Filed under: Software
VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1
VMware has just announced VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1, the first beta of the second iteration of their very successful virtualization product for the Mac. As you'll recall Fusion allows you to run a host of OSes on your Intel Mac including, but not limited to, many flavors of Windows.
The above video gives you a tour of Fusion 2.0 Beta 1's top new features, including:
- Multiple monitor support (up to 10 displays!)
- Improved networking and printing
- Support for DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 2 (this is experimental, and it might not work on your Mac)
- A refined UI for settings and VM management
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ryan Schmidt said 11:40PM on 5-05-2008
So, if my version of Fusion is working fine now, should I not upgrade? Does this version use my current serial key or not?
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Ben G. said 12:03AM on 5-06-2008
Your existing VMware Fusion serial numbers will work just fine with the 2.0 beta (and with 2.0 final).
anthony said 11:48PM on 5-05-2008
That's pretty sweet! I've been a little pissy without the ability to span multiple monitors. :-)
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mmendoza27 said 11:58PM on 5-05-2008
I'm just waiting for more 3D support. If VMware keeps it up, they are going to blow Parallels out of the water. As a matter of fact, I haven't heard much from Parallels lately.
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Quix said 11:59PM on 5-05-2008
Default VM at launch? Thank you!
They still need to work on slimming down all that empty (and unnecessary) gray space at the top of the app.
And 2.0 will be a free upgrade? I heart VMware!
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Ben G. said 12:05AM on 5-06-2008
You can actually change the size of the toolbar by Control-clicking or right-clicking on it and changing the icon size or getting rid of the text.
I like to run my toolbar with small icons, no text, and I get rid of the status bar from the View menu.
Peter Kazanjy said 12:21AM on 5-06-2008
@Quix: Click that little bubble looking thingy in the upper righthand corner of your VMware Fusion window. See how it shrinks down the tool bar? Is that what you wanted to achieve?
Quix said 12:25AM on 5-06-2008
@ Ben G.
Yeah, I have mine set to small icons and no text. There's still an awful lot of empty gray up there. Though I suppose that's not VMware's fault - just no icons to fill all that OS X-mandated window header space.
Paul said 12:30AM on 5-06-2008
sweet, forget Parallels
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CaptSaltyJack said 1:24AM on 5-06-2008
Why do people insist on dubbing obnoxious music into tech demos?
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lb said 2:17AM on 5-06-2008
Free Upgrade equals excellent customer relations. It's nice to see a company that supports the early adopter. I'd rather be here than stuck in some Parallels Universe with bizarro upgrade policies.
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mwhusa said 2:20AM on 5-06-2008
Still no Snapshot manager ( or multiple snapshots ). Oh well....
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Ben G. said 3:12AM on 5-06-2008
A snazzy snapshot manager is way, way high on the list of things we want to see in Fusion. Can't make any promises, but you're not the only one asking for this one, so definitely stay tuned.
ljun g junl said 2:34AM on 5-06-2008
somehow make it time machine friendly? [saving data in small chunks] :P
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joeles said 2:57AM on 5-06-2008
uh. parallels sucks right now.
if vmware wants to start kicking parallels now, they should start a marketing campaign like "upgrade your parallels desktop to vmware" and give some discount to old parallels users. i'd buy it instantly!
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Ben G. said 3:14AM on 5-06-2008
@joeles -- You're in luck! There's a competitive upgrade price ($30 off) for Parallels users who want to switch to VMware Fusion.
Check it out: http://www.vmware.com/landing_pages/switchtofusion/switching-tools.html
mentalsticks said 7:39AM on 5-06-2008
@Ben G.: that's US and Canada only (don't ask why) so it's not completely sure that joeles is in luck. I, for one, am not.
mentalsticks said 7:43AM on 5-06-2008
Oh, and Ben G. - you don't happen to be the Ben G. who is the the lead developer of VMware Fusion for Mac, do you? In that case it's especially embarrassing that you a) don't know the rules of your own company's rebate, and b) comment spam on weblogs.
Chris said 8:31AM on 5-06-2008
@mentalsticks
He's providing relevant information, and posting multiple replies without links in them. You're a tool, stop hurting the internet by posting this kind of drivel. He can't help the policies set forth by different departments within his company, and he's doing what he can to answer questions. Next time you want to try to make someone look like an ass, at least do it to someone who deserves it rather than to someone who is genuinely helping.
Ben G. said 11:00AM on 5-06-2008
@mentalsticks -- As Chris mentioned, I'm doing my best to help out. I actually didn't know that the rebate was only applicable to North America, and I apologize for anything resembling comment spamming! That wasn't my intention at all.