Binary Code

A couple of days ago Parallels put out an update to their Parallels Desktop for Mac VM (build 5160) and I’m truly impressed. To say this version is faster to launch would be an understatement - it is amazingly faster. “Holy crap that was fast!” faster.

This is also the first version where I’ve felt Coherence (the ability to run Windows app “out of Windows” as though they’re in the Mac OS) was stable and fast enough to really use:

It’s also a bit freakish to see Windows apps seamlessly integrated into Exposé but I certainly do love the way it relegates Windows to “just another Mac app” status.

I haven’t yet turned sound back on to see if the kernel panic bug that plagued earlier versions is still around. I use Parallels almost daily and in hindsight perhaps that bug was a feature - a completely silent WinXP is not a bad thing. Even if the bug is fixed I think sound will be staying off in the future.

I’m inherently suspicious of the “Mirrored Desktop” and “Map Mac folders” feature which allow the mapping of specified Mac folders to drive letters in Windows (ie: “Movies” mapped to “M:” for playback in Windows). IMO one of the main reasons to use Parallels is to abstract Windows away from the scary real world into it’s own safe sandbox where viruses and trojans and worms and script kiddies can all run rampant without worry. The seamless integration of my Mac files with Windows in any way makes me nervous - it brings the worry back. None of that for me.

If you’ve been waiting to move to Parallels I think this is the version. I am well impressed indeed.