Codeweavers CrossOver Mac

Like many Mac users, I use Apple’s Boot Camp to switch between the Mac OS and Windows as required. However, I also use virtualisation tools - Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion - which have the added convenience of allowing you to run Mac and Windows programs side-by-side. Codeweavers CrossOver Codeweavers CrossOver: run PC …

[Aaron 10]

Parallels

I have very good success running 3D-accelerated games on Parallels -- at a decent frame rate too. Granted, Parallels is more expensive and requires a copy of Windows (assuming you want to run Windows applications), but the 3D acceleration works brilliantly.

[Anonymous Coward]

Run games and apps on a Mac?

Crossover is great for apps, not so much for games, check out the free project WineSkin, it has already allowed games like Fallout3 to run under OSX.

[clanger9]

And for the freetards...

...there's always Winebottler :-)

http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/

Works very well for running the occasional Windows app (especially if you you don't need the full power of VMware Fusion or Parallels).

[Chad Larson]

Mac-like windows

"CrossOver even makes Windows programs look a bit more Mac-like by adding a new title bar complete with the Mac’s candy-coloured control buttons."

Parallels does this too.

[herodotus]

Other options

Sun/Oracle's VirtualBox is a great free option instead of VMware Fusion or Parallels.

Wineskin with XQuartz is great!

[jonathanb]

Not good enough to recommend

The apps that Crossover runs well enough to use on a day to day basis tend to be apps where there is a viable Mac or Linux alternative already available, and that tends to be a better option than running the Windows version in Crossover.

For example you can run older versions of Office except for Access, which doesn't work that well. Access is the only reason you would want to run the Windows version of Office rather than the Mac version or something like OpenOffice.org or NeoOffice.

[Gambrinus]

65%

65% is a bit generous... I couldn't get too many apps working using Xover. USB support forget it. However I still bought it, and renewed my support contract to keep me current as I reckon this effort needs to be supported.

I'd almost be prepared to pay a Win License worth of support if they got Suunto Dive Manager working. That's the only piece of software I need Windows for. Excellent effort I reckon!

[Matthew 17]

This software would be great if....

it would run Visio properly. It's the only reason I have for keeping a machine with Windows on.

[Robbie]

The day they get Crossover get Microsoft Access working...

... will be the day I dump VMWare Fusion. Fusion's great, but the range of Windows stuff I run has diminished to the point that I don't need the overhead.

Trouble is that I need Access for work.

[Toastan Buttar]

Silver Medal Rating...

...for a program you can't even get to install ?

How does that work then ?