MAMP is an easy install for Mac OS X users of Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It creates a local environment for you to run your own Apache, MySQL, and PHP server, to test out websites. MAMP is free while the MAMP Pro is a 14-day trial (unless you are already a registered 2.x users).

MAMP is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish while MAMP Pro is available in English, German, and Japanese.

While release notes are not yet available, it is noted in the 2.0.2 download area that these versions of MAMP and MAMP Pro are compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

Keep in mind that this version requires a minimum of Mac OS X 10.6.6 to install.

When release notes are available, I’ll update them here.

It’s available from the MAMP Downloads page.

Apple recommends it for all OS X 10.7 users. It includes OS fixes for stability and compatibility, as well as other changes and updates.

Client and Server-related changes and udpates:
* Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari
* Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out
* Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections
* Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion

In addition, there are some issues concerning MacBook Air (2011) and Mac mini (2011) systems that have been resolved:
* Resolve an issue where MacBook Air may boot up when MagSafe Adapter is attached
* Resolve an issue causing intermittent display flickering on MacBook Air
* Resolve an issue that causes the SD card slot in Mac mini to run at reduced speed with SD and SDHC media

2011 MacBook Air and Mac mini Update: Support.Apple.com/kb/DL1439
Client Update Information: Support.Apple.com/kb/HT4764
Server Update Information: Support.Apple.com/kb/HT4765

VirtualBox is virtualization software that allows you to create self-contained virtual machines (VM). It’s actually open source, and the only one current virtualization software that is full open source (and free!). There is a Mac OS X version and it supports older versions of Windows (Windows NT4, 2000) as well as the latest (Windows 7), in addition to DOS, Linux, Solaris, OS/2, and other guest operating systems.

With version 4.1.2, there isn’t much that is specific to Mac OS X hosts, but it’s still a recommended upgrade.

Changes
* VMM: fixed handling of the sysenter/sysexit machine instructions in 64-bit guests on Intel hosts
* GUI: added linked clone support
* GUI: fixed error check when changing the VM controller settings (4.1.0 regression; bug #9246)
* GUI: fixed the inclusion of additional information (license, vendor, …) on OVF export
* GUI: when taking a snapshot from the VM selector, don’t do a live snapshot
* GUI: fixed immediate crash during start on certain environments due to a library version conflict
* Guest control execution: implemented copying single files from guest to the host (directories and filters not supported yet)
* Guest control execution: limited to serve up to 5 guest processes at a time by default
* Main: return the correct RDP default port fixing settings warnings in the GUI if the remote display was enabled at runtime (bug #9368)
* VBoxSVC: made the path comparison OS independent when images are registered (bug #9303)
* VBoxSVC: several fixes/performance improvements for cloning of VMs
* Snapshots: fixed “Solid-State drive” flag survival on snapshot creation (bug #9379)
* VBoxManage: implemented copyfrom and stat guest control tools to copy files from guest to host and to check for existence of files on the guest
* VBoxManage: fixed extpack install –replace (bug #9308)
* VBoxManage: allow to start multiple VMs with startvm
* VBoxManage: experimental support for SATA CD/DVD hotplugging
* VRDP: fixed a case when the screen was not redrawn correctly (bug #9242)
* USB: fixed issues with remote filters being applied to local USB devices
* OVA: fixed import of renamed OVA files (bug #9033)
* Guest Additions: keep logged in user count in out-of-memory situations and warn about it

Download: Downloads (VirtualBox.org)

Boxer 1.1 added support for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, and Boxer 1.1.1 improves upon that. For those who use joysticks, this is an update you will definitely want, as there was a lot of work done with joystick controls and input.

Joystick improvements:
* Better controller mappings for:
— Logitech Dual Action, RumblePad 2, and Fx10 series gamepads
— Logitech Formula Force, MOMO Racing and G25/G27 series wheels
— 3rd-party XBOX 360 controllers
* CH Flightstick Pro throttle emulation works better with gamepads and displays the current throttle level on-screen.
* Per-game option to disable joystick emulation, to avoid interfering with external tools like Gamepad Companion.
* If a game seems to be ignoring your joystick input, Boxer will remind you to turn on joystick control within the game.
* Reduced axis deadzone from 25% to 20% to make sticks more sensitive.
* On most controllers, buttons 5-8 are now also bound to the four DOS joystick buttons.
* Improved gamepad detection to more reliably apply twin-stick racing wheel layout.

Better disk handling:
* The program panel now discovers programs located on ISOs and floppy-disk images, and can set them as the default program for a gamebox. This makes it much easier to play games that have left all their programs on the CD.
* Drives are scanned for available programs in the background, resulting in quicker gamebox startup.
* Added support for .IMG and .VFD floppy-disk image formats.
* Fixed floppy-disk images hanging on PowerPC Macs.

