I am a longtime Windows power user who just recently purchased a MacBook Pro.  This will not be a “switcher” blog as I have no intention of abandoning Windows which, believe it or not, I really like.  Instead I will attempt to cover my experiences running OS X and Windows at the same time on Apple hardware using virtualization.

Until purchasing my MacBook, I had absolutely no experience with Apple hardware or software.  I had often been curious to try it based on other peoples’ positive experiences but, considering I make my living writing Windows software, it remained nothing more than a curiosity as switching platforms would have not been feasible for me. A new Mac would have been, for me, just another expensive toy that I didn’t really need.  So, what changed?  Two things:

1. Apple’s move to Intel
2. Advances in virtualization software (VMWare Fusion or Parallels)

With these two things, it is now feasible for me to run the Windows software I require while running OS X at the same time.  Apple hardware can now serve as my primary computer for both work and play.  It still remains an expensive experiment but so far has been working well.  It’s too bad people cannot try this using less expensive PC hardware.

So, on this site, I will try to document my experiences learning to use the Mac from a Windows user’s perspective.  Also, I will try to cover the challenges, tips, and tricks that I discover while running Windows on the Mac at the same time.