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Windows vs. Mac plus Parallels
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Posted by Lucas
Nov 19, 2016 at 12:04 AM
I have a Macbook Pro (13-inch, mid-2012), with 8 gb of RAM. I like to be able to run certain Windows programs (InfoQube, ConnectedText), but the main problem is that running a virtual OS makes my system sluggish. Parallels is a great program, but I’m now using Veertu instead, which seems to be lighter-weight (although less polished and powerful). But unfortunately, as someone who likes to have a lot of programs open at once, I find that even using Veertu slows down my system too much—- the only solution is to quit Chrome (a resource hog), but I prefer to keep Chrome open. So, the real solution, from my perspective, would be to get a Mac with at least 16 gb of RAM.
Posted by Lucas
Nov 19, 2016 at 04:41 AM
* Update: This post inspired me to do some tweaking, as I had almost given up on running Windows on my Mac lately. It turns out that, now that I have re-installed the Veertu “guest add-ons” (similar to Parallels Tools), everything seems to be running much more smoothly and quickly. Maybe 8 gigs of RAM is okay afterall.
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Nov 19, 2016 at 11:55 AM
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Franz. Sadly, I haven’t used ConnectedText seriously for a few years now. I love the program, but I just couldn’t slip it efficiently into my workflow. Not that they are necessarily the same, but TheBrain has become my main info tool.
At one point I did have CT running on my MacBook in VMFusion. It worked okay, but my MacBook was a little underpowered to handle it.
The real go to guy for CT on this forum is Dr Andus, though he runs it on a Window PC.
Steve Z.
Franz Grieser wrote:
Hi.
>
>Manfred Kühn of http://takingnotenow.blogspot.de/ is running
>ConnectedText and other Windows apps on a Mac. You may want to contact
>him. Or maybe he will step in here - I think I saw him post on this
>forum a few weeks agon.
>
>I used to run 2 virtual Windows machines through Parallels for Microsoft
>Office 2003 and 2007 (when I worked as an editor-in-chief for a
>newsletter covering Microsoft Outlook). It never clicked with me. The
>only software I run on my Macbook now are Mac OS applications.
>
>When you want to know more about ConnectedText and Tinderbox: Steve
>Zeoli is the man to ask. I am sure he will soon answer to this topic.
>
>Franz
Posted by exatty95
Nov 19, 2016 at 03:03 PM
Very helpful, thanks. For those running Windows on a via Parallels, I have two levels of questions. First, do you find it easy and convenient to run CRIMPer programs like ConnectedText and MyInfo on your Mac so that you can seamlessly use those programs on your work Windows computer and at home? Second, does this ease-of-use extend so far that you even run the Windows versions of cross-platform programs like OneNote and Quicken on your Mac because the Windows version is apparently better than the Mac version?
Posted by Paul Korm
Nov 20, 2016 at 01:20 AM
Second question first. I run Windows on my Mac because (a) my clients use Outlook on Windows, and Outlook meeting invites (which I get dozens of each week) are completely incompatible with Mac’s Calendar—running Windows is the only way I can guarantee that the Outlook messages and invites I receive can be read accurately and reacted to appropriately; and (b) because most apps made for Windows have second rate Mac versions—OneNote, Quicken, MindJet—or no Mac versions—ConnectText, SouthBeach Modeler, etc.
First question: running Windows on a Mac, and working seamlessly between a Windows work computer and the Mac/Windows computer is not a motivation, in my case, or out-of-the-box easy in any case. The only way you could work “seamlessly” this way is to either have access via some network-based remote access protocol, or sharing data via OneDrive or some other cloud. In my case, my Windows computer at work is so heavily locked down and fire-walled that there is no ability to share data or access with my Mac/Windows combo. So I email myself a lot of documents—which is silly but it’s the only access available. (My work computer locks out external drives or USB sticks.)
exatty95 wrote:
Very helpful, thanks. For those running Windows on a via Parallels, I
>have two levels of questions. First, do you find it easy and convenient
>to run CRIMPer programs like ConnectedText and MyInfo on your Mac so
>that you can seamlessly use those programs on your work Windows computer
>and at home? Second, does this ease-of-use extend so far that you even
>run the Windows versions of cross-platform programs like OneNote and
>Quicken on your Mac because the Windows version is apparently better
>than the Mac version?