Hi everybody!
I just registered with this forum, hoping to find answers to some questions I have. So: hi!
My questions are closely related to who I am, so this is also my introduction, I guess.
I am a software programmer, currently finishing my Master's thesis and hoping to be working for a software company (well, that is quite obvious) soon. I'd really like to switch to a MacBook Pro (15'') as my work machine (currently I use Linux and Windows side by side). I plan on getting the 2.2 Ghz model (i7), 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD (7.200 RPM), AMD Radeon 6750M. I also plan on switching to MacOS for everyday computer usage such as office stuff, webbrowsing and so on.
But: what's really important to me is that I need to be able to run certain tools that are only available for Windows, including Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010. From my experience with virtual machines (Virtualbox in this case), I can tell that it is not that easy. To be precise, I was never able to run it on Virtualbox.
I know that there are some means of virtualization, like Parallels Desktop and/or VMWare, but I never got to try them. So here are my questions:
In general: there are some tools (some with higher requirements, some are just small tools) made for Windows only that I need to be able to work. I guess what I really want to know is: how well do virtualizations integrate and how is their overall performance? In all the virtualization environments I have tried so far, I always noticed a huge difference in the feeling of the guest system. It seemes so much slower all the time.
To finish this: is there any additional advice you can give me as a Linux/Windows-user that might come in handy to help me decide to actually buy the MacBook? Or speak against it, of course?
Hope I could make myself clear here (English is not my native language)
I am really looking forward to your answers!
Greets and thanks in advance - steps
I just registered with this forum, hoping to find answers to some questions I have. So: hi!
My questions are closely related to who I am, so this is also my introduction, I guess.
I am a software programmer, currently finishing my Master's thesis and hoping to be working for a software company (well, that is quite obvious) soon. I'd really like to switch to a MacBook Pro (15'') as my work machine (currently I use Linux and Windows side by side). I plan on getting the 2.2 Ghz model (i7), 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD (7.200 RPM), AMD Radeon 6750M. I also plan on switching to MacOS for everyday computer usage such as office stuff, webbrowsing and so on.
But: what's really important to me is that I need to be able to run certain tools that are only available for Windows, including Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010. From my experience with virtual machines (Virtualbox in this case), I can tell that it is not that easy. To be precise, I was never able to run it on Virtualbox.
I know that there are some means of virtualization, like Parallels Desktop and/or VMWare, but I never got to try them. So here are my questions:
- Will I be able to run MS Visual Studio 2010? And, quite important: how will it perform?
- How seamless is the VM integration with MacOS? Most of the "seamless" modes I came across have been...let's just say...not as seamless as announced.
- Which virtualization software (if any) do you recommend?
- Should I just install MacOS and Windows 7 side-by-side to be able to switch whenever I need to? I'd rather not, but if it's the best solution, I will.
In general: there are some tools (some with higher requirements, some are just small tools) made for Windows only that I need to be able to work. I guess what I really want to know is: how well do virtualizations integrate and how is their overall performance? In all the virtualization environments I have tried so far, I always noticed a huge difference in the feeling of the guest system. It seemes so much slower all the time.
To finish this: is there any additional advice you can give me as a Linux/Windows-user that might come in handy to help me decide to actually buy the MacBook? Or speak against it, of course?
Hope I could make myself clear here (English is not my native language)
I am really looking forward to your answers!
Greets and thanks in advance - steps