Fixes for 10.7 Lion:
* Fixed nasty fullscreen lag under Lion.
* Fixed occasional Lion crash when tapping the DOS window’s close button on a trackpad.
* Disabled restore-windows-at-startup in Lion, to prevent numerous startup bugs and general misbehaviour.

General fixes and tweaks:
* New bezel notifications for switching to fullscreen, pausing, adjusting CPU speed and adding/removing drives.
* Flicker-free fullscreen transitions, smooth crossfades in program panel, and other cosmetic improvements.
* Automatic configuration for Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Metaltech: Earthsiege.
* Disabled blur effect behind Inspector panel in preparation for App Store compatibility.
* Removed Growl support, now that it has been superseded by built-in bezels.

Requires: Mac OS X 10.5 and newer

If you are still on an older version of Mac OS X, namely Mac OS X 10.4, check the link below for details on older version of Boxer to run on your Mac.

Main website: BoxerApp.com

Of interest to us is that they took a look at running Parallels Desktop 6 on the MacBook Airs and using the Parallels WorldBench as one of the benchmarks, with the results for the Multitasking tests posted.

The 11-inch MacBook Air (2011 model) with the Core i7 upgrade (available only through the online Apple Store) saw a 25% increase in the Parallels WorldBench benchmarks versus the normal Core i5. The Core i7 upgrade for the 11-inch model costs $150.

With the 13-inch MacBook Air (2011 model), the $100 Core i7 upgrade only saw a 10% increase in the Parallels WorldBench benchmark.

Parallels Worldbench Benchmarks (lower is better)

2011 11-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Core i7: 331
2011 11-inch MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Core i5: 443
Mid 2010 11-inch MacBook Air with 1.4GHz Core 2 Do: 640

2011 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Core i7: 325 Parallels WorldBench
2011 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.7GHz Core i5: 361
Mid 2010 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo: 475

If you look at the full article, the update in graphics chipsets from the NVIDIA graphics to the Intel HD 3000 graphics was possibly a step back in some areas, but the CPU updates are definitely a major upgrade. Now obviously everything shouldn’t be based on how well VM software runs, whether it’s Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion, and with the 11-inch MacBook Air, you don’t have much screen real estate to begin with, but there are plenty of people who need VM software for a few tasks here and there, and the 11-inch MacBook Air has definitely come a very long way and is a very suitable machine.

Do keep in mind that the MacBook Air’s Thunderbolt port is apparently only able to handle one external display. On the other hand, given the lack of space on the MacBook Airs (64GB – 128GB standard on the 11-inch MBAs), Thunderbolt is fast enough that you could store your VM sessions on an external drive accessed through the Thunderbolt interface.

Now whether the Core i7 updates, costing $150 for the 11-inch model or $100 for the 13-inch model, are worth it is hard to say. Macworld has not published battery benchmarks either. My take is that it’s worth the cost, especially on the 11-inch MacBook Air. From a long term point of view, it’s worth it if you plan on using it for a few years and then upgrading to a newer model – the resale value will be much higher with the Core i7.

Full article: Macworld

If you’ll recall, CodeWeavers’ CrossOver is software that emulates a Windows environment, and is based on the WINE project. Keep in mind that it’s not a Virtual Machine (VM) like Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion. It is a fairly seamless method of running certain Windows-based software under Mac OS X and Linux.

Those Mac users looking to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, if they haven’t already done so, should pay particular attention. Those looking to upgrade from CrossOver 9.2 should also be aware of this release, as it pertains to them.

* Fixed several known issues with the upcoming Mac OS 10.7 Lion.
* Fixed the Guild Wars footstep bug.
* Updated several built-in CrossTies. (These upgrades have been available online for a while.)
* Improved the MojoSetup (.bin installer) upgrade path.
* Added a progress dialog during initial open of a CrossTie on the Mac.
* Added support for the ‘installer’ keyword which supports CrossTies for stand-alone executables.
* Added RAR support to CrossTie installation.
* Added a ‘recreate’ button to the menus control panel.
* Fixed some menu issues on the upgrade path from CrossOver 9.2.
* Added a means to turn off requesting a stable OpenGL back buffer. Set CX_NO_GL_BACKING_STORE in the environment to enable.

Downloading CrossOver Games for Mac:
* New users: Trial Download/Update
* Existing users: My Downloads page

CrossOver Games 10.1.1 fixes “several known issues” with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. It also fixes a problem with Guild Wars.

Those CrossOver 9.2 users take note – some issues with upgraded to CrossOver Games 10.x have been resolved.

