Tips: Moving from Windows to Mac
What do you do if you prefer the elegance, security and stability of a Mac but still want to run your favourite Windows software? Well, there is no need to despair or do without – this article outlines some of the options available.
The least preferred approach is to dual boot your machine. The Intel based Macs (the more recent ones) can run Windows (in fact they can run Windows faster than many PCs). The software is called Bootcamp (which comes on the Leopard CD). You’ll also need a copy of Windows. The advantage of this approach is that you won’t need any new application software, and everything will be on the one machine. The disadvantage is that you will be cut off from your preferred Mac platform, and won’t be able to run applications from it at the same time.
Another approach is to retain a Windows PC with your software on it, and use a program such as VNC to access it through your preferred desktop. You should be able to run everything on your Windows PC, but in a separate window. There may be a slight lag because you will be accessing it though a network connection. You will not have everything on the one machine either.
You can get the equivalent functionality for many Windows applications in native Mac applications. Also, there are direct equivalents for many leading Windows applications such as Mathematica, Dreamweaver, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office. This is a worthwhile option if you are prepared to reinvest in the new licenses. The advantage is that the applications are designed from scratch to work on the Mac, and use all the Mac features.
If you are running Excel in Office 2008 for Mac, you should remember that this doesn’t support VBA. So if you are using someone’s macro driven trading spreadsheet, you will certainly be able to open it and see formulas and cell details, but you won’t be able to run any macros. If you rely on macros, you may have to continue to use the Windows version of Office. But how can you do this with a Mac?
The preferred approach is to be able to run Windows in a window on your Mac. For example, if you are running Mac OS X, you can have your Mac applications running, and see your Windows application in a window, running under Windows. The Windows applications will look and behave exactly the same as before. Of course, you will also need a copy of Windows. To do this on a Mac, you’ll need one that has an Intel CPU (a recent Mac), special software from Parallels, and a copy of Windows.
For a Mac, you can use Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 for around $79. This is very fast, and you can even run Windows games through it. There’s another version which includes some extra value applications (including Acronis Disk Director – partition management, Acronis True Image Home – backup Windows system, Kaspersky Internet Security – protecting your Windows VM from viruses and spyware) called Parallels Desktop for Mac Premium.
So you can run the Windows applications you want, and any viruses or spyware will be constrained to the Windows instance on your machine (within a Virtual Machine), without compromising your main system. Another benefit is Parallels Transporter, which allows you to easily migrate your data from your old Windows PC to your Mac.
In conclusion, using a Mac does not constrain your choices of software. As well as being able to access the great range of Mac software, you can simultaneously run any Windows software you like, with Parallels Desktop for Mac software, without compromising the integrity of your system of choice.
