Verdict on Mac emulators

[MortenJensen]

Hi all
There has been a number of posts recently regarding Mac-emulators. Maybe we could start a thread here collecting the experiences thus far.

1: Competitors:
- Parallels: http://www.parallels.com/eu/products/desktop/. Pro: Lots of features, the most sold (I think) - contra: expensive.
- VWware Fusion: http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html. Pro: Solid program, inexpensive.
- CrossOver: http://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover/. Pro: Inexpensive, requires no Windows - contra: will it work as flawlessly as the two others?

2: What are the experiences? Any comments and suggestions welcome.

Morten (considering buying a mac ...)

[jfidel]

I can only speak for Parallels. I have used it on my MBP since version 3 and have seen some great improvements in speed and function now on version 7. I only need windows for 2 bible software programs, which run well with Parallels and XP. BW 8 has one glitch, and that is to freeze the analysis you hit the option key one time rather than hold down the shift key. There may be a setting somewhere to fix this, but I have not looked for it. As to cost, both Parallels and VM were the same price when I started using emulators.

Ideally, I would use an emulator that does not require Windows on my next Mac if one works with BW.

[MBushell]

Morten,

We are working on making Crossover work better with BibleWorks and have actually contracted Crossover to give a formal assessment of what would be needed on their end for complete compatibility. It will be a while, though, before we have an answer to that question. Other emulators require a Windows license and they seem to work well with BibleWorks but Crossover would be a nice cheap solution if we can solve the problems.

I don't know what your reasons are for buying a Mac but I would recommend holding off for a while, at least long enough to see what happens to Windows 8. Big changes appear to be in the offing. The next year will be very interesting.

Mike

[MGVH]

One of my students (who has posted occasionally on this forum) has spent a lot of time working with BW on Parallels, Fusion, and Crossover. His verdict: Crossover is by far the easiest with which to work. It's also the cheapest (especially since you don't need to get a Windows license), and there is a student discount.
The biggest drawback -- as has been noted by BW -- is that you can't open the modules that use the Windows help system.

[matthewdaybaltimore]

I used Parallels for about the first 3 years of my seminary career. It worked but it slowed down my machine tremendously. I actually had to go out and buy more RAM to support running Parallels. My anger with Parallels came about a year ago when it stopped working and Parallels offered no free tech support. After searching Google for a couple of hours, I learned that Parallels actually sent a bug out to stop my version from working till I upgraded. Luckily I still had one free upgrade, but it was only going to last a few months till they went to a new version. So I decided I would need to look at other options.

Fusion is nice and runs a bit better than Parallels, but the problem still remains: It needs windows and it is expensive.

Crossover is the best, cheapest option that I have found. We (Me and M GV H) put the program through its paces back in January during a week-long class. $40 dollars is all you need to download crossover. Unfortunately, you do not get the fancy toolbar in Bibleworks, but you can access everything of the tools through the menu bar. Crossover also doesn't support any help files so any of those downloaded modules will not work.

If you can deal with these two problems, Crossover is the best way to go especially for a poor seminarian.

[JMH]

I have used Crossover in the past, got frustrated with the hiccups, bought Parallels, got frustrated with all the extra effort (plus I never want to hear that terrible Windows sound), bought Logos, grumbled every time I used it, then decided last week to give it another go with Crossover.

In the past I've had the no-toolbar issue, but this time around it works. Crossover 11.2 + BW 7. This might be no help to people who are buying now, but I haven't noticed any performance issues.

So I'm happy, but it still blows my mind that there's no BW for Mac. I would buy it the day it launched, and I suspect many others would too. (I'm sure you guys get tired of hearing that, but please see paragraph 1 above for the devotion behind my frustration.)