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Saturday, March 25, 2006
Can it be? You’ll be able to “fast switch” to Windows XP (or Vista) with the latest OS X update, 10.5, when it releases sometime next year? Well MacRumors.com is reporting this very unbelievable thing to be in the works! It looks like a code named software “Chameleon” is being developed along side Intel and Microsoft to allow Mac users to simply switch into Windows mode when needing to execute a Windows-based program. When they’re done with the application, they switch back into OS X. No rebooting into the other OS. This means dual-boot is a thing of the past if all this true…as well as making the “switch” thing a bit confusing, too. 
March 25th, 2006 at 9:33
Quick switch, or Windows in a window. That’s the holy grail. Frankly, dual boot is too cumbersome to be truly useful and I fail to see what all of the hoopla is about on that. If I had the equivalent of VPC running at full processor speed, taking full advantage of the network connection and any other attached hardware, that would truly fill the bill.
March 25th, 2006 at 15:07
With a dual core Intel processor, each OS could use it’s own processor and run simultaneously. The “switch” whould just be between processing modes. It’s the eventuality of multiprocessor computers.
March 25th, 2006 at 17:43
Back in the early days of Mac OS, well before system X, there was a hardware/software solution from Orange Micro that would allow Microsoft products to run natively while Mac OS was running. It was useful to some, but the whole point of running OS X is so that one never needs to deal with Microsoft’s crap. Not sure how this is going to help anyone.
March 25th, 2006 at 21:22
This would be fantastic.
I would like something like Virtual PC where I can run Windows or Linux programs which are not available on the Mac. Even though I have 8 Macs and 5 PCs, I hardly have to use the PCs because of the excellence of the Mac OS Experience and the integratino of the software and hardware. However, occasionally, I do have use for the PC. Thus it would be of great convenience to run multiple operating systems in a virtual environment with Mac OS X as the primary OS. This would make the Mac THE computer to buy since you can run any software on it – unlike the Windows only machines.
Dual boot is so old style. Virtual machine is fantastic and so convenient.
March 26th, 2006 at 7:01
Seems to me that would be the end of software for the Mac. Who is going to pay software writers and do testing for OSX compatible software. What you will see on the box under requirements: Macintosh computers must have OSX 10.5 and Windows Vista installed to use this software.
March 26th, 2006 at 13:05
The final nail in the coffin of OS/2 was its ability to run Windows programs natively. Developers stopped writing OS/2 native programs, as they didn’t see the need.
I’m concerned that any effort to run Windows programs easily, and at native speeds, could slow the development of MacOSX applications. Without that development MacOSX could go the way of OS/2.
March 26th, 2006 at 21:17
“I’m concerned that any effort to run Windows programs easily, and at native speeds, could slow the development of MacOSX applications. Without that development MacOSX could go the way of OS/2.”
I have to disagree – Mac users want OS X versions of their software not PC versions. The difference between OS X and Windows is far greater than OS/2 and Windows NT ever was. OS X versions of apps will absolutely out-sell Windows versions of those same apps to Mac users.
The ability to run Windows apps will give a large percentage of potential switchers the security blanket they need to make the switch – So many worry that they won’t be able to run this or that piece of Windows software, and for some it is a very real need which will thus be satisfied. However, for so many others, it is a completely emotional need for “compatibility with the majority”.
As many switchers have written in recent years, once they start using OS X, they end up using Windows less and less and so often realise they don’t actually need to run any Windows software after all.
The advantage of being able to run those Windows-only apps (that would never have been available for the Mac anyway) as well as the confidence boost for those considering switching, far outweighs the chance of some Mac versions of software not being written.
Witness the recent Needham survey that found that the percentage of college students who would buy a Mac increased from 1.8% to 13.5% if the Mac could also run Windows apps at full speed.
Choices people choices!
-Mart
March 26th, 2006 at 21:20
the ability to run Windoze has nothing to do with the fact that Mac OS X is a MUCH BETTER OS… it has to do with stupid companies that continue to develop websites that REQUIRE a piece of crap like Windows (winforms.com and rapattoni.com as only 2 lousy examples)… some of us MUST use Windows… not as a matter of choice. And, unless the Mac allows me to do that, it’s hard to justify upgrading Macs!
April 7th, 2006 at 18:58
I guess in a few years the new rumor will be that you can connect two keyboards and two monitors and run windows and mac os at the same time off the same 4 processor computer. Its good to see Apple taking risks again, it usually pays off big for them.