Hardware compatibility with mac os. Mac vs. PC

The fact is that Apple computers, unlike most computers of other brands, do not use the traditional Windows from Microsoft, but their own Mac OS (now Apple OS). It turns out a dishonest situation: one Apple against all. It would seem that competition is impossible, but in the mobile market, mono-brand iOS perfectly opposes the same multi-brand Android or Windows Phone. So this is not the most important indicator of success or failure.

Another thing is that historically there are a lot of myths and stereotypes around Mac OS. I decided to test everything on personal experience and for almost three months voluntarily gave up Windows, taking a MacBook Air 11 for temporary personal use. It should be noted that I have never been fond of Apple operating systems before, and from the devices of this brand I only have an iPad, i.e. I am not a fan. What happened as a result - now I will tell.

Myths and stereotypes

Myths and stereotypes around Mac OS did not appear out of the blue. After all, Apple's success began quite recently, before that there was a long hard road of trial and error. Recall at least a very difficult confrontation with IBM and Microsoft in the 80s, and then in the 90s. Let's be honest, not everything from the "apple" company turned out right. It's hard to believe, but even in 1999, the interface of the seemingly beautiful and modern Mac OS was inferior to Windows. This is how the then most current version 9 looked like. Let me remind you that back then there was already Windows 98 and ME was being prepared - the difference with them is simply huge.

Not surprisingly, the Microsoft operating system still won, and Apple remained in the role of catching up. But then came back Steve Jobs and things began to change quickly. Less than 12 years ago, the all-new Mac OS X was released. And less than 11 years ago, with the release of the iPod, the manufacturer made a name for itself with renewed vigor. A cult today iPhone and iPad and even less - a little more than 4 and a little less than 2 years, respectively. Now, in the wake of such popularity of Apple's mobile products, interest in Mac OS has also begun to grow, which is gradually being improved and made more and more similar to the familiar iOS to many. Now, while PC sales have almost stopped growing (Gartner predicts only 4.4% growth for 2012) and tablets are gaining popularity, Macs have been growing in double digits for more than 5 years in a row. I wonder what will happen in another 5 years without Steve Jobs.

There have been a lot of inaccurate facts around Mac OS over the years of growth. Now I will try to remember the most popular:

So the first lie is that Apple has some special files. There is nothing similar in Mac OS. Here are AVI, JPG, MP3, DOC, etc. familiar to you. The file system is open (unlike iOS), which means you can see and work with them just like in Windows.
The second lie is the high cost. It is generally accepted that Mac OS computers are significantly more expensive than their Windows counterparts. If you study the issue now, it becomes clear that this is not the case. MacBook Airs start at $999. Rare ultrabooks cost the same, often more expensive.
There are very few programs for Mac OS. Again, this is not true. Although there is some truth here - there really is more software on Windows, but the gap has already drastically decreased compared to what it was before. If you do not have very specific requirements and tasks, there will be no problems.

And here are the myths that I found confirmation of and which are not myths at all, but quite a reality:

The appearance of the OS is very different from Windows. Yes it's true. It takes some getting used to and not everyone will like it. The interface of Mac OS the farther, the more elements it receives from iOS. Given the popularity of the latter, this should play into the hands of Apple.
Device compatibility issues. The situation is almost the same as with software: everything seems to be there, but specific devices do not have drivers for Mac OS. And Android from the 4th version switched from Mass Storage to MTP, and compatibility will be on the manufacturer's conscience.
OS cannot be configured. Mac OS is positioned as a mass system, which means you will not be allowed to fine-tune. If you love the control panel and know what the registry is, you are in for Windows.

These are just the main points, there are many similar nuances. Most importantly, Mac OS is not a variation on Windows, it is a different OS with its own pros and cons. Trying it is at least interesting, but at the most it is more modern. For example, the app store for Windows appeared only this year, for Mac OS (as well as iOS) it has existed for several years, the mark of 100 million downloads was recently passed. Whatever skeptics say, the Apple logo is now not only an irritant for Android fans, but also a sign of some certain quality - not only hardware, but also software. If you buy from Apple, more often than not, you'll get a well-performing device that's fast and stable. There are exceptions, but Windows and Android have many, many more.

This year, Apple decided to drop the Mac OS name. By this, the company emphasizes the importance of change and at the same time tries to forget about its sinful past. At the same time, the line of products based on this OS is improving, primarily laptops. I have been using the MacBook Air 11” for almost three months and I can say with confidence that this is one of the best ultrabooks. Although officially this device and is not called an ultrabook, but that is exactly what it actually is. Yes, it does not have built-in Ethernet and an SD card slot. Yes, time battery life not the longest. Yes, I wish there were more USB ports. But these are particulars that you can put up with, but in general it turned out to be an excellent machine.

