Parallels Desktop Release Candidate 2, uh, released

Is anyone using Quicken Deluxe (for Windows) using Parallels Desktop for Mac? Are there any major problems, especially downloading investment data? Quicken for Mac is terrible and I am hoping that Parallels will enable me to use the Windows version so that my account data is accurate!

I don't think there is much lag at all when working in XP and OS X. Windows runs at about 95% of native speed, which is plenty for me.

Wow. This sounds awesome. I have a Thinkpad right now and am looking at the MBP. I need to have access to certain Windows apps. For reference to the poster inquiring about why anyone needed Windows apps beyond Adobe, let me provide some input.

For background, I am an attorney and I used to do NLE and documentary work. I'd love to have an Apple for the NLE and general computer operation, but I have to be able to run certain applications for my legal practice. For example, Trial Director (indatacorp.com) is not available on the Mac. Another, essential program, is Time Matters (timematters.com). While you can access it virtually through the Web Server edition, the cost is significant, and I'd rather have a virtual session. Live note and other trial realted programs are a must.

The whole idea of being able to work in both worlds without issues and no substantive lag is very appealing. FWIW, I don't care much about gaming, so I'm looking at practical office related operations. This makes chosing a mac for my replacement notebook in July a no brainer.

Jonathan

This version flies along, even on my lowly 17" iMac with 512Mb RAM. The previous RC just crawled.

Now, my clean XP install boots in 10 seconds. Which, oddly, is faster than a similar install on Boot Camp.

The way you copy and paste in Parallels is by dragging the files from say, Windows, into a "shared folder," and the file will simultaneously appear on your OS X desktop. Extremely simple.

I use windows for engineering applications that are not written for mac. Yes, there is a world of uses for this outside of gaming. Also, quicktime can't edit mpeg2 video files, so that's another reason I need to have windows around. Yes, I could buy Final Cut Pro, but for just a quick & dirty cut and splice, there are free software apps that work quite well in windows. Again, quicktime pro can read mpeg2 video files if you have the apple codec, but it can not edit them. If anyone can show me an alternative to either of these two uses, feel free (and don't someone say mpeg streamclip because I'm not trying to re-encode, I'm just simply trying to edit an mpeg2).

I hope they found some sort of solution for the VT-x recognition problem, because it absolutely crawls on my Mini.

Can I copy and paste between windows and Mac OS X? I can do that between Virtual PC on my G4 and Mac OS X. Even with pictures!

"other than possibly playing a game that's made for Windows"

which you would NEVER use Parallels for.. you would just use Boot Camp

There's a ton of software out there, outside the Adobe universe, that is Windows-only. Medical, business, real estate, law... the list is endless. As much as we all love Mac OS X, it's still in the single-digit market usage. Most of the planet is using Windows, and a lot of those people are (whether by choice, against their will or otherwise) using Windows-only software.