Weekend Project

I've been contemplating the past couple of days if I should dual boot my beloved MacBookPro with WinXP. Being spoiled by OS X's stability, ease of use, and interface, leaving it and booting to an inferior* OS will be just like putting 87 Octane fuel on your Ferrari.

Having said that, here's my plan for the weekend:

1. Try to figure out a way to run WinXP or at least W2K within OS X. Sorry, WindowsME doesn't count!
2. Make sure that either OS will have a working network connection and decent sound and video output.
3. Make sure that either OS will be performing decently.

I'm currently looking at different solutions (QEMU, Q, Xen, WinTel, etc), but looks like Q is the most feasible one. VMWare would've been the BEST choice but they are not making commitments that they will create an OS X port of their software. The WinTel solution looks like a scam in my book (but I've been known to be wrong before). Even though Q is currently just "emulating", OS X kexts are being developed so that virtualization can be implemented.

Will post results once my experiment is done.


*Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Windows per se. As a matter of fact, I earn my living managing Windows boxes. It's just that running Windows and OS X side by side, I can safely say that OS X wins hands-down-- technically and aesthetically speaking** (IMHO at least, YMMV)

** This is entirely a separate blog entry, err... can of worms. Will work on that once time permits.


Recommended "light" reading links:

QVM86 and kqemu.kext forums
Machine Virtualization
Emulation
Virtualization vs Emulation

The Prodigal Son

My first computer was the Apple //e, and boy was I a happy camper. I remember programming in BASIC. An address book program, notepad (with no save functionality), even a "guess the number between 1 to 100" game.

Then along came the 8086XT with its myriad selection of games, I was easily seduced to the "other" side. Long story short, Microsoft won the OS wars in the 90's and together with that, I became a part of the whole Windows clone army, through highschool, college and the early part of my professional career.

Fast forward 2006: Being forced (pleasantly) to be working on a Mac 30% of the time in the office, I have decided to take make the switch back and bought a Macbook Pro last night.

Justifications:
1. Where else can you find a commercial UNIX distribution that is VERY stable and yet very easy to use.

2. Dual core processing in a mobile package -- need I say more?

3. The price. It is a common misconception that Macs are expensive, but in fact, it's not, considering that you'll be getting QUALITY hardware in a well-designed package. Case and point: As of press time, a Dell Laptop with a 1.86 GHz Pentium M (not dual core, mind you) processor with almost the same specs as the base package Macbook Pro will yield approximately the same price. I know it's like comparing apples (pun!) and lemons, but just by that sheer comparison, you'll get an idea on the cost per performance ratio. You get #1 as a bonus too!

Geekier justifications:

1. Dual booting Windows XP and OS X on the MBP will be good exercise. (See www.onmac.net for details)

2. I travel a lot as part of my work, and when I'm on the road, I would love to have access to to OS X-specific or WinXP-specific apps that we run in the office without lugging around 2 laptops.

3. Linux apps are just a compile away!

Apple has gone a long way since the Apple //e (3 platform changes, and 4 OS transitions-- I know there are more, but this is as far as I know). I am extremely excited to be back and see the light again.