Another myth is that everything is made in China cheaply and of poor quality, but American brands like Apple are made from a completely different “test”. This is not true. Apple is also Chinese, as are most American, European and other types of products. Low taxes, cheap labor and widespread manufacturing facilities have made China a veritable assembly plant serving the world. Apple's merit is that it initiates and controls the production process, and other companies have been catching up with their MacBook Air ultrabooks for a year now as a reference. The most important thing in the model is design. I am not a fan of the brand, so the presence or absence of the coveted apple logo on the lid makes me neither cold nor hot. But the metal unibody case makes the laptop very stylish and practical. I don’t know what the Americans did with the Chinese, how they stimulated it, but everything is perfectly done, thought out, assembled and even packaged.

Pros and cons

Human habit is a terrible force, so everyone is fighting not only for sales here and now, but also for loyalty in the future. We've been using Windows since we were young. Microsoft's openness has made its OS open to the public and very popular. It is preinstalled in schools and universities. Everything else is perceived differently and causes an understandable feeling of discomfort. It takes time to get used to, no matter how simple new system neither was. But gradually the situation is changing. The more resources Apple has, the more it invests in promoting its product. The best example here is the strong focus on education in the new iBooks. As planned, children will learn and immediately get used to the iPad. Over time, there will be more such examples. Even in Russian schools, computers on OS X for Mac are gradually beginning to appear. Personally, I like this trend, because I am for competition.

The most unusual for me at first seemed to be the keyboard. The layout is the same, but many elements are missing. In particular, PgUp and PgDn are missing. Do not press a comma and a period with one button. There are no F5s for updating and all that either. And the familiar Windows logo has been replaced with an obscure cmd function key. Even switching languages is done differently - the same function key, plus a space. You can, of course, install the Windows layout, but this will not give you the full feeling of a familiar Microsoft environment. It took me about a week to get used to, now I'm reaching out to switch the language to Mac on Windows computers. Habit is a terrible thing, and it is difficult to fight it.

By the way, the elongated keyboard for iMac and Mac Pro has PgUp and PgDn keys, and laptops for ergonomics use a standard layout with the Cmd + "Up Arrow" or "Down Arrow" command, which performs this function. In PC laptops, according to Apple, such extra keys, which are used quite rarely, are often placed to the detriment of the full size of the keyboard. In principle, this is also partly true.

The biggest advantage of computers on OS X for Mac in terms of control is gestures. Try it once and you won't want to quit. Two fingers scroll through the page, four fingers switch applications, etc. Works and multi-touch to increase and decrease pages. All this works clearly and smoothly. It is enough to master at least half of these useful manipulations, and life will seem much easier. It took me less than a week to get used to, and now I really miss gestures on Windows. I hope that Microsoft will borrow this someday, it's definitely a huge plus for ergonomics.

The OS itself is quite remotely similar to Windows, you need to get used to it. The control panel is located at the top, and below the application icons. Instead of Explorer - your own iFinder with built-in search. There can be several working screens; there is a separate key to switch between them. Another key to access the main menu (which, by the way, is very similar to iOS). But that's not all, in addition there is a waiting screen with widgets. In general, the structure for a Windows user is completely unusual. And if I completely figured out the keyboard and do not feel any discomfort, then the structure of OS X for Mac still raises questions. The main thing is that the functionality and convenience of the Finder leaves much to be desired compared to Windows Explorer. I recommend immediately installing a third-party program, of which there are quite a few. But what I liked is that most applications work in full screen mode, and you are not distracted by extra panels.

The file system is strangely implemented. For example, you send a file by mail through the web interface or simply select an image to upload somewhere. While on Windows you can right-click and see what you select, it's not possible here. If you want to send a file via Bluetooth, then you must first find it with the Finder and only then go to a separate Bluetooth manager to send. There are many similar features, and I cannot say that I like them. As with PgUp and PgDn on the keyboard, these are not features of a human habit, but an Apple flaw. Hopefully this will be improved in future versions.

