Fusion Beta Program

[bwana]

A link to this landed in my inbox yesterday

VMware Virtualization for Mac Beta Program

What is VMware's virtualization product for Mac?
The new VMware desktop product for the Mac, codenamed Fusion, allows Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. It is built on VMware's rock-solid and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today.

With Fusion, you can run traditional PC applications on your Mac: if you need to run PC applications, you can now do so by leveraging the power of virtual machine technology.

Why they couldn't have told me before I paid for Parallels!

 

[LandyMan]

VMWare's solution is the one everyone's been waiting for (well I know all my buddies with Intel Macs have been waiting for it). Would love to give it a try to compare it with Parallels

 

[bwana]

VMWare's solution is the one everyone's been waiting for (well I know all my buddies with Intel Macs have been waiting for it). Would love to give it a try to compare it with Parallels

So why dont you?

 

[LandyMan]

Well, I tried to register to get the beta, but it would seem the registration button went into an endless loop. Never got through to be able to download the software

 

[bwana]

Well, I tried to register to get the beta, but it would seem the registration button went into an endless loop. Never got through to be able to download the software

Odd - what browser are you using? I've just tested it now and it works just fine with the good one (aka Safari).

 

[LandyMan]

It was at work with IE7

 

[icyrus]

I downloaded it yesterday to give it a shot. I only tried it with an ubuntu iso I had and not windows but it seems to work well enough and has a few cool tricks like drag and drop support between host and guest.

I'm gonna try parallels beta 3 today with windows to test the coherence mode. The main feature that parallels trumps vmware with though is being able to boot your native boot camp install as a VM. I heard that vmware are thinking of adding that feature as it is so requested by time will tell. At the moment I am leaning towards parallels.

 

[LandyMan]

I downloaded it yesterday to give it a shot. I only tried it with an ubuntu iso I had and not windows but it seems to work well enough and has a few cool tricks like drag and drop support between host and guest.

I'm gonna try parallels beta 3 today with windows to test the coherence mode. The main feature that parallels trumps vmware with though is being able to boot your native boot camp install as a VM. I heard that vmware are thinking of adding that feature as it is so requested by time will tell. At the moment I am leaning towards parallels.

The drag and drop is now also available in Parallels Beta releases. Coherence is quite cool, the only thing is that you still need to login to your WinXP or whatever guest OS before the program will open (I have an IE icon in my dock, that starts winXP via Parallels, but you still need to login to WinXP). Thinking of using TweakUI's auto login feature to bypass that

 

[icyrus]

I have been testing both vmware and parallels today and I think parallels is definitely ahead at this stage but I am willing to give fusion a bit more time.

Coherence is quite cool, the only thing is that you still need to login to your WinXP or whatever guest OS before the program will open (I have an IE icon in my dock, that starts winXP via Parallels, but you still need to login to WinXP). Thinking of using TweakUI's auto login feature to bypass that

In the new parallels beta it has a express mode setup for windows xp that does this for you, which was nice. Otherwise I am very impressed with the speed and functionality of parallels.

 

[bwana]

I want these nasty windoze abominations out of my Mac environment now!

Jokes aside I just realised I have no need nor desire to run any windows software on my machine so whats the point

 

[adsl3g]

received this today

We are pleased to announce VMware desktop product for the Mac, codename Fusion, Beta 2.

VMware’s desktop product for the Mac allows you to run any PC application, including Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Visio, and Project, on your Intel Mac.

Only Fusion leverages the full power of your Intel Mac with support for multiple CPU cores for maximum performance, complete USB 2.0 support—even for proprietary video cameras and other devices that only work in Windows—and support for 64-bit operating systems on the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Macs.

The Cocoa-native user interface is designed from the ground up to make running Windows and other x86 operating systems side-by-side with Mac OS X simple and painless.
What's New and Improved in Beta 2

* Experimental 3D graphics: The rumors are true! You can now play select DirectX 8.1 games in a Windows XP virtual machine.
* Rollback: Take a snapshot of your virtual machine configured just the way you like it, with the ability to quickly rollback to that ideal state with the click of a button should the need arise.
* Run Microsoft Vista on your Mac: Want to run Vista on your Mac? Run Vista Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate 32-bit or 64-bit editions side-by-side with Mac OS X.
* Improved networking support: Full support for AirPort networking with seamless switching between wired and AirPort/Wi-Fi connections.
* Improved ability to add virtual hardware: Add additional virtual hard drives for more storage capacity, add up to ten virtual network interfaces to support private and public networks, and keep an eye on your laptop's battery level from inside your virtual machines.

Beta 2 also includes scores of improvements that make it faster, more reliable, and easier to use.

Anyone tried it yet??

 

[gunslinger]

I am also trying to cut away from Windows as I use it anough on my work laptop.