Introduction
Okay so after a day of having been a member here I've noticed more than one post on whether or not Visual Basic, and .NET Framework "Programs" work on Mac. Short answer is: they don't.
But don't lose hope! If you have a Mac and bought it some time AFTER January 10, 2006, you're in luck!
In 2006 Apple transitioned to Intel chip technology, bringing about numerous benefits for the likes of you!
Quote:
Benefits of the move
Advocates of the transition point out the potential for the new Intel Mac systems to run four classes of software at near native speeds[citation needed]: Mac OS X binaries[citation needed], Java[citation needed]/.NET[citation needed] applications, Unix applications[citation needed], and Win32/x86 applications.[citation needed]
Originally, emulation software such as DOSBox or Microsoft Virtual PC was required to run x86 software on the Macintosh. Such software could now enjoy much more success with near-native performance through virtualization, such as is currently being done by Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMware Fusion. For those customers wishing to achieve a more conventional environment, a dual, triple, or even quadruple boot solution is possible on an x86 Apple device using Boot Camp software (which includes Windows drivers for Mac hardware).
Although most games depend on the use of DirectX APIs not available on Mac OS X (on either processor type), it should be easier to port OS-independent code, such as OpenGL, now that developers no longer have to resolve endian, and other ISA dependency issues associated with moving from x86 to PowerPC.[citation needed]
So if you aren't quite sure when you bought your Mac and you want to check if you're running an intel processor do this:
- Click the apple in the upper left hand corner of your screen
- Click about this Mac
- A box should pop up. Next to 'Processor' will be the chip you're running. Make sure it says Intel somewhere.
Choosing a Virtual Machine
Now that you have determined whether or not your Mac is equipped for this task, it's time to pick what's called a Virtual Machine. You will choose one of three tools: VMWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, or Apple's Bootcamp.
VMWare Fusion 3.1 ($79.99) -
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VMware Fusion 3.1
The Best Way to Run Windows on your Mac.
Complete with all the tools you need to switch to a Mac and 70+ new and improved features including:
• Faster Than Ever. With faster application launching, more seamless scrolling, quicker resume from suspend, and better overall disk performance, VMware Fusion 3.1 delivers 35% better end-to-end performance compared to VMware Fusion 3.0
• Optimized for Snow Leopard. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s advanced architecture with a 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel, delivering the best Windows on Mac experience.
• Ultimate Windows 7 Experience. VMware Fusion is the first to enable the full Windows 7 experience, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D.
• Switching Made Easy. VMware Fusion is the fastest and least expensive way for users to bring their entire PC to their Mac in a few easy steps, allowing customers to protect investments in existing Windows software, without the added cost of a special cable.
• Better 3D Graphics Performance.Support for OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 enables users to run their favorite 3D Windows games and applications – all without rebooting. Greatly improved Windows Aero performance in VMware Fusion 3.1 delivers up to 5X better 3D gaming performance.
• More Mac-Like than Ever. Run Windows applications even more like Mac applications with features like an “always-on” applications menu to find and launch Windows apps, even when VMware Fusion isn’t launched. Support for overlapping Unity windows in Exposé and Dock Exposé added in VMware Fusion 3.1.
• USB EasyConnect: Assign a USB device to a virtual machine or your Mac and “remember” preferred settings, making it easy to manage multiple devices
• English, French, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Italian all in the same download
Parallels Desktop 5 ($69.99) -
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KEY FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGIES:
New version lets you run thousands of Windows applications faster on your Mac
Enhanced!
Install Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 in 3 easy steps
Enhanced!
Optimized for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
New!
Support for Aero in Windows Vista and Windows 7
Enhanced!
Full support for Mac OS X Server, 8 virtual CPUs and 64-bit Windows
New!
Intel® VT-x2 virtualization technology drives maximum performance
Enhanced!
Unmatched virtual machine performance
Enhanced!
Parallels Compressor automatically reclaims hard disk space
Easily share files between Mac and Windows
Launch Windows apps directly from the Mac Dock
New!
Support for Multi-Touch trackpad gestures in Windows applications
Enhanced!
Improved USB device compatibility — printers, cameras, mobile phones, scanners, GPS devices and more
Enhanced!
Easily organize multiple windows with Exposé and Spaces
New!
Use Apple remote to control Windows applications.
Enhanced!
Run more than 60 different OSs, including Linux, BSD and more
Enhanced!
DirectX 9Ex with Shader model 3 support for games and 3D graphics applications
New!
Use administrator tools to protect and secure virtual machines
Enhanced!
SmartGuard’s instant “snapshots” make backup and recovery easier than ever
Safe Mode for private and secure computing
$175 in Bonus Software
Parallels Internet Security by Kaspersky protects from virus and spyware threats, plus Acronis True Image and Acronis Disk Director Leading the Way in Powerful Features, It’s No Wonder Parallels is #1
Apple Boot Camp (Free) -
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/ (FAQ/System Req./Installation Guide)
Each software has its benefits and downfalls. If you want to be running programs on the side while you use your Mac software I would recommend VMWare Fusion because it performs better in certain benchmarks than Parallels. But if you're going to be running programs for a long time, or want your buys to be as low as possible I would recommend installing Boot Camp and dual booting Windows.
The benchmarks and comparisons of all three options can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple–Intel_transition
Setting up a Virtual Machine
Now that you have chosen the software you want to use, and installed it, it's time to setup Windows!
If you have a genuine cd + key for any version of Windows, from XP - 7 you'll be fine. All you have to do is pop your cd in, open it with Parallels or VMWare and enter your auth. key.
If you don't, I recommend finding a less than genuine copy somewhere on the web as it works just as well.
Adding a Virtual Machine to VMWare/Parallels takes less than five minutes to do and you'll have a working cheating machine up in no time flat. Depending on how fast your computer is, some Windows applications can actually run pretty much as fast as they do natively.
Now all you have to do is download the necessary DLL's and other gobbledygook necessary to run your desired program, stick it wherever it's needed, open up your program, and VOILA!
You're running VB/.Net programs with no problem!
I hope you enjoyed my very first Neo Friends guide! There will be more to come.
Please, if you have any questions, or would like to see pictures of any step please let me know and I'll do my best to answer/accommodate your needs.
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NicoCREDITS FOR INFORMATION
www.VMware.com
www.parallels.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple–Intel_transition
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
THIS IS 100% MY WORK. DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION
NOTE: I don't recommend using Boot Camp unless you can absolutely 1000% back up your whole drive before you partition. A lot of times the way the Hard Drive is partitioned isn't compatible with Boot Camp Assistant so you have to reformat it before you can partition it. Sometimes you get lucky and don't need to do any extra mumbo-jumbo but it's a gamble and I'd back up my files if I were you.
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