But everything works really fast. This is no less important than gestures, a nuance. If on Windows you can wait painfully long for some panel or notification to load when the system performs “heavy” actions, then on Mac OS everything is better optimized. There are almost no slowdowns, everything works like clockwork. Even if the browser (by the way, I recommend immediately replacing Safari with Chrome) has many tabs open, including Flash players (yes, unlike iOS, there is support for this Adobe technology), and the entire panel in running applications still does not freeze. Restoring work from sleep mode occurs with minimal delay. They closed the lid, everything turned off - they opened it, you can immediately work. At the same time, stability pleases: you can not reboot the system for days. Switching between running applications is instant, including using the aforementioned gestures. As a result, this creates the impression of a polished, stable system. The downside is that those who like to dig into the settings and the registry will be disappointed. Apple positions its OS for the mass user, and therefore fine tuning is not available. It should be noted that in most cases this is not required.

Mac OS is not only fast, but also secure. There are almost no viruses for it and no epidemics (like on Windows or Android) are expected. Therefore, manufacturers of anti-virus software do not like Apple, it clearly interferes with their work and takes away bread. But users, on the contrary, are in the black. Software for computers on OS X for Mac is also less. Not all games are available, you will not find any specific software either. If you need certain highly specialized tasks, then this is for Windows for now. Another point - even the software that is available does not always have the same functionality as the Windows versions. For example, if you compare XnView for different operating systems, you will get very interesting results that are not in favor of Apple.

But initially with computers on OS X for Mac comes good set preinstalled software. Not everything works in Russia (the mail client deletes messages from the server by default, you won't be able to order a printout, some content is unavailable, etc.), but there is a lot of useful stuff. I especially liked the iPhoto photo manager, which has already appeared on iOS and immediately became the #1 application there. The function of correcting the littered horizon alone is worth something. There is already a full-fledged office suite Microsoft Office for Mac, as well as many other familiar applications. What is important - if with Mac you get a good set of software initially and can work right away, then on Windows you will have to install some additional programs.

If something from the set of installed software is not enough, there is an App Store application store. By the way, to the question of stereotypes - you can install applications in Mac OS not only from this directory, but also by downloading distributions separately - like Windows. As you can see, the system is more open than in iOS, where this is impossible with standard tools. But applications for Windows for Mac computers, of course, are not suitable. But on any Mac, you can install Microsoft OS if you really want to.

Software set

I want to elaborate on what the user of computers on OS X for Mac gets. The set, as I wrote above, is impressive. And if everyone is familiar with a similar delivery from Microsoft in Windows, then Apple's version will be new for many. These are just the main applications from the basic set of software.

This is a cloud service that is fully disclosed if you have several devices from Apple, but it will also be useful for "loners". Essentially, the idea is to automatically sync the information. iCloud stores photos, documents, and more, then delivers them wirelessly to other devices using Push. So it's not just a virtual hard disk. It's a quick and easy way to access any data on all your devices that you use every day. iCloud provides automatic and secure content storage and is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. All applications, fresh photos and much more are updated on all devices, and you can use them with the one that is at your fingertips. iCloud even updates email, contacts and calendars. Synchronization is not needed, management is not needed, and by and large, nothing needs to be done, since iCloud will do everything for you. In addition, iCloud has the ability to search for missing devices. But the backup function seemed to me the most useful. iCloud backs up your information to the cloud daily via Wi-Fi.

iTunes is a free application for Mac and PC that allows you to organize your media library on your computer, listen to music and watch videos. It syncs all content automatically by adding new files to mobile devices. Of course, there is the possibility of purchasing content. The Home Sharing feature lets you move audio files, movies, and TV shows between up to five selected computers. You can watch or listen to your files on iPhone, iPad or iPod using Wi-Fi. Or set up music streaming to third-party speakers, AV receivers, and AirPlay-connected stereos.

App Store for Mac

What Microsoft has only recently introduced is the app store. The App Store for Mac is the same as the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Applications can be selected from categories such as games, office applications, music applications, and many others. Or you can use the quick search if you're looking for something specific. Descriptions from developers and user reviews are available, as well as screenshots. Immediately after the purchase in one click, the new application will be in the Dock, ready to go. Importantly, the Mac App Store will automatically keep track of installed apps and tell you when new versions are available for them. You can update apps one at a time or all at once.

iPhoto automatically groups photos by events, which can be named appropriately. Now you will not confuse photos from the birthday of your best friend and from the celebration of the New Year. When you connect your camera to your computer or insert an SD card, iPhoto detects the day it was taken and sorts the files. The only pity is that the program automatically detects faces and makes thumbnails - as a result, many duplicates appear in the folder, but these are the costs of automation. But what's convenient is that several events can be combined into one big event by dragging one event to another, and thanks to iCloud, iPhoto imports pictures from the Photo Stream and organizes them also in Events. iPhoto has various tools. You can remove the red-eye effect with one click. You can adjust the exposure, brightness and contrast. You can crop photos to the size you want. There is an "Enhance" tool to automatically improve the image, and much more. And if you click on the thumbnail of the original image, the photo will return to its original state - i.e. you don't have to worry about losing the original after the changes.