Updates and Fixes
* Fixed several known issues with the upcoming Mac OS 10.7 Lion.
* Fixed the Guild Wars footstep bug.
* Updated several built-in CrossTies. (These upgrades have been available online for a while.)
* Improved the MojoSetup (.bin installer) upgrade path.
* Added a progress dialog during initial open of a CrossTie on the Mac.
* Added support for the ‘installer’ keyword which supports CrossTies for stand-alone executables.
* Added RAR support to CrossTie installation.
* Added a ‘recreate’ button to the menus control panel.
* Fixed some menu issues on the upgrade path from CrossOver 9.2.
* Added a means to turn off requesting a stable OpenGL back buffer. Set CX_NO_GL_BACKING_STORE in the environment to enable.

Downloads:
* Trial Download/Update
* Downloads page (Existing Users)

Boxer 1.1 should be called the Joysticks and Lions release, as that’s the main emphasis.

Joysticks:
* Emulates four kinds of DOS-era joysticks: regular joystick/gamepad, Thrustmaster FCS, CH FlightStick Pro or racing wheel.
* Plug-and-play support for Mac-compatible USB and Bluetooth game controllers, with instructions for getting your 360 or PS3 controller working in OS X.
* Native Joypad support: turn your iPhone into a gamepad, with custom layouts for each DOS joystick type.
* A new Inspector panel for tweaking joystick settings while you play.

OS X 10.7 Lion compatibility:
* Supports Lion’s new-and-improved fullscreen mode.
* Limited support for Lion’s new resume features: quit while playing, and Boxer will start up with the same game next time.
* Boatloads of Lion-specific bugfixes, large and small.

Other fixes and improvements:
* Hold [fn] to override Boxer’s Ctrl-click and Opt-click shortcuts: so they’re sent directly to DOS instead of simulating a right-click/middle-click.
* The Mac’s display is now prevented from going to sleep while a game is running and unpaused.
* Added an option in the cover-art dropzone’s right-click menu to do an image search for the current game.
* Expanded help for Inspector window panels.
* Fixed a couple of crash bugs when closing the DOS window.
* Improvements to game importing, and configuration fixes for a zillion more games.

It’s available for download here or you can view the main website at BoxerApp.com.

This is a fairly significant upgrade for those Windows 7 users wishing to upgrade to Windows 7 Service Pack 1. It does support both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of SP1. Support for Ubuntu Linux 10.10 and 11.04 was also added.

Updates and Support:
* Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1: Support for Windows 7 SP1 32-bit & 64-bit.
* Ubuntu: Support for Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.04 32-bit & 64-bit.
* Microsoft Office: Fixed a problem opening attachments in Outlook 2010.
* Video: Updated Windows WDDM driver with stability improvements.
* File access: Improved reliability accessing shared files on the Mac.
* Internet: Fixed slow first page loading in Internet Explorer 8.
* USB: Improved handling of smartphones including the Nokia N8.

It also resolved a lot of issues, too much to list here, you can read the issues at the VMWare Fusion Support website (this link goes straight to resolved issues). In addition, there are some known issues that you can read as well.

If you already have VMWare Fusion 3.x, this is a free update and can be updated through VMWare Fusion itself. If you need to re-download it, it can be downloaded through the VMWare Support website.

Oracle VM VirtualBox (the full title) is virtualization software for x86 platforms (Intel/AMD) and allows you to run various Guest OSes under Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and other host operating systems. It is similar in functionality to Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion as far as Mac OS X users are concerned. There is a limited functionality when it comes to running Mac OS X guest sessions, although a Mac as the host machine is required.

It’s being listed as a maintenance release, with no new main features or additions.

Mac OS X related Changes
* Mac OS X hosts: fixed incompatibility with recent Mac OS X versions in 64-bit mode
* Mac OS X hosts: fixed incompatibility with hosts with more than 16 cores
* Mac OS X hosts: fixed painting corruptions on a second monitor in 64-bit mode
* GUI: restored functionality to set an empty host key to disallow any host key combination (4.0.6 regression)
* VBoxManage: added controlvm screenshotpng subcommand for saving the screenshot of a running VM in PNG format
* NAT: built-in services use the correct Ethernet addresses in Ethernet header and in ARP requests
* Host-only networking: fixed adapter reference counting
* E1000: fixed rare guest crashes with Linux SMP guests
* SATA: fixed guest disk corruption under rare circumstances (only relevant for guests with more than 2GB RAM)
* Storage: fixed data corruption after a snapshot was taken with asynchronous I/O enabled
* Floppy: several improvement
* HPET: another fix for time jumps
* 3D support: fixed a potential crash when resizing the guest window
* Snapshots: fixed another bug which could lose entries in the media registry when restoring a snapshot
* Shared Folders: don’t stop mounting the other valid folders if one host folder is inaccessible
* Guest Additions: fixed inappropriate Guest Additions update notification when using vendor-specific version suffixes

Links
* Downloads (VirtualBox.org)
* Full Changelog (VirtualBox.org)