Parallels vs. VM Ware Fusion
For some time, I have had both VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop for Mac on my MacBook. As part of my Mac "diet" to slim down the data on my hard drive, I decided that I would only have one virtualization program on the MacBook Air, so that meant that one had to go.
I have used both programs, and there are things that I like about each of them. They offer very simliar features and options across the board. However, I have used Parallels more frequently and for a longer period of time. Nonetheless, I wanted to give Fusion a fair opportunity before making my final decision.
I used the VMWare Importer Tool to pull a copy of my Parallels "virtual pc" into Fusion so that I could compare apples to apples (no pun intended). It did a pretty good job, after about 40 minutes, of pulling all of the programs, etc. into a Fusion virtual machine. I installed the "Tools" functionality in Fusion, and I then began my comparison.
Both virtual machines used approximately the same amount of disk space (21 GB). Both took approximately the same amount of time to start up and allow me to begin using the Windows programs, and the programs themselves seemed to run at a comparable speed on both virtual machines.
Unfortunately, the VMWare Importer did not bring my print settings into Fusion, which proved to be a huge problem. In fact, I tried for over an hour to configure the settlngs to be able use our network printer at the office, but in the end I gave up. To be fair to Fusion, I also tried to print from another Fusion virtual machine I had previously installed, and it wouldn't allow me to print either.
So in the end, I decided to stick with Parallels and not install Fusion on the MacBook Air. It should not be so difficult to set up printing in Fusion, and that ultimately proved to be the tie-breaker for me. I invite you to submit comments as to which virtualization option you prefer and why.
Hi Ben,
Sorry to hear you ran into trouble with setting up printers in Fusion! The setup process was pretty byzantine in Fusion 1.0. Thankfully, we've made a lot of progress since then!
VMware Fusion 2.0, now in beta, includes transparent printer pass-through support. Your Mac printers are passed through to your virtual machine, and no setup is required.
All you need to do is go to the menu Virtual Machine -> Settings, click on Printers, and select the "Enabled" check box.
You can grab the beta from:
http://communities.vmware.com/community/beta/fusion
Good luck!
-- Ben (another one!)
Ben,
I've generally liked VMWare better than Parallels except for one important feature. When running CaseMap in parallels, it opens pdf's in OS X preview whereas in VM it has to open it in a PC version of Adobe (Ugg). For that reason I find myself using Parallels whenever I Casemap.
I've been going back and forth on the two programs as well. I find myself using VMWare Fusion more and more. Although I don't have hard evidence to support my theory, it seems more isolated from my Mac OS in a good way. I was really annoyed with Parallels filling the Windows Start menu with all kinds of programs from the Mac side. It feels like there is a greater possibility of a virus crossing over to my Mac side. As I write this, I've never heard of that happening. Let's hope it never does.
One thing I liked about Parallels though was the multiple snap shot feature. I hope VMWare adopts this soon.
I've had parallels since 2.5 and fusion since 1.1. Though I've never ran them side by side I can't tell a difference in performance. The key for me is ease of use. And while Fusion's fully automatic install is nice and I like the improved USB support, VMWare dropped a major feature in 1.2 and 2 beta: smart card support. My wife needs it for a lock box security card and I need it for Outlook Web Access. These are the only reasons we need Windows on our Macs. Searching for a solution on the VMWare forum, they instructed me to revert to 1.1 which caused further problems with my current Windows install. In the end, just by keeping its functionality, Parallels won us over. For those reading this from the Real Estate or military communities, stick with Parallels. It will save you some trouble.
Why not run Wine or VirtualBox? Both are free.