Guest PC 1.9.7

Guest PC has been updated to version 1.9.7. The changes are:

Bug Fixes
* Occasional crashes on Guest PC load with no network
* Inability downloading maps to the Garmin GPS

Enhancements
* Better networking
* Better stability and compatibility

If you are a previously registered own of Guest PC, you can obtain the 1.9.7 update here (lismoresystems.com)

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.8

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.8 a few days ago, for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

Some of the fixes/changes that may benefit Mac users interested in virtualization/emulation:
- Improves Apple File Sharing client performance by changing the default AFP WAN quantum size.. More…
- Windows File Sharing now generates only one process, avoiding an issue that could cause a Mac OS X computer to become unresponsive if it won a master browser election.
- Improves the accuracy of Rosetta numerics and addresses Altivec translation issues on Intel-based Macs.
- Adds support on Intel-based Macs for multiple cores to LAPACK and BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework; the maximum number of threads used by Accelerate BLAS routines is now limited by the environment variable VECLIB_MAXIMUM_THREADS; addresses an issue with some complex BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework that were encountering an illegal instruction.

Some virtualization software uses Windows File Sharing/Apple File Sharing to transfer data back and forth between the virtual environment and Mac OS X, and this is a welcome fix. I played around with Parallels after having upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4.8, but I had also upgraded to Parallels Build 1922 as well and while things felt faster, I did not have a chance to do before and after comparisons, to see where any improvements were made.

Guest PC 1.9.6

Guest PC has been updated to version 1.9.6. Among the changes:

Bug Fixes
* Occasional crashes on Guest PC exit
* Drag-and-Drop malfunction after switching from the fullscreen mode

Enhancements
* Better networking
* Improved video in native resolution modes
* Improved USB functionality
* Better stability and compatibility

If you are a previously registered own of Guest PC, you can obtain the 1.9.6 update here (lismoresystems.com)

WWDC News: Microsoft Dropping Virtual PC for Mac

Peter Cohen of Macworld writes that Microsoft is dropping Virtual PC for Mac. Kind of surprising, since Virtual PC probably helps sell quite a few copies of Windows, but as the article points out, when Microsoft bought Connectix (the original developers of Virtual PC), they had an already-made solution to the issue of Virtual PC on the Mac. With the move to Intel, they’d have to develop a completly new version.

Quote from the article:

At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on Monday Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) indicated that it will not develop a new version of Virtual PC, its PC emulation software.

“Mac BU has made the decision not to move forward with a Universal version of Virtual PC at this time; however, current Virtual PC customers will continue to receive product support,” said a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement.

“Developing a high-quality virtualization solution, such as Virtual PC, for the Intel-based Mac is similar to creating a version 1.0 release due to how closely the product integrates with Mac hardware,” the statement concluded.

Virtual PC’s performance is considerably slower than virtual machine software such as Parallels Desktop, which is available for Intel-based Macs, or Boot Camp, Apple’s beta software that enables an Intel Mac to run Windows natively.

Microsoft recognizes the need for some Mac users to access Windows applications, and suggests that “alternative solutions offered by Apple and other vendors, combined with a fully packaged retail copy of Windows, will satisfy this need.”

Full article at Macworld

Guest PC 1.9.5