Software

To ensure a smooth transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, Carbon was created. An application written with Carbon can run on any of these operating systems. On the other hand, Mac OS X inherits a lot from OpenSTEP, which is not backward compatible with other versions of Mac OS. Apple currently recommends an API called Cocoa, and there the legacy of OpenSTEP is quite noticeable - many class names start with "NS" (NSObject, NSArray), which is an acronym for NeXTSTEP.

Mac OS X also supports Java. This means that applications written in Java using Swing look the same as applications using Cocoa. Traditionally, Cocoa applications are developed in Objective C, an alternative to Java. However, on July 25, 2007, Apple stated that further extensions to Cocoa would not be ported to Java. As part of Mac OS X, starting with version 10.5 Leopard, a Ruby interpreter with Cocoa support is shipped.

Unlike its predecessors, Mac OS X is a complete UNIX'03 certified operating system. This means that most programs written for BSD, Linux, and other UNIX-like systems will compile and run on Mac OS X with little or no additional code changes. Package managers such as Fink or MacPorts (previously DarwinPorts) have been developed for easy installation of such programs. They are like apt on Debian or ports on FreeBSD.

Since version 10.3, Mac OS X also includes X11.app by default, a customized version of the X server. This makes it possible to run applications developed for X11 on Mac OS X - using gtk, Qt for X11 (Qt4 supports Mac OS X in both X11 mode and regular Aqua mode) and others. X11.app uses Quartz for display. However, X11.app has a number of problems, such as the lack of Aqua-style in the design of applications and incomplete support for Unicode.

Older OS versions can run the X server through XDarwin.

Mac OS X is based on the XNU kernel, built on the Mach 3.0 microkernel.

Hardware

Early versions of Mac OS X supported all Macintosh computers (laptops, desktops, or servers) with PowerPC G3, G4, and G5 processors. Later versions no longer support older hardware: for example, 10.3 Panther does not support older G3s, 10.4 Tiger does not support systems without FireWire ports, and the 10.5 Leopard beta presented at WWDC did not support G3s at all. However, there are utilities such as XPostFacto and installer patches made by third parties to install new versions of Mac OS X on hardware not officially supported by Apple, including some pre-G3 systems. Excluding some features required by the hardware (such as graphics acceleration, DVD burning), the operating system offers the same functionality on all supported hardware.

The PowerPC version of Mac OS X remains compatible with older Mac OS applications through the so-called Classic emulation, which allows users to run Mac OS 9 as a process in Mac OS X, so many older applications run as if they were under the old operating system. Classic does not support computers with Intel processors.

In April 2002, eWeek reported a rumor that Apple had a version of Mac OS X, codenamed Marklar, that ran on Intel x86 processors. Marklar's idea was to move Mac OS X to an alternative platform that would allow Apple to overcome the challenges of developing the PowerPC platform. The rumors remained unconfirmed until May 2005, when a version of Mac OS X for Intel processors appeared on file-sharing networks.

On June 6, 2005, Steve Jobs confirmed the rumors and announced at WWDC that Apple would switch from PowerPC to Intel processors within two years. Prior to that, Apple switched platforms from Motorola 68K to IBM/Motorola PowerPC - Apple included the Motorola 68K emulator in the new OS, which allowed most 68K applications to run. Apple has supported the emulator for 11 years; however, when switching to Intel, it was removed. The new OS included a PowerPC emulator called Rosetta. Also, the new version of XCode and the corresponding console utilities allow you to develop universal binaries (fat binaries) - executable files that can contain support for multiple platforms (ppc, ppc64, i386, ...).

Currently, most applications that are only available for the PowerPC are supported using the Rosetta emulator. However, Apple is asking developers to create universal apps for both platforms. Universal applications run faster on Intel-based computers than PowerPC applications run with the Rosetta emulator. Some PowerPC software, such as kernel extensions and System Preferences plugins, are not supported on Intel-based computers.

While MacIntels can run PowerPC, x86, and generic apps, PowerPC Macs can only run generic and PowerPC apps. Support for the PowerPC platform remained in Mac OS X 10.5. Jobs also confirmed the rumor that the new version of Mac OS X ran on Intel processors for most of its existence, since cross-platform already existed in Mac OS X - OpenSTEP was ported to many platforms, including x86, and Darwin included support for both (PowerPC and x86).

