If you have any connection with the Mac world at all, you have probably heard about this tasty little development: Apple has just released a beta version of Boot Camp, an application that allows users to dual boot their Intel-powered Macs with both Mac OS X and Windows XP. In other words, as Apple says, “Macs do Windows, too.” Plenty of people all over the blogosphere have already combed this news up and down, frontwards and backwards, squeezing every iota of meaning that they can out of Apple’s announcement. I don’t have much new to offer to that table, except what this announcement means for me.
I do not have operating system attachments. I like Windows fine. I have tried Mac OS X, and although I am not proficient in it I like it quite a bit too. So I have a little bit of a hard time sympathizing with the people who are screaming bloody murder over the idea of their Macs being blemished by the unholy stain of Windows. But I know you are out there, so if any of you are reading this, consider this: As you may remember, I have been considering the purchase of a laptop sometime this year. I was already leaning towards a MacBook Pro (which would be my first Mac), but Boot Camp has made it many times more likely that I will actually buy one. From my perspective, Apple has sweetened the deal: not only can I get a kick-awesome laptop complete with Mac OS X and all its associated goodies, but I can run my Windows-only software on it as well! I could play Sims 2 on my MacBook Pro! If that’s not grounds for major excitement, I don’t know what is. 
As with anything to do with computers, however, this scenario has its own problems. The first and foremost for me is: I don’t actually have Windows XP. That’s right, My computer is still in the dark ages of Windows 2000. (Which are not so dark, really; Mac users always talk about how much Windows crashes, but my operating system has not crashed once that I can remember in three years of owning it. Maybe XP crashes more, but I don’t think so.) I am O.K. with buying a copy of XP, because I would like to upgrade my desktop PC to XP anyway. But… XP’s notorious registration requirements would not allow me to legally install it on both my desktop and my laptop. I suppose I could just put it on my laptop and live with Win 2000 on my desktop, but is it really worth $140 to be able to play Sims 2? (Okay, that wouldn’t be the only purpose… 
)
I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure: Apple’s release of Boot Camp has only made it more likely that I will end up purchasing their products. Thanks for making it easy for us, Apple. Way to go.
April 7th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
“So I have a little bit of a hard time sympathizing with the people who are screaming bloody murder over the idea of their Macs being blemished by the unholy stain of Windows.”
;)
April 7th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
And I read that Boot Camp will be built into the Leopard (OS X 10.5) in August
Windows 2000 is a great OS. I ran that for a long time as well - up until I bought my laptop which came preinstalled with XP Pro. Don’t be ashamed of it, I loved that OS as it truely is very stable. I rarely have problems with my XP Pro though either.
Don’t forget that right now you’d still have to shut down and reboot your MacBook to get into Windows and Sims2
Very exciting developments nonetheless though!
April 7th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Sims 2 is available for the Mac. You may have missed it since the Mac version is sold by Aspyr rather than Electronic Arts. Unfortunately, it’s not available as a Universal Binary, so it might still be better to pay $140 for Windows XP and run the Windows version of Sims 2 natively, rather than pay $50 for the Mac version and run it in emulation.
April 7th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
Before buying XP, I would suggest waiting until Windows Vista is released. The scheduled release date currently is Janurary 2007. I say this for two reasons:
P.S. I would also suggest not buying XP Home. Go Pro.
April 8th, 2006 at 12:09 am
I also suggest doing what you think’s best and not what I suggest. :-, I just reread my post and it seems rather haughty. I apologize, I didn’t mean to come across that way.
April 8th, 2006 at 10:06 am
nevertheless, james is pretty much on the money - XP Pro over Home, and waiting for Vista if you can wait that long is a good idea… (to buy windows, not to get a new computer necessarily)
April 8th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Cameron - I wasn’t thinking of anyone in paticular… really!
Philip - I heard about bootcamp being built into Leopard too, which reaffirms my plan of waiting till fall to buy a Mac. And yeah, Windows 2000 may not have some of XP’s bells and whistles, but it’s solid as a rock. Also, I wouldn’t mind having to reboot for Sims 2, as it’s not the sort of thing I access that often. For something like Photoshop, however, I really would still need to get a Mac version. :-/ For the work I do I couldn’t be rebooting every time I needed to use Photoshop. :-p
Jason - I actually did know about the Mac version of Sims 2, but forgive me if I am a little bit skeptical about its quality. The fact is, the Sims 2 is a buggy program, even on Windows–I can only imagine what it’s like after someone has pulled it apart and put it back together to work on a different OS. But, conveniently, if I got a MacBook I would want to install XP for other reasons, and being able to play the copy of Sims 2 I already own would be a bonus.
Thanks for the info, though. 
James - Hey, don’t worry about it. I appreciate your concern over your tone, but as Phil said, your suggestions are good ones. I very well might do that… as it would not mean that I had to wait till January to buy my MacBook.
Thanks everyone!
April 15th, 2006 at 10:57 am
I just thought i’d throw my two cents into the raging Boot Camp debate:
I’m a PC user, and you Mac people will never take me alive!
April 16th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Didn’t I just hear you say tonight that you were trying to “save money”?
And just to throw a different oil on the Windows/Mac fire: to quote the philosopher, “Linux rox, Windows sux.”
Seriously.
April 16th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
Lol, Ian. That’s WHY I want to save money!
So I can buy a MacBook. 
That’s not the only reason, of course, but it’s a tempting one…
Linux is too hardcore for me I think. But whatever floats your boat.
April 16th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Don’t forget about college!
You should check out Ubuntu when you have a spare moment(I know those a few and far between)- I was able to get it installed in under half an hour, which is a feat for any operating system. It really wasn’t even that much harder than installing Windows.
http://ubuntulinux.org
Pssh, now you’ve gotten me all inspired to start my own blog
April 16th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
You’re right, of course. I won’t forget about college. But that doesn’t mean I won’t still consider getting a laptop.
It would be useful for my work after all…
Spare moments are few and far between, but perhaps I’ll check ubuntu out sometime. I don’t know why I’m wary of it, but… I am.
And you should start your own blog. It’s fun! Just make sure to send me a link to it if you do.
June 18th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Now I find this entry — after I wrote all of that last night, telling you what you already know. Sorry.
June 18th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Hey, don’t worry about it… I appreciate the fact that you took the time to tell me all of that anyway.