, and not consuming the resources to keep a second OS running. So we think CrossOver is definitely worth a try for the app of your choice, before you plunk down umptyhundreds for a VM and a copy of Windows.

Cheers,

-jon parshall-
COO
www.codeweavers.com
 
upon closer testing over these past 14 days with both Parallels and VMware, i've discovered that Parallels performs very poorly with Windows Aero. Things will stutter, jump and freeze all the time. Come to think of it, i don't think i've ever seen a clean animation from it yet...

VMware on the other hand has another problem which really annoys me. If i resize the window using BetterTouchTool and it's window snapping VMWare doesn't set the correct resolution for my window size, so it's all blurry... It even happens if i manually resize the window. This is ridiculous nothing is working properly... So it seems i'm stuck without a working VM...

Apart from those annoying bugs, I prefer Parallels still. I'm really disappointed though. Even though my trial runs out in 1 day, I doubt i'll be purchasing a license....

does anyone else receive these bugs? Im running on a 1080p resolution.

Link
 
The posts to this thread support the proposition that VMware Fusion and Parallels both have their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, there is no right or wrong answer to the question, which to chose. Fortunately, both products do a good job and those looking for a solid virtualization program would be well served by either. Trying to slavishly find a definitive answer as to which to buy in hopes that a definitive answer will present itself is, it seems to me, a fool's errand. I speak from experience because I wasted weeks of time and effort researching both Fusion and Parallels before finally accepting that while both have strengths and weaknesses, neither is markedly superior and users of either are likely to be satisfied with their choice.

The biggest downside to both Fusion and Parallels is that both require the user to also buy and install Windows. By the time the smoke clears, that can represent a pretty hefty investment. Thus, a good deal of money could be saved by those users whose Windows apps could be run in OS X using CrossOver.
 
I have VM Fusion on my Original MBA -- and now my 11.6 Ultimate because it was restored from a Time Machine backup of the original -- and Parallels on my iMac. I have 2 or 3 windows only program that my clients require I use -- they are not graphics/video/audio heavy in any way. Both products work fine for me.

The one small advantage to VM Fusion is you can load any VM virtual -- a client once was having a problem with a linux virtual on his windows machine and he was able to send it to me (ftp) and I loaded on my MBA -- that was pretty cool. There also is a larger library of virtual "Appliances" for VMware which can be fun to explore. Though Parallels is getting better with this.

I don't think you'll go wrong with either one.
 
Get VirtualBox, it is free

EARL97850 said:
When I do get my MBA I only need Internet Explorer for a couple things at work that will not load up correctly on any other browser. It really sucks.

Can't there just be a simple solution?
Click to expand...

Get VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads). It is free and since you are only using IE, it should suffice.

If you have more advanced need I would recommend looking into VMware or Parallels.
 
from reading countless threads on this fusion/parallels debate I keep seeing a few similar thoughts

1) fusion - better stability, parallels - better performance

2) it's all really subjective - both do what you need - just depends on your needs

3) support for both ain't all that great

for me, i think i'm leaning toward fusion - simply because i only use windows to run quickbooks - not a high performance program at all. i may also utilize the microsoft office suite in the future as well.

so for my needs - I care more about stability than performance
 
bamf said:
Another thing on the Parallels front. If you have an iPad, they have an app that lets you throw the screen of your VMs to your iPad. It's really cool actually. If you've left your laptop/iMac/Mac Pro/whatever at home, you can start, stop, interact with, etc. your VM with your iPad. I wish VMWare would come out with something similar since I do run both applications.
Click to expand...


I actually thought that was a pretty good feature too on the featurelist until I realised there are quite a lot of free apps which can do that (e.g. TeamViewer). Just search on the App Store for remote management or something. Each has their fans, but I do appreciate having a single app on my iPhone which can connect to Windows AND Mac machines.

Note I'm a Parallels user and have not yet tried their app yet- it's on my todo list though!
 
To be honest I am not sure what people mean when they say it's less stable in Parallels. I have gotten a few popups with some kind of hardware IO error on my MBA (I figured it was the SSD) but clicking OK led it to go away and that was that.

*shrugs* I liked the Coherence mode on Parallels more and that's why I ended up choosing it (and they offered student discounts in Australia via Apple Retail Store).
 
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