Mac OS X has been ported to the iPhone and iPod touch. Despite major changes - for example, the closed platform and the lack of a desktop (it is replaced by SpringBoard) - the port retained such features as Darwin, the XNU kernel. In some third-party programs, the effects from the desktop version are preserved - for example, in the Converter program.

Software

To ensure a smooth transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, Carbon was created. An application written with Carbon can run on any of these operating systems. On the other hand, Mac OS X inherits a lot from OpenSTEP, which is not backward compatible with other versions of Mac OS. At the moment, Apple recommends an API called Cocoa, and there the OpenSTEP legacy is quite noticeable -- many class names start with "NS" (NSObject, NSArray), which is short for NeXTSTEP.

Unlike its predecessors, Mac OS X is a complete UNIX-03 certified operating system. This means that most programs written for BSD, Linux, and other UNIX-like systems will compile and run on Mac OS X with little or no additional code changes.Package managers such as Fink or MacPorts (formerly DarwinPorts) have been developed to easily install such programs.These are similar to apt in Debian or ports in FreeBSD.

Starting with version 10.3, Mac OS X also includes X11.app by default, a customized version of the X server. This allows applications designed for X11 to run on Mac OS X -- using gtk, Qt for X11 (Qt4 supports Mac OS X in both X11 mode and normal Aqua mode), and so on. X11.app uses Quartz for display. However, X11.app has a number of problems, such as the lack of Aqua-style in the design of applications and incomplete support for Unicode.

Older OS versions can run the X server through XDarwin.

Mac OS X is based on the XNU kernel, built on the Mach 3.0 microkernel.

Hardware

On June 6, 2005, Steve Jobs confirmed the rumors and announced at WWDC that Apple would switch from PowerPC to Intel processors within two years. Prior to that, Apple switched platforms from Motorola 68K to IBM/Motorola PowerPC -- Apple included the Motorola 68K emulator in the new OS, which allowed most 68K applications to run. Apple has supported the emulator for 11 years; however, when switching to Intel, it was removed. The new OS included a PowerPC emulator called Rosetta. Also, the new version of XCode and the corresponding console utilities allow you to develop universal binaries (fat binaries) -- executable files that can contain support for multiple platforms (ppc, ppc64, i386, ...).

While MacIntels can run PowerPC, x86, and generic apps, PowerPC Macs can only run generic and PowerPC apps. Support for the PowerPC platform remained in Mac OS X 10.5. Jobs also confirmed the rumor that the new version of Mac OS X had been running on Intel processors for most of its existence, as cross-platform already existed in Mac OS X -- OpenSTEP was ported to many platforms, including x86, and Darwin included support for both ( PowerPC and x86).

Mac OS X has been ported to the iPhone and iPod touch. Despite major changes - such as the closed platform and the lack of a desktop (replaced by SpringBoard) - the port retained such features as Darwin, the XNU kernel. Some third-party programs retain the effects from the desktop version, such as Converter.

Evolution of Mac OS X

Apple's Mac OS X operating system is currently available in two versions: a version for workstations and laptops, as well as a version for a server, which is necessary for organizing work local network enterprises. Since the release of Mac OS X 10.0, six more modifications have been released, each of which bears the name of an animal from the cat family.

Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah (Cheetah): was the first updated version of the Mac OS operating system. It appeared in March 2001 and was created on the basis of the UNIX operating system and FreeBSD services. New technology allowed to increase the functionality, reliability and security of the new operating system. But version 10.0 of Cheetah was unstable and lacked a number of features found in the latest versions of Mac OS X, so Apple released a free update.

Mac OS X 10.1 Puma: A free update developed by Apple that upgraded Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah to version 10.1 (Puma), fixing a number of bugs that existed in the first version and improving stability. It has such functions as: personification, high quality graphics, quick access to system parameters, expanding the range of network capabilities and peripherals, playback and recording of DVD discs.

Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: More than 150 different changes and additions have been made to the new version of Mac OS X operating system, the main of which was support for hardware accelerated user interface using Quartz Extreme technology, as a result of which all image processing is performed by the video card processor. This version introduced the QuickTime 6 multimedia center, the iChat Internet instant messaging program, a unified address book, and the Inkwell handwriting system. Mail programs have been improved to include spam filtering, Finder search for files, and Sherlock 3 internet search.

