VMWarehas been providing virtualization software for Windows users for years . VMWare Fusion , which has been available as a complimentary world beta since late December 2006 ( I tested build up number 36932 ) , is the company ’s first Mac product .
Fusion is still in genus Beta . No ship date for a final version has been announced . yield that , many features are miss or uncomplete .
Installation
Like Parallels , Fusion installs with a stock OS X installer . But when it comes to installing Windows , you have to operate Windows ’ installation program yourself . Fusion support 19 unlike versions of Windows , from 3.1 through the 64 - bit version of Windows XP and Vista . you could also install Linux systems ( include Red Hat and SUSE ) , Novell ’s Netware , Sun ’s Solaris , FreeBSD , and MS - DOS .
Fusion ’s other key discriminator is its support for what VMWare calls “ practical appliances”—preconfigured big bucks of operating systems and diligence that you’re able to download and install with a few mouse clicks . For example , I download MindTouch Deki , which lets you join forces on documents wiki - stylus . I expanded the archive and then double - snap on the result file . The widget bring up its operating system , configured itself , and was ready to utilize in about a second ( see “ Virtual Appliance . ” )
If you ’ve ever want to essay - drive Linux , a Fusion virtual convenience is far and away the easiest way to do so .
Software support
Running Windows apps in Fusion is much like run them in Parallels : for the most part , they just work . I detect the speed in both Word and Excel to be more than acceptable ; I was able-bodied to scroll through a long Word written document from top to bottom in roughly the same amount of time it took me to do so while running Office 2004 in Rosetta on my MacBook Pro . literary pirate of the Caribbean 2played as well as it did in Parallels .
Fusion has a full - screen door mode , too , but nothing like Parallels ’ cohesion manner . you may move files and brochure between OS X and Windows via drag and drop , but setting up a shared documents leaflet is much tougher than it is in Parallels .
Hardware support
Fusion ’s hardware support is miscellaneous . It hold Bluetooth if you instal Apple ’s Boot Camp driver . Like Parallels , Fusion will let you use your Bluetooth shiner within each computer programme ; unlike Parallels , Fusion lets you bind new Bluetooth equipment to the practical machine . And unification supports both cores in Intel Core Duo chips . In its late dismission , VMWare has impart “ data-based ” bread and butter for accelerated 3 - D graphics , which worked just exquisitely in my testing .
On the downside , Fusion has no FireWire financial support , except as a source of share pamphlet on a hard drive . I could n’t get my Wacom graphics tablet to work .
Who it’s good for
Overall , give that this is still a beta going , I was impressed with Fusion . It ’s got a mode to go before it ’s a polished Parallels competitor , and it is n’t quick for people who require a stable , full - feature Windows environment . But it ’s a good start .
VMWare Fusion beta (Build 36932)
Pros : Prebundled “ convenience ” lease you quickly instal useful preconfigured systems and applications ; uses both cores in Core Duo check ; can persist 64 - bit Windows . Cons : Tricky to specify up portion out leaflet ; great deal of beta issues ; unelaborated USB backup ; no FireWire support ; no accelerated art . Price : innocent ( for beta)Company : VMWare
