Apple unveils software to permit Windows use

Yeah, this makes Apple a KILLER platform. You can run UNIX, Mac OS and now Windows all at native speeds. Think of all the iPod users out there who love the phenomenal design of their pod who will now switch to the Apple platform. This is truly great news.

i think the question is ,does this leave mac open to virus now ?

It certainly does when you are running Windows XP on the new Intel-based Macs. There are reports of some holes in Mac's traditionally bullet proof armor when running these new machines - exploits that take advantage of known security holes with the Intel chip, but obviously, Apple engineers are patching them as soon as they become known. They've already released a couple of security updates.

I can't imagine that anyone would buy an Intel-based Mac simply to run Windows. That would be a pretty dumb decision. This new **free** software, "Boot Camp" that enables us to run Windows XP on Intel-based Macs, will most likely be used by people who have the odd application they need to run that doesn't come in an OS X version.

Virtual PC was a program I used to use when I needed to do run Windows apps. It would run Windows in emulation mode on the Mac. It worked fine and enabled me to design my house using a CAD program that wasn't available for the Mac OS. One advantage it had was that I could switch back and forth between the Windows environment and Mac as easily as switching applications. As I understand it, "Boot Camp" will require that you reboot the computer. That said, Virtual PC was never robust enough for gaming, this new software means you can run Windows games at native speeds!

you designed your house on the computer? a built from scratch or did you remodel? i only ask because when i sell here (a.s.a.p. ) im going to build a house or if i find one i like on the acrege i want i will remodel. if i could design it before looking ,that could save time! effort and 5 trips to N.C. ,lol!

I saw that mention of Boot Camp, but thought it meant you could dual-boot back and forth.

If I can run Windows Apps within Mac OS X... my next laptop may very well be a Mac. (Maybe... that Thinkpad T60 is pretty sweet... and I want a finger nub for the mouse because I'm a keyboard jockey who doesn't like trackpads.)

Dual boot means you can shut down the computer and boot into either Windows or Mac OS, or UNIX for that matter. Lots of grumbling in the Mac community about not being able to run Window as a separate app which would allow switching back and forth without a reboot.

I would imagine that many, many programmers will be switching to Apple. Talk about a cost savings to have one computer that covers all varieties out there.

I guess I'm still clueless to why people use Macs? Just like Linux, people always say Windows is a weak OS and have too many vulnerabilities. Well, yeah... when majority of the world is using it, majority of the world is also finding it's exploits. If Mac were king, people would bitch about it as well. Plus there's always people rooting for the underdog. Back in the day, 10+ years ago, it was Mac had better graphic apps. Windows apps blow it away now, so please fill me in on why Macs are so much better. Gates owns an almost majority share of Apple, I'm sure it's in his best interest to enable Windows on Macs now.

Another huge point to Macs... their users must love getting the major games a year or so after they've been out on Windows OS. I'm sure they're alot better too.

I designed a brand spanking new house using an architectural CAD program. Learning curve wasn't too steep and I knew a lot about house construction (although that wasn't really necessary). We spent a lot of time looking at other homes and figuring out what worked best for us. The hardest part was clearing the land! The property was heavily forested (except for the golf course on our east side). I spent a good chunk of 9 months working my Stihl Farmboss chainsaw as I cleared hundreds of trees. It was a really cool experience. In fact, it was so much fun that I'd love to be able to do it again, but we can't imagine finding a more ideal spot ... and we now have our own blood and sweat invested in the house so it would be very, very tough to move.

I'd highly encourage you to take a look at the software out there for home design. Some of it is INCREDIBLY user-friendly. You can then take the prints from the program and have a draftsman create the blue prints. With 20/20 hindsight, I think it would have been valuable to take the additional step of sitting down with an architect once I had my rough design, but that certainly wasn't necessary. The program allowed me to design everything, including the electrical service. It was a lot of fun figuring out where all the recessed lighting was going. Once it was completed, we could "turn on the lights" and do a virtual walk through the house. It is uncanny how accurate that virtual walk-through is to the finished house. We were even able to put in our existing furniture and see how it would look. Computers are kick ass!!!

From our experience... Macs just *work*. Nowhere near the number of issues with spyware slowing the sytem to a crawl or dealing with worms / viruses. There is only one Windows application that I can't replace, which is why I need to be able to run Windows on the work laptop.

Plus, having a unix-like system under the hood is very powerful. Apple finally accomplished with OS X what the unix folks should've done years ago with X Windows.

Is it the best gaming platform? Not really. But for a non-power user, I readily steer people towards Apples if all they want to do is a bit of word processing and web browsing.

holy shit! that sounds alot like the plots were looking at did you sell the lumber? so if you did your interior than i guess if i buy a resale i could redo the interior on this program then?im a little picky when it comes to lighting and kitchen.i need an open kitchen (big space) so if most resales i see have enclosed kitchens i wonder on the program if i can open it up to see what it would look like missing a wall and adding stainless apl ,granite etc..(hope i didnt lose you,hehe)