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Released on October 24, 2003, it introduced FileVault data encryption technology. Subsequent system updates brought a number of changes such as: fixed some security issues, increased reliability in working with remote files in mixed networks, improved file sharing system and wireless networking support, updated video card drivers, directory system and OpenGL support. Changes and improvements have been made to the Safari browser, mail client, address book, Stickies and QuickTime, as well as improved support for third-party software.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Released in April 2005, it includes over 200 changes and additions to make your computer run faster and more stable. The main novelties of this version of Mac OS X are the unique Spotlight quick information search function and the interface for Dashboard widgets, an Automator application designed to automate a series of constantly repetitive actions, which made it possible to perform routine work with a single click.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Released on October 26, 2007, it includes over 300 enhancements and additions. The changes primarily affected the core of the operating system, the DTrace dynamic tracing framework is now integrated into it, and there is also the Cocoa Bridges environment for developing applications in Ruby and Python programming languages, Scripting Bridge allows you to automate Mac applications through programs in Objective-C, Ruby and Python. Rails, Mongrel and Capistrano were also included in the system. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is now recognized as a complete UNIX system. An important event was the appearance in this version of the Boot Camp program, with which you can now install Windows on Macintosh computers as a second working operating system. AT new version Mac OS X has been completely revamped for the Finder and other useful applications, adding features such as Stacks, Quick Look, Spaces, and Time Machine for creating backups systems and data.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Released in June 2008, it includes a number of major changes. Now it works only on Intel processors, uses 64-bit technologies in its work, works equally with 64-bit and 32-bit applications, takes almost half the disk space, installs, loads and works faster. All standard Mac OS X applications (Finder, Mail, Safari, iCal and iChat, etc.) have been converted to 64-bit code in the new version, which significantly improves their performance and makes them more resistant to hacker attacks. Grand Central Dispatch allows you to take full advantage of multi-core systems and increase computer performance. Added interface scaling. Snow Leopard OS uses Bonjour technology for file sharing, stacks for working with windows of programs, and it also updated the Expose function, which has become even more convenient and accessible. Increased backup speed, iChat can now use the AIM relay server to transfer data to prevent connection failures.

Even the most ardent fans of OS X sometimes need to use the "enemy" Windows. The situations are different: from the need to use banking clients and corporate software to launching games. There are many ways to run applications written for Windows, using both third-party tools and Apple proprietary solutions.

Conventionally, they can be divided into three categories: a full installation of Windows, the use of virtual machines and emulators of the Windows software environment. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so we'll go through them all so you can choose the one that's best for you.

Installing Windows with Boot Camp

Especially for the unfortunate, unable to break all ties with Windows, Apple created the Boot Camp Assistant utility, with which you can prepare your Mac for installing Windows and, in fact, install it. In this case, a separate partition is created on the disk, allowing both operating systems to work independently of each other.

You will need 50 GB of free space and a Windows boot disk. The installation process itself is very simple, you just need to follow the prompts of the wizard and wait for the completion. After the reboot, you will have at your disposal a full-fledged version of Windows, just like on a regular PC. It remains to install the necessary applications or games - and you can use it. Learn more about requirements and supported versions.

Benefits of Boot Camp

Performance. Since only one OS uses all Mac resources, we get maximum performance.
Compatibility. Thanks to full Windows, full compatibility with any applications and games is ensured.

Disadvantages of BootCamp

The need for a reboot. To start Windows every time you have to restart your Mac.
Lack of integration. Windows does not support the HFS + file system, which means that it will not be possible to access OS X files from it, as well as vice versa.

Using virtual machines

This method has much in common with the previous one, but differs slightly in implementation. With it, we also get a full-fledged OS, but it is not installed on real hardware, but on a virtual one. Special software (virtual machine) emulates the hardware platform for running Windows, taking away some of the resources of the Mac, and it turns out that one OS runs inside another.

Parallels Desktop

parallels.com

Perhaps the most popular virtual machine among Macs. Parallels is regularly updated, always works with the latest versions of OS X and Windows, and has additional features such as hybrid mode, when OS X and Windows interfaces are displayed simultaneously on the screen, and applications run regardless of their ownership. In addition, the program can start Windows from Boot Camp partitions, which is convenient if you need to access any applications or data without rebooting.

The disadvantage of the program is that Parallels is not free. The junior version will set you back $79.99.

VMware Fusion

vmware.com

Another commercial solution for OS virtualization. The key feature of VMware Fusion is the Exchange Wizard, which allows you to transfer the entire environment from your Windows PC to a virtual machine and continue using applications already on your Mac. Installed Windows shares a clipboard with OS X, as well as access to files and network resources. Its apps are fully integrated with OS X features (Spotlight, Mission Control, Exposé). It also supports running Windows from a Boot Camp partition.

