One of the reasons I used VMWare Fusion and now use Parallels Desktop is Microsoft Office.

My current setup is to have all documents in my OS X environment but accessible from within Windows i.e. using the Parallels shared folder mechanism. This means that there are no documents in the virtual machine.

The other thing I had to do was to move the Outlook files from the virtual machine into the OS X environment. Microsoft has a pretty good article about moving the Outlook PST file to another location.

Once I had done this, it meant that I no longer had “variable” data in the virtual machine. This, coupled with Parallels’ Compressor tool, meant that I could get a really small virtual machine image. The resulting image is about 13GB in size. To really optimize the size, I probably also need to move the system’s temporary files elsewhere.

The other good thing is that I can then use OS X back-up tools to back up both my work and Outlook files.

I am slowly but surely getting to an ideal personal/work computing environment aka personal computing nirvana.

Until I upgrade to a new Mac with Leopard. Then maybe it’ll start again…

I just got a copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac and have been playing with it on my MacBook.

I have been using VMWare for a long time, initially with their Workstation product for Linux development on a Windows PC, then recently with VMWare Fusion on the MacBook.

I have to say, after several days with Parallels and after migrating my Windows VM from Fusion to Parallels, that I am impressed.

The Windows-OS X integration of Parallels is a lot better than Fusion. One thing I am impressed with is the ability to launch Windows applications from within the OS X environment: you right-click on a file and you can choose to open it with either a Windows or OS X application. What I found especially delectable(!) is that I can rightclick on a calendar attachm-ent (ics file) in OS X Mail and open that with Outlook.

Wow! Now, I can see all those calendar events I have been missing!

What is even more incredible is that the Windows VM can be either powered off or suspended. When you want to open a file with a Windows application, Parallels will automatically launch, boot/resume the Windows VM, launch the application and have it open the file. All this is without your intervention!

The clincher came this afternoon. I have a Blackberry Pearl which I have not been able to back-up since switching to a MacBook. I can run the Blackberry Desktop Manager in a Fusion VM. But the moment I connect the Pearl, the entire Windows+OS X environment will crash i.e. the MacBook becomes a brick. How Windows can you get?!

With Parallels, I plug in the Pearl, tell Parallels to connect the Pearl to the Windows VM and view the connection settings in Desktop Manager. Guess what: Desktop Manager sees the Pearl! Nothing hangs, nothing stutters.

I was able to back up the Pearl and synchronize everything with Outlook. When things work just like that, you just want to start up and applaud. Well, I didn’t applaud; I wrote this blog…

I am pretty sure VMWare will catch up quickly with Parallels. But as it is, I am pretty happy with that $80 I just paid. Of course, I also paid $80 for Fusion at VMWorld 2007. But that means I’ll be able to test out VMWare’s next release of Fusion.

I am sitting in a hotel room in Taipei nursing a sore throat.

The one thing I didn’t bring along was salt to gargle the throat with. Otherwise, I have everything else. Well, almost everything else.

For traveling, I have a toiletries bag that hold:

• Dayquil (in capsule form)
• Nyquil (in capsule form)
• Imodium
• Claritin
• Anti-acid
• Band-aid
• Tylenol
• Bengay
• Calcium supplement
• Airborne
• Sewing kit for those deep cuts…

Okay, that last one was a joke.

I do have a sewing kit though, along with nail clippers (they do allow you to take those on planes), electric shaver, toothbrush, hair gel, toothpaste and comb.

The toiletries bag gets emptied only when I am at the hotel. Otherwise, everything stays together. The last thing I want to do in the frenzy of last minute packing is to put together the toiletries bag. The only thing I do on a semi-regular basis is to make sure that there is enough of the expendable items.

I have also several items which I’ve not been able to keep together:

• Alarm clock
• AC plugs for different countries
• Ipod Shuffle + headphones
• Ipod Shuffle sync cable
• Spare headphones for running with Ipod
• LAN cable
• AC adaptor for devices that charge via a USB cable
• Spare glasses

The challenge is to have enough duplication so that you don’t have to raid your travel pack for stuff. That works fine for low cost items like medication. But it’ll be expensive to have a spare Ipod shuffle or even a pair of extra glasses (my last pair cost $500!).

Low End Mac has a good article on the new MacBook Air. Entitled “The MacBook Air Misses the Mark“, the article explains why the MacBook Air has disappointed a lot of 12″ Powerbook users who are (still) looking for a replacement.

The article is all fine and dandy until it goes on to say: “If, like me, you are tired of waiting for Apple to replace your 12″ wonder, then it would appear the 15″ MacBook Pro is the only option.”

Which freaks me out completely.

I upgraded from a 12″ 1.5GHz Powerbook. But guess what. I upgraded to a MacBook. No “Pro”.

If you are using a 12″ Powerbook, your are interested in size and weight.

So why on earth would you go for a 15″ behemoth?

12″ Powerbook users: wake up and smell the roses. So what if Steve Jobs didn’t come through this time?

There’s always the MacBook and with a 1280×800 screen (compared to 1024×768 in the Powerbook), it is definitely an UPGRADE!