Parallels

First of all, don't panic.

If Moore's Law came to an end and computers stopped getting steadily faster, plenty of companies would suffer. But an end likely would come with lots of warning, lots of measures to cushion the blow, and lots of continued development even if transistors stopped shrinking.

The hardest hit would be companies dependent on consumers replacing their electronics every few years and tech companies such as Google whose long-term plans hinge on faster computers, cheaper storage, and better bandwidth. And the continuing miniaturization of computers -- mainframes to minicomputers to PCs to smartphones -- … Read more

Both Parallels Desktop 8 and VMWare Fusion 5 have just been released, with each offering similar approaches to running Windows and other operating systems within OS X.

Since their release, I have used both of these virtualization packages, and in my personal experiences they work quite well to run Windows and integrate its services and programs into OS X. Both support some of the latest features of Mountain Lion such as full-screen modes, seamless presentation of Windows applications within OS X, and easy access to your OS X files from within Windows. In my experiences with running Windows XP and … Read more

Parallels Desktop 8 has been made available for public purchase, offering faster graphics and improved startup and resume times over previous versions. If you need to run Windows or any other operating system on your Mac, then while dual booting is arguably the fastest and most stable option for executing code, another approach that perhaps has more utility is virtualization, where you can open a window to the hardware on your system and allow a second operating system to run simultaneously.

In the past week, the developers for the top two commercial virtualization programs for OS X (VMWare Fusion and … Read more

BERLIN -- Parallels released version 8 of its virtualization product today, updating the Windows-on-Mac software to stay up to date with both Microsoft's and Apple's latest operating systems.

The software uses a technology called virtualization that lets a guest operating system, including Windows, Android, or other instances of OS X, run atop an OS X host. That's handy for transitions -- there are lots of new Mac users these days switching from Windows even if Windows still dominates.

There are two big reasons customers pay $80 for the software to do that, said Parallels Product Manager Kurt … Read more

Both Parallels and VMware have announced the availability of the next versions of their popular virtualization software for running Windows and other operating systems within OS X. VMware Fusion 5 is available for download today, and the next version of Parallels Desktop will be released very soon on September 4.

Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are two of several available options for running guest operating systems within OS X so you can use applications and services supported for those operating systems along with your OS X applications without having to leave OS X and boot directly to them. This approach … Read more

More than a year after leaving Apple to pursue scientific endeavors, Apple's former Mac software chief Bertrand Serlet has joined the board of software company Parallels.

Parallels is perhaps best known among Mac users for its Desktop virtualization software, which lets Mac users run Microsoft's Windows operating system, and thus Windows applications without rebooting (like Apple's own Boot Camp solution requires).

"Bertrand is the rare combination of a software visionary and master of execution," Birger Steen, Parallels' chief executive said in a statement. "We're thrilled to be bringing his world-class experience and expertise … Read more

Parallels has released an update to its popular Parallels Desktop virtualization software for OS X, which allows users to take advantage of Apple's new Retina Display both on the iPad and in the new MacBook Pro.

Parallels Desktop has been one of the top virtualization solutions for OS X, allowing you to run a number of guest operating systems within your Mac and run various programs along side your Mac's applications. In addition to running Windows programs, Parallels has integrated tools that allow for relatively seamless access to your documents from the virtual machine, and with the latest … Read more

If you have a Mac and are running Parallels Desktop to install and run various Windows installations within OS X, an update is available that will allow you to easily download and configure the new Windows 8 Release Preview on your system.

One of the highly anticipated software releases is Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system. The new OS is now in Release Preview mode and sports some radical changes to its interface, with the foremost being its radical departure from the classic desktop in favor of a new Metro interface to mirror its mobile offerings.

Unfortunately the changes … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions about the options for performing a clean install of OS X Lion, restoring an iTunes library after formatting and reinstalling the OS, and whether virtual machines will be affected after reinstalling OS X. In addition, some people have wondered about Intuit getting other older PowerPC-based software packages running in Lion, and whether Address Book contacts can be shared among local user accounts. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions, then post … Read more