VMware Fusion costs 6,300 rubles, but before buying, you can explore its features in a free trial.

If your plans do not include additional expenses for running Windows applications, then your choice is from Oracle. Compared to paid counterparts, it has much fewer features, but it is quite suitable for simple tasks. You should not count on integration with OS X system functions, but basic things like a shared clipboard and access to network resources are available here. Free VirtualBox fully justifies all its limitations.

Benefits of virtual machines

Simultaneous operation of two operating systems. You don't need to restart your Mac to run Windows applications.
Sharing files. Since Windows runs inside OS X, there is no issue with filesystem support.

Disadvantages of virtual machines

Low performance. Due to the fact that Mac resources are shared between the two operating systems, application performance is significantly slower, especially on older computers.
Compatibility issues. Some applications (most often games) that require direct access to the hardware may not work correctly or not work at all.

Using emulators

With emulators, everything is completely different than with virtual machines and Boot Camp. Rather, they have something in common with virtual machines, only they do not emulate Windows as a whole, but only those of its software components that are necessary for the desired application to work. We will not have a full-fledged OS and access to its functions: we get a certain compatibility layer that allows you to run a Windows application directly in the OS X environment.

All emulators work on the same principle. The installation of the application is initialized through setup.exe, and then in its process the necessary launch parameters are configured and the necessary libraries are automatically loaded. After that, an application icon appears on the Launchpad, which will work in the same way as all native OS X programs.

winebottler

winebottler.kronenberg.org

This emulator can turn an .EXE file into an OS X compatible application. WineBottler also allows you to automatically load some already configured Windows applications. It is completely free and compatible with OS X El Capitan.

Wineskin

Another emulator that, like the previous one, uses the Wine libraries to create ports. Compared to the previous solution, Wineskin has more settings and allows you to fine-tune the parameters. We talked about its configuration and use in detail in.

crossover

A commercial emulator whose development team has already adapted and customized many popular Windows applications and games for you. CrossOver has a friendly interface, and also eliminates the need to dig into the settings and deal with possible errors. The only negative is that it is paid. The license costs $20.95, but there is a 14-day trial period.

Advantages of emulators

No Windows license required. Emulators run applications through a compatibility layer, so a licensed copy of the OS is not needed.
Performance. Again, due to the savings in resources that are spent in virtual machines running full-fledged Windows, we get higher performance compared to them.

Disadvantages of emulators

Difficulty of setting. To use Windows apps, you first need to set them up, which isn't always easy, especially with games.
Compatibility issues. In some cases, applications (often resource-intensive) may not work correctly or not work at all.

What to choose

What is the end result to choose from such a variety? There is no single answer to this question. In each case, you need to build on your needs, but in general, the recommendations are as follows.

boot camp suitable primarily for gamers, as well as for those users who need maximum performance and compatibility with software. We reboot the Mac - and we get a full-fledged Windows computer.
Virtual machines help out in cases where both operating systems are needed at the same time. We sacrifice performance, but avoid reboots and get good integration.
Emulators can only be recommended for simple tasks and infrequent use. For example, when a couple of times a month you need to use a bank client or occasionally get nostalgic in your favorite game.

Choose the most suitable option for yourself, and tell us in the comments what needs you use Windows applications on your Mac for and how you launch them.

The debate about which of these operating systems It's better that they never stop. The most common and popular operating systems are Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Let's try to compare them.

Let's start with the fact that Linux belongs to the family of open and free systems. What does it mean? You can absolutely free, and most importantly, legally install the OS on your PC or laptop. In turn, Mac OS and Windows belong to a closed (proprietary) family of operating systems. Copies must be purchased for installation. Pirated versions are widespread.

Now briefly about each of these OS:

Windows.Until recently, the most common operating system. According to statistics, it is installed on 85% of devices: tablets, laptops, computers. Used both at home and in businesses. With the spread of mobile devices - smartphones, Linux began to crowd out Windows. After all, it was she who became the basis for Android.
The most important pluses - excellent compatibilityand prevalence.

linuxfrom the Unix family of operating systems. However, there are various distributions that have a kernel depending on the version, and are tailored for specific purposes. They are suitable for work on desktops for housewives, and for powerful cluster server systems.Over 80% of the servers on the Internet run one of the Linux distributions, FreeBSD, or another Unix-like system. About the basis for Android, we said above.

