What features will Virtual PC 7 have?

Wild speculation:

1. _Major_ speed improvements, possibly by modifying Windows code to run
natively on the G3/G4/G5 CPU of the Mac.

2. Virtual PC updates via Apple Software Update.

3. Windows updates via Apple Software Update, possibly combined Windows
and Virtual PC updates.

4. Rootless mode?

5. Some more Windows/Mac integration, if not rootless mode.

6. Starting Windows applications directly from the Finder in a way that
actually works all the time.

7. Better Dock integration.

8. Integration into Office:Mac in some weird way?

9. Overall more Microsoft/Mac look-and-feel (like Office:Mac).

10. DirectX support, possibly via native DirectX implementation.


Weird speculation:

10. Support for XBox1 games?

11. Support for XBox2 games?

12. Integration into or with XBox2 SDK?


Any ideas?

--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

In article <1ga6wvx.1ver52je4vs12N%andrew@netneurotic.de>,
andrew@netneurotic.de (Andrew J. Brehm) wrote:

I don't care - I don't use it.

--
Sandman[.net]

Sandman <mr@sandman.net> wrote:

I found it very handy for testing GNU/Linux distributions.

I have installed both Windows 2000 and Windows XP but I do nothing with
them except updating every month.

--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

"Sandman" <mr@sandman.net> wrote in message
news:mr-BD0AD7.20454705032004@news.fu-berlin.de...

The only one that really matters - Usable on G5!

The question on the table is whether it will be suitable for playing
Windows games or not.

I found VPC 6 on the G4's to simply be too pokey for that task except
with, Solitaire and the like...

I also discovered that certain game components simply wouldn't work with
it because of lack of any ability to talk directly to physical 3D
hardware... as an example, the Aurora Toolset from NWN does not run
under VPC. At all.

If it is improved here, I may finally go out and try a few Windows games
I've missed along the way for the last few years, good news is they'll
be laying around in bargain bins nice and cheap.

I also recognize the problem you've mentioned -- that this
"breakthrough" could also mean a decline in games ported to Mac.

So I'm not sure whether to hope for improvements or not.

Seeker1 <seeker1@NOSPAMmac.com> wrote:

That is one important question indeed.

I heard that earlier versions of VPC could play some Windows games.

Yes, a native implementation of DirectX for Virtual PC could do a lot
here.

Yes.

It will. The question is whether Microsoft will be pushing it and
whether such a push is directed against Apple or against competing game
console makers.

If Microsoft manage to convince ISVs not to make games portable,
Nintendo and Sony will be the victims, while Apple might not be.

Improvements are good, up to a point.

It's the old "better Windows than Windows" dilemma. The easier it is to
run Windows programs on another platform, the easier it will be for the
user to switch to that platform, and for the developer to ignore the
platform.

--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

In article <1ga71hj.n3sx292qn2cqN%andrew@netneurotic.de>,
andrew@netneurotic.de (Andrew J. Brehm) wrote:

That would be a good way to use them yes. Never thought of that.

But that wouldn't benefit much from the list you posted, either.

That's what you do with Windows. And play games.

--
Sandman[.net]

Sandman <mr@sandman.net> wrote:

Nope. But there is not much that I expect Microsoft will do to improve
Virtual PC for non-Microsoft OSs. (Not that I would blame them for it.)

I don't, really. I play mostly StarCraft and Alpha Centauri. Both run
natively.

--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

Seeker1 <seeker1@NOSPAMmac.com> writes:

VPC 3 was really the last version that had acceptable gaming performance.
I was able to play Shogo under Windows 98 in software mode, and had little
trouble with Curse of Monkey Island, and most of my old DOS games worked
at full speed. Starting with VPC 4, the performance of graphics updates in
Windows plummeted.

--
Cameron Kaiser * ckaiser@floodgap.com * posting with a Commodore 128
personal page: http://www.armory.com/%7Espectre/
** Computer Workshops: games, productivity software and more for C64/128! **
** http://www.armory.com/%7Espectre/cwi/ **

Cameron Kaiser <ckaiser@floodgap.com> wrote:

I am wondering whether OS X compatibility (or preperation for such) was
the sole reason for that, or whether Connectix tried out something and
couldn't go back because all their other changes for the G3/G4 were
already implemented...

Microsoft will probably correct these mistakes.

--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

Andrew J. Brehm wrote:

The iPod seems to be Apple's Troja Horse. VPC seems to be Microsoft's.
I think the aquisition of VPC by Microsoft will be a milestone and will
have rippling effects for a long time to come.

Nicolas

In article <IZk2c.111191$IF6.3489160@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca>, Nashton
<ndk@NOSPAM.nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

Why would you think that about VPC? IMO, VPC has always been something
you use because you have to, not because it was particularly good.

Lloyd Parsons wrote:

We'll just have to wait and see. If they manage to run it quasi natively
on Mac hardware, watch gaming go down the tubes for the Mac and I can
forsee PC users buying Macs and running VPC on them, if the speed is
adequate.
I can smell an opportunity here for Apple.

Nicolas

Nashton <ndk@NOSPAM.nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

I think the other direction is more probable.

Mac users will play Windows games and ISVs will not develop games for
the Mac any more.



--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza

Andrew J. Brehm <andrew@netneurotic.de> wrote:

Yes

Yes

BUT only when you reboot into Windows.

Microsoft will offer 'more' choice and governments can keep their tax
helper apps Windows only because everyone can run Windows! And minimal
req is a 700MHz G4 as Microsoft doesn't want Windows to look slow.

And booted Windows will respect multiple accounts and even FileVault,
however 6 months later we will find out that Windows viruses can access
everything related to Mac OS X.

3 months after that we find that viruses can also exploit the required
admin account for Windows installation and live update.

2 months later we find that Microsoft has added an Applescript for
integration of Mail.app with Microsoft Entourage and Office which can be
exploited for auto execution of attachments in mail.app

Maccies will claim Mac OS X by itself is still virusfree but know one
will believe them.
--
Dennis SCP

In article <1ga79ir.qrm5j9oa0q2qN%andrew@netneurotic.de>,
andrew@netneurotic.de (Andrew J. Brehm) wrote:

You'll be lucky if they don't intentionally break compatibility with
non-Microsoft systems.

--
"In my judgment, when the United States says there will be serious consequences,
and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences."
-- George W. Bush on Meet the Press, Feb. 8, 2004

ZnU <znu@acedsl.com> wrote:

Since they use the same technology on Windows to support "legacy"
systems in order to get such users to switch, I doubt Microsoft will do
that.


--
Andrew J. Brehm
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza