VMware Fusion 3: October 27
October 6, 2009
For us Mac-based eLearning developers, Windows virtualization can be, sadly, a necessity. Though some must-have tools are starting to arrive on the Mac platform (Camtasia, Captivate, SnagIt), others remain Windows-only for the foreseeable future (Articulate). And often your projects require capturing screenshots natively in Windows-based applications. The ability to run apps from all major OSes in a single environment on a single machine is an advantage that can’t be underestimated, and that ability is what makes the Mac my Ultimate eLearning Development Machine.
There are a few options for running Windows on your Mac. You can, of course, boot into Windows natively using Apple’s Boot Camp, but that puts you in a Windows-only environment. Great for gaming perhaps, but not great for everything else.
I much prefer running Windows in a virtual environment, where I can easily switch back and forth between Mac and Windows apps on the fly, even copying and pasting between the two. Several tools allow you to do this, including VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, and VirtualBox. My weapon of choice is VMware Fusion.
Fusion 3 is scheduled for release on October 27, adding a host of new features and improvements, including 64-bit Snow Leopard support, virtual 3D graphics, support for Windows Aero effects (including the lamest of Microsoft’s lame Mac knockoffs, Flip3D), the elimination of the clunky Windows Start menu implementation of previous versions, and general performance improvements.
Full retail price will be $80, though you can typically find Fusion much cheaper (usually after rebate). The upgrade price for current users will be $40.
Posted in Apple, eLearning Development Tools
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December 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
HI there- I saw your post on the vmware blog (http://blogs.vmware.com/teamfusion/2009/01/windows-7-on-mac-with-vmware-fusion-a-practical-guide.html?cid=6a00d8341c328153ef010536e7c85b970b#comment-6a00d8341c328153ef010536e7c85b970b)
I am having the same problem, and was wondering if you found a solution? I tried two different product keys I was given and get the same error for both. Wondering if it is really a problem with the product keys or with VMware or with my mac?
THANKS!
December 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Becky, I think you may have mistakenly attributed someone else’s comment to me. I haven’t had any problems of note with Fusion 3 yet.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:54 am
Hi Equixotic, Although VMware sounds good and isn’t very expensive, just wondered if you have experience of the freeware Virtualbox? I downloaded it to try out Joomla and then thought I could use it to run Articulate?
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:50 am
Hi Steve,
I have never tried Virtualbox but I’ve heard positive reports. Try it with Articulate and see if it works, then download the free trial for Fusion and see if that works better. I doubt Virtualbox – being freeware – offers the same level of performance and functionality as Fusion, but it may be sufficient for your needs.