Mac OS X interface

One criticism of Parallel's Workstation for Mac OS X is that the interface such as the cosole and the dialog boxes, buttons and icons do not look much like a Mac OS X application, so my suggestion is to incorporate that in the next beta version. Mac OS X users are pretty picky when it comes to interface issues. Also, the Parallels Tools should be installed automatically as a default, and sound needs to be enabled automatically as well.

 

Given there is about 6.5 times more posts in the OS X host forum vs. the Win/Linux forum I'd say at this point they should really focus on the OS X version including your comment about the interface as it is quite ugly compared to the other stuff I have open on my desktop .....

 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE fix this. It's really horrific. This is what we expect in the Windows World... some wanna-be programmer using VB to write their first app... ugh...

It is NOT what we expect in the Mac world. This is part of the reason that we choose Macs over Windows... so that we don't have to experience dribble like this (for the most part).

As much as I support new companies bringing new solutions to the Mac... when they start destroying the very thing the Mac stands for (obviously unintentionally), it will mean no support from this guy...

Esp. if you are going to have competition a.k.a. VMWARE or APPLE or VIRTUAL PC (MS)...

If all three end up working roughly the same... it will be the user interface, for most, that will determine who succeeds.

I realize this is not what you are used to in the Windows world... for most windows users, they don't care...

Trust us... WE CARE... and will vote with our Wallets!

Thanks again for making this and working with us to make it all it can be!

 

Yep. Interface is disgusting. Please fix ASAP.

 

Thanks for reporting - we are working on GUI to bring it closer to Mac standards.

 

I have to tell you, Andrew... thanks for not getting defensive and listening to some of our suggestions... even though I know we sometimes come off sounding a little high and mighty

The good news is... we're a fiercly loyal bunch... and if you manage to win us over (as you are doing)... we stay with you through good and bad.

 

Dear users!
We appreciate all your feedbacks (even nagative) and your unbelievable interest in our product! I am sure all that will help us together build a really great and nice product!

Thanks a lot!

 

Use iTunes as a guide

I suggest making Parallels Workstation use iTunes or any of the iApps as a Mac OS X GUI guide for for the play and pause buttons, for example, or using the brushed metal appearance of Quicktime movie players for the controls.

 

I agree... this would be best! However, this Beta is still MUCH improved over 1,2,and 3!

Finally... the ability to hide the menu bars! Woot!

 

>>Given there is about 6.5 times more posts in the OS X host forum vs. the Win/Linux forum I'd say at this point they should really focus on the OS X version including your comment about the interface as it is quite ugly compared to the other stuff I have open on my desktop .....>>

I don't think that the number of posts reflects the monetary value of their customer base, but more the maturity of the product. If Mac users were a bit more patient, I think Parallels will provide the satisfation they provide to their Linux/Windoze base. You also have to realize that the vast majority of the Linux base is used to dealing with a product like Parallels and understand the structure, content, and expectations for a product like Parallels - so they don't need to post as much! Linux users could care less how it looks, that's trivial, but how it performs and what functions it performs is important to Linux users. I sincerely hope that the Parallels product doesn't get bogged down with servicing a base that is even smaller than Linux, just because they are very vocal and post a lot.

 

I too would like to thank you for taking this criticism so gracefully... and I'll add that if all we have to complain about is the way the interface looks, that means you've done a great job with the hard part.

That said, the interface is definitely unMacish (although obviously is getting the job done). Check out last year's Apple Design Award winners at http://developer.apple.com/ada/ to see some apps that I think all us Mac people would agree represent what we expect. Also, a couple of previous years' award-winners I'd like to point out specifically:

Acquisition -- http://www.acquisitionx.com/ -- Legal issues aside, this is a beautful piece of software.

SubEthaEdit -- http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/ -- An everyday tool taken to new heights as only Mac applications are.

Thanks again, guys. I just started using PW on Monday, and I'd estimate it's saving me an hour a day supporting our mixed Windows/OS X environment.

 

I agree completely with tgrogan. As a software developer, the interface around the product is a distant 10th place in terms of importance to me. Focus on stability, performance, and compatibility first, then make the thing look pretty. I'll pretty much run in full screen mode anyway (once that is working).

If you want a pretty mac-like solution here's one suggestion: Make the VMs switch like fast user switching. That way I can run multiple virtual desktops using differnt VMs - now that would be cool and Mac-like (IMO). BTW, cool does not mean urgent... ;-)

 

And trust us -- we definitely appreciate all your hard work, and the fact that you guys are listening to our input! Thank you!

