How-To Geek

My IT person has suggested that he will built a computer for me that would use OS X for the main OS and then run Windows and Ubuntu via VMware. Today I spoke to a person at the Geek Squad. He said this could not be done. He suggested I buy a Mac and then run Windows via Bootcamp. He said that Bootcamp is not like VMware in that when you are running Windows you are only using one operating system and with VMware you are running both the OS X and Windows, hence draining the resources somewhat.

My IT person seems very credible and I am wondering who is right in this instance. My IT guy was talking about a very fast processor and 8 gb of ram. I wonder who is right? Also, does bootcamp operate differently than VMware in that you only are using one OS?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Sm

Thank you for your response. I do not want to do something illegal but it seems like the laws must be somewhat complex and I guess at this point if my IT person can built it, I am not going to worry about it.

I wish I had the specs for the proposed computer. They were given to me but I can't find them right now.

I know it has a high end processor and 8 gb of ram. I do not like the idea of rebooting and that probably would be a deal killer for me. As I understand, a Mac and Windows 7 take about the same time to boot. I would want to use VMware rather than rebooting.

I have to have Windows due to my work. I kind of want OS X and ubuntu for hobby purposes and for sufing the net, as they seem to pickup fewer virus'. This is subjective, but any thoughts on whether this is a foolish pursuit on my part? Overkill?

Thanks again.

SM

Thanks.

It is hard to decide. I like the package they offered me. They tell me it will work and it will be fast. I would need anti-virus, etc.

If you think of something else I would like to hear about it.

SM

I don't run OS X or keep up with Apple products, so I have no idea how well it will run on a 2.83 GHz Core2 Quad. However, that's a good CPU and with 4 cores and 8 GB of RAM, there will be plenty of resources to divvy up between OS X and Windows. In theory, you could split it down the middle and assign 2 cores to each OS and 4 GB of RAM to each.

The concern that I have about the work OS running on top of the hobby OS is not just about viruses and malware. However, it's a good example to start with. As I said above, you will still need to take all of the normal precautions with Windows that you would if it were installed as the host OS. And while OS X is less likely to become infected, that doesn't mean it's impossible. So in addition to keeping Windows security up-to-date, you will need to have security in OS X as well: firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware, and regular security updates from Apple.

The problem that I would worry about more is that any hobby tinkering with OS X has the potential to cut off access to the work OS. If you install some driver, software, or update that breaks OS X, you might be unable to launch Windows in the VM. If you are willing to accept that risk, and maybe take steps to mitigate it, that's your call. However, I'm sure that you know your boss is unlikely to be understanding if you say, "I can't make that work deadline because I'm having trouble with OS X."

I like the idea of isolating the work OS from the hobby OS. This way, if your Mac OS breaks, you can still meet that work deadline.

I'm assuming, of course, that you don't create the same problem by running Windows in a VM on top of Linux! :-)

So, if I understand correctly, you would keep the older PC running XP exclusively and use that for work. Then your new system would have Mac OS and Linux for all of the hobby stuff, right? You could also play with a Windows install on the hobby system, such as Windows 7 in a VM or something.

Sounds good.

In a perfect world, I would buy two computers and sell or donate the old one. One would be exclusively for work and Outlook hosting. The other would be for all the hobby stuff -- Mac OS, Linux, whatever.

In the ideal world, you would want an even better processor in both of them. But, back to reality...

If the work PC has performance requirements, than those should be addressed. Running MS Office is not too terribly strenuous, but I don't know about Outlook hosting. After the performance, the next most important criteria would be reliability and serviceability. Of course, there's price.

For a hobby system, price is of a higher importance, provided the basic performance needs are met.

Well, to the credit of my IT person it took him a very short time to get my Hackintosh working. And it worked perfectly. Then with the KV switch I could go back and forth in minutes.

Does using a virtualbox and another OS drag down your computer?

thanks

SM

sm. Can you put that in a New Topic please.