News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community.
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VirtualPC: Platform Doubler | |
By Brent Simmons, bsimmons@ranchero.com.
I'm writing this in an application called "Notepad" which comes with Windows 95. It think it's fair to call it the equivalent of SimpleText on the Mac.
But I'm writing this on my Mac. My Mac is running VirtualPC, the new PC emulator from Connectix. My Mac is running Windows.
I confess: I've never used Windows 95 before. When VirtualPC arrived today, my excitement was mixed with apprehension. How am I ever going to install and configure this thing?
Up and running
The VirtualPC installer is a familiar Mac installer. Nothing to it: just choose a hard drive and click the Install button.
My copy of VirtualPC also installed Windows 95. It appeared to be pretty much just a matter of copying a large disk image from the installer CD onto my (brand-new, bought for this occasion) hard drive.
Installation was easy. I didn't even have to restart my computer.
Getting on the Internet
I launched VirtualPC. Windows 95 automatically started up. The first thing I noted about Windows 95 was that the word "Internet" appears in the opening screen.
My first self-appointed goal was to run a browser and check out my company's web site on a PC, something I rarely get the chance to do.
So: I was hoping the word "Internet" wasn't a cruel joke, that I actually could get this (to me) foreign OS to recognize my modem, set up a PPP connection, and so on.
Surprisingly, it was easy. Very easy. Easier than setting up a Mac. A set-up program (I think this may have been a "wizard") walked me through the various steps of configuring my TCP/IP and PPP settings.
How did I know how to get started? I clicked on an icon on the desktop called "The Internet."
I noticed an important-looking button called the "Start" button at the bottom left of my PC screen. A pop-up menu. Internet Explorer was listed there. I launched it, my modem connected to my Internet service provider, and so there I was, browsing the web.
On a PC on a Mac. Connectix inside.
Some glitches
Installation and checking out my new (virtual) computer has been pretty painless -- but I have noticed a few glitches.
My 28.8 modem doesn't seem as fast. I hope I can tune this up. (If not, my ISDN line is only 5 weeks away -- or so US West tells me.)
Screen re-draws can be pretty slow when I've got multiple windows open. I attribute this to a shortage of memory, rather than the speed of my computer or the emulator. My 132mhz 8500 has 32MB RAM, which seems barely sufficient. I'm going to order an additional 32MB.
Also, I've hung Windows 95 twice. Once again, I'm for now attributing this to my low-memory situation, as both hangs occurred when I had Mac applications open also.
Some plusses
My favorite VirtualPC feature so far is the ability to save the state of the PC. Then next time VirtualPC is launched it returns me immediately to where I left off. No waiting for Windows 95 to launch -- it's there.
Another big plus is folder sharing. I can mount my virtual Windows hard drive and browse it via the Mac Finder. And I can browse my Mac hard drives from within Windows.
If only...
I wish Connectix had bundled Windows NT. I'd much rather run Windows NT than Windows 95. I suspect I'm not alone.
I'll be installing NT, but I'll wait a few days until I'm more comfortable. (And until I get more memory.) It appears that if I install NT I'll be without the "Mac components" that are installed with Windows 95. I'm not exactly sure what that means yet, but I'll find out.
Something's missing
I'm accustomed to being able to join a mailing list for my technical support: I like to be able to share tips, ask questions, and talk to other people using the software. For instance, I could ask other people about their experiences installing and running NT.
I haven't seen or heard of a discussion mailing list yet. I hope somebody with an interest will recognize a good marketing opportunity and start up such a list. I'd be the first subscriber.
Why am I doing this?
My immediate reason for getting VirtualPC is to help test the upcoming Frontier for Windows. But I'd be lying if I didn't say it was more than that... I'm a software developer, a geek, and I want to make money, and I'm hedging my bet.
I enjoy my Mac very much but I don't know what's going to happen. I hope good things -- and if that's true, I'm there. But if not, I'm learning how to develop for Windows, too.
What really attracts me now is the idea of cross-platform development. Frontier is going cross-platform: soon I'll be able to "write once, run anywhere" with Frontier.
Java interests me too. (I make no apologies: if Java is, as has been suggested, calculated to appeal to geeks, well then they did not miss. I like the language but can't stand the atmosphere surrounding it.)
I would not be surprised to find that my story is repeated over and over. Why not? For $150 -- just a little more than the price of Mac OS 8 -- you can run Windows 95 on your Mac.
The big picture
What VirtualPC means to Apple, I don't know. Will it help drive Mac sales? Or is it the middle point on the road for Mac users moving to Intel machines?
I don't know and won't guess. I prefer to think about the small picture -- what does this mean to me?
Same answer: I don't know, won't guess.
I'll guess this: Connectix is going to sell an astounding number of copies. They have done a fabulous job at making VirtualPC easy to set up and use (and easy on the wallet). The Mac integration is very good.
If it weren't so well-done and inexpensive it might not be what it is. It is, I believe, a great big question mark in the face of every Mac user.
VirtualPC is not an answer. A real PC is an answer. A Mac is an answer. But, whether you buy it or not (and I think you will), the question can no longer be avoided.
More info
Connectix's VirtualPC web site:
http://www.connectix.com/html/connectix_virtualpc.html
I ordered my copy from Cyberian Outpost:
I'm hoping to, time permitting, document more of my experiences as a long-time Mac user and babe-in-the-woods VirtualPC/Windows user. Watch Scripting News for a link.
-Brent