 

Seconded. Seriously, given how some people have put this in this thread, If I was running parallels I'd be tempted to drop support for such a small market of elitist... well, as Auntie Em put it "Being a good christian woman, I can't say it."

 

I really disagree on this point - Parallels did nothing unique to introduce a VM product for XP and Linux. There's plenty of free, truely mature, and feature rich solutions out there in competition with Parallels. Expecting a Linux user base to pay for a product is blasphemy in the open source world (did you really pay for a Redhat or Linux support license?). And why should an XP user pay for a product when they can download it for free as well ? Why would an XP user pay to get a VM for a free OS ?

On the other hand us Mac users generally are loyal, well heeled, and not at all adverse to paying for a product. Although we only represent 4.5% of the current PC market we don't wince at paying a 30% premium for products good enough to run on our OS and platform. Now that Parallels has introduced the first VM for OS X they stand to gain hundreds of thousands of PAYING users if their product can meet our standards for functionality and useability. There's plenty of example success stories in the Mac space to demonstrate this; including OS X itself

 

we may be elitists but we can afford to be ......

 

.
I am thinking about buying a Mac. Could someone please outline the criteria I will need to meet in order to purchase?
.

 

Sure. The following are the qualifications:

1) no real interest in playing games apart from slow ports or stuff two generations or more out of date. *

2) not needing access to specific applications from the windows world unless you can live with the speed difference of a virtual machine and/or emulator, not to mention the lack of access to a of a good amount of harware related to qualification #1 inside of a VM. *

3) not minding being locked into a GUI is more interested in giving you an 'experience' than it is in letting you get work done. (sorry folks, I use all three 'big players' and Mac is STILL in third place on actually doing WORK)

4) Not minding the low quality internal sound (which makes AC/97 sound good) with the only real solution being an external firewire or USB box. (mind you, you can get external firewire sound comparable to the EMU APS so...) Apple is just lucky 60% of the population is tone deaf and associates distortion with volume.

5) If coming from the windows world, a tolerance for dealing with the most common answer to questions being "Why would you need or want to do that?" (like how do I see the filesystem as a tree, where do I get a TEXT LIST of all running programs without running TOP from a shell, how do I make a program actually close when I close all it's windows)

6) Abilty to completely forget EVERYTHING you know about using a Windows PC. IT WILL ONLY SCREW YOU UP, SLOW YOU DOWN AND FRUSTRATE YOU. The ablity to adapt to OS X is inversely proportional to how long you've been using windows without using any other operating systems. *

7) Willingness to spend about double what you should for the equivalent storage, video hardware, audio subsystem and cpu speed than you would on an equivalent 'white-box'.

* denotes those criteria that also apply to linux

BUT on the flip side, you can look forward to the following.

1) ease of application and driver installation AND REMOVAL.

2) fixed hardware base meaning likelyhood of driver problems near zero

3) lack of wintel api's makes you (for now) relatively safe from viruses.

4) Ability to run a good many *nix legacy programs native through the X11 'wrapper' (pain in the ass to use, but it works)

5) Aesthetic sense, although I do often question the ergonomics.

The platform has as many positives and negatives as any other really, as someone who uses both I can say while I prefer the Wintel side of the equation, its a useful platform and entirely adequate for the needs of most 'non-gaming' 'non-programmer' users...

As someone who games and writes x86 assembly, C#, C++ and does web coding, the Mac isn't a viable choice as my primary desktop - but I have no problems using it as a laptop where the only thing I'm doing is browsing the web, playing MP3's and chatting via IM.

The bottom line as always is what are you going to use it for... Something the real die hard zealots on both sides of the fence seem to forget... A LOT.

 

Sure - its quite easy to meet them btw.

TOP 10 Criteria for Owning and Operating an Apple Computer ....

1. Intelligence - above average IQ (>110)
2. A broadened mind (see other posts in this forum for help on attaining that)
3. A very good income, upper 10th percentile at a minimum.
4. Self confidence and a bit of arrogance.
5. An appreciation for all mediums of artistic expression.
6. No requirements to run productivity applications. Leave that to the laborers.
7. You can't drive a Chevy Nova or anything from Ford. A Mini Cooper is okay though. Porsche or Jaguar is best.
8. You must own and listen to at least 10 CDs total of New Age or Ambient music (iTunes okay)
9. A love for things Ikea, beautiful people, good food and good drink.
10. You can't live in Redmond, Washington.

 

and if you live in San Francisco, move to the front of the line.