The advantage is the rapid completion of shortcomings and inaccuracies thanks to the open source code.

MacOS.A system developed by Apple. This is a companion software for devices manufactured by this corporation. Based on FreeBSD, closed source. At the moment, it occupies less than 20% of the market and is considered the second most popular.

The benefits are stability and performance.

Let's compare the OS in several ways.

System requirements.Of course, much less attention is paid to this parameter now than some 7-8 years ago. However, the number of applications that require serious resources to run is increasing. This means that free space on your PC or other device will not be superfluous.

Windows.For the stable operation of the latest versions of the system, you will need a processor with two cores, 1 GB of RAM (and if you take a 64-bit distribution, then even more), not the worst video card.

Linux.Here the situation is simpler. A single-core processor, 256 MB of RAM is enough (get ready to buy a bar right away) and absolutely any video card. Naturally, this will not be enough for fast applications and easy Internet surfing. But those are the minimum requirements. Note that the Zram kernel module will be a plus, which allows you to compress data using zip before storing it in RAM.

MacOS.Since the system is closed, no definite conclusion can be drawn. Theoretically, this OS will run with 512 MB of RAM, a single-core processor with a frequency of 1 GHz and 9 GB of free hard disk memory.

Security/protection against viruses.Most users store personal information, photos, Money transfers, communicate, etc. All this information requires protection. How stable are the operating systems selected for comparison:

Windows.It is believed that this OS is the most vulnerable. This can be explained very simply: latest versions employ less skilled workers. This is confirmed by numerous errors in the code. If you remember Windows NT and Windows XP, the development process was well organized, hence the stability. That is why hackers come up with more and more new viruses under this shell. Also, Microsoft specialists eliminate very few vulnerabilities, and if they do, then after a month or more.

linux.If you look at Linux, then the "holes" are patched in a matter of hours. All products of the Unix family have very few flaws. It is possible to encrypt data, but to do this, you will need certain skills. As for pop-up blockers, you can forget about them.

MacOS.The most secure OS, for its hacking, they even assign a good reward on some hacker sites. Helps to keep the system stable by encrypting data and dividing it into personal and system data. In addition, the new Mac OS is rewritten from scratch and is not compatible with previous versions. This means that finding ways to hack has become even more difficult.

The process of installing and configuring the OS.Here, the compared manifest themselves in different ways: someone« friendly» , and someone will cause a lot of trouble.

Windows.As practice shows, even a novice computer user can install it. The course of the whole operation is clear on an intuitive level. Minus - you have to look for some programs for the full operation of the system.

linux.The installation process differs little from the above, and sometimes it will be even easier to install the software. This applies specifically to the desktop version. If you need a lot of system customization and disk savings, then you need to have at least a basic understanding of the system packages and their interaction for installation.

MacOS.The installation process can be compared with a similar operation for Windows. To configure the system, ready-made programs System Preferences are used.

Stability.Consider the differences in the process of work.

Windows.Yes, outdated versions really often failed. This is not the case with modern OSes. Blue screens of death are now extremely rare.

linux.Perhaps the most stable system of all three.

MacOS.Crashes happen at about the same frequency as Windows. This most often occurs due to the use of programs that are incompatible with Apple standards.

Software support.Now let's compare how the presented operating systems “relate” to third-party software.

Windows.Since this OS is the most common, software is most often written specifically for it. You can find a lot of paid and free software.

linux.Every year there is a huge number of programs compatible with this system, and almost all of them are free. In addition, this OS has Wine and Mono emulators, which allow you to run most of the Windows applications directly from Linux.

MacOS.There are enough programs. The downside is that you can only install them from the AppStore.

Ease of use.All developers strive to make their products as simple and accessible as possible, but not everyone succeeds.

Windows.Here without question.The interface is clear (except for Windows 8). Working on a computer is not difficult.

linux.Each distribution is developed by a group of like-minded people from different countries rather than individuals or firms. Anyone can choose a distribution based on the recommendations of other users, taking into account their knowledge and tastes.

MacOS.It is also a convenient and simple system, it takes into account all the little things. Working with it will be clear even to the uninitiated.

instead of a conclusion.I would like to note that the choice should be based on requests. Decide what you need. Windows is a simple and intuitive system that is ideal for a novice user. Mac OS is perfectly optimized, pleasant to work with, and productive. Linux is actively developing, it is used by already “armed” people and specialized specialists, and is also increasingly being installed on home computers. Take what suits you. Pushwe recommend to gocourseat our Academy.