Uh Oh. MS acquiring Connectix...

serpicolugnut

serpicolugnut

OS X Supreme Being
To filed under "damn"...

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I wonder if they will "knife the baby" as they like to say, and kill the Mac version of Virtual PC. At the very least, I doubt they will continue to sell a version without Windows bundled.

I sure hope Apple is working on a replacement for this (if it's true)...
 
Well, in all honestly, no one can really be mad if Microsoft does drop Virtual PC for Mac ... seeing that Apple bought Emagic and Shake and ceased new releases of both products for Windows.
 
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-985149.html?tag=fd_top

that link mentions...

Representatives of the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said Virtual PC for the Mac will continue to be sold and that Microsoft plans to continue developing the software, which has more than 1 million active users. A Microsoft executive said the company did not purchase the software to kill it, nor does Microsoft plan to stop developing its native Macintosh software, such as the Mac OS X version of Office.
Click to expand...
 
I could see MS stopping shipping of the DOS and no OS bundled versions, but why stop shipping a product that needs a windows license? MS still has alot of business apps that only run on windows that mac users can't use and wouldnt' switch platforms just for that app, so it's a way for them to sell more MS products to someone with a Mac on their desk. MS sell's software, so why stop making software that runs their software... After all, MS makes their money on the licenses for windows that you buy for your PC, it's the same license, and same money no matter if you're running on a physical hardware or virtual.

Brian
 
If it's bad news... it must be bad news for Intel... MS is not bound to the hardware anymore... (just dreaming).

And what about the other Windows OS: CE, automotive,...
 
Yes, Microsoft certainly has _some_ level of interest to sell Windows licenses with copies of Virtual PC.

But then again, I'm not so sure that MS will drive VPC development as good and fast as Connectix has in the past. The MacBU doesn't seem big enough right now. Question is: Does MS want to save the MacBU by _investing_ in Macintosh software development or do they want to slowly let it die...

For now: VPC 6 works fine afaik. And it will continue to do so for now.
 
Originally posted by fryke
Question is: Does MS want to save the MacBU by _investing_ in Macintosh software development or do they want to slowly let it die...
Click to expand...

When Microsoft wants it to live they let it live. When they want it to die, they pull the plug. Currently they want it to live.
 
According to a news.com article (http://news.com.com/2100-1001-985149.html?tag=fd_top) MS isn't going to kill the Mac version.
Representatives of the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said Virtual PC for the Mac will continue to be sold and that Microsoft plans to continue developing the software, which has more than 1 million active users. A Microsoft executive said the company did not purchase the software to kill it, nor does Microsoft plan to stop developing its native Macintosh software, such as the Mac OS X version of Office.
Click to expand...

That should help quell rumors...

Brian
 
I have worries like everyone else. But what is interesting, is despite how small the Apple market share is, 30% of all Mircosoft software sales come from the Mac BU. Which is strange if you think about. I will try to find the Article I read it in.

So for Microsoft this is a very smart business move, and it would be smart for them to continue to sell it and make it stronger.

Fingers crossed it works out for the best.

Matthew
 
Hope they won't tinker around too much since VPC 6 is pretty good in it's current version. I'm not too worried about MS killing VPC for the Mac (even on the long run), I'm just afraid of MS's lack of interest in good, stable products. Their approach to software development could easily break VPC.
Anyone else ever wonder where all the money goes that people fork out to Redmont? I personally think there's not enough of that money going into software development. I mean, that's where it should go!
 
With the ability to run apps in Classic, Carbon, Coccoa, X11, CLI, and of course ported *NIX apps, I can't see much use for VPC now. Im not saying we don't need it, I'm just saying that surely for most people out there who think they need VPC to run that "special" peice of software, there is probably an alternative.
Also. On an unrelated note. Does anyone remember roughly what the price of Windows 98SE was?? Cus I bought (yes I bought!) VPC 3 a couple of years ago with Win98SE bundled. The whole thing cost me $AU300.

I could have sworn that Windows98 was like, 400 or 500 $$??

Do/Did connectix subsidise the lisence cost on windows? Did they get a cheap deal?
And it isn't a VPC-Only disc remember. i've used it to install windows on a friends' pc when (predictably) things just started goin screwey.
Anyways.
 
Originally posted by Jason
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-985149.html?tag=fd_top

that link mentions...
Click to expand...

hmm or so they say.

they know mac users are a lot smarter than the winows users.

its easy to fool a windows users into buying a new *cheap* windows os.

but the faithful mac dudes will never change.
They use alternatives instead!

-- so caution!! : read between the lines.

its either the end for windows on mac. or the end for everything else on mac through virtual PC. (Linux, and others...) or more (who knows?)

It could also, possibly mean a technology bought my MS, to use osx on windows *how cheap!!*

This VirtualMachine like tech holds a lot of flexibility!!

just get ready.
 
Even though we might not need VirtualPC a lot of potential switchers need VirtualPC to get them to make the switch. I've talked to a couple of switchers for whom VirtualPC was the app that pushed them over the edge.... Even if it is slow, it still means you can bring your existing copy of Windows over and be positive that everything will work by turning to VirtualPC if nothing else works out.

MS says they won't kill it, I hope they're telling the truth....

Now if Apple went AMD/Intel it would be much easier for them to make their own VirtualPC....
 
Originally posted by doemel
Anyone else ever wonder where all the money goes that people fork out to Redmont? I personally think there's not enough of that money going into software development. I mean, that's where it should go!
Click to expand...

Well, we know now that MS is going to start giving dividends. Finally investors will receive some kind of benefit without having to liquidate their shares.

My guess is that much of their R&D cash was being flushed down a toilet that includes XBOX.
 
That's right, Dixonbm. The development costs for the XBOX were over 4 billion US dollars. And I imagine Microsoft's legal, paralegal, customer support and PR departments would each require a moderate national defense budget just to operate.

Since I don't use VPC, it doesn't bother me, but it always has been a selling point for switchers who are nervous.
 
I honestly don't believe that Microsoft intends to kill Virtual PC for the Mac. However, I don't think that the product is long for this world. Several years ago, Microsoft licensed SoftWindows as the Intel-emulator in Windows NT. SoftWindows and its parent Insignia are long gone. Virtual PC was better, so the loss was not great. There are just too many competing interests within Microsoft to maintain Virtual PC with its current list of options. I expect the DOS option to die in short order. It will surprise no one if the emulator were integrated with a shipping version of a Microsoft OS.

Fortunately, there is an open source option. Bochs is not as good as Virtual PC. Its performance is horrid. However, its developers now have added incentive to increase development of the project.
 
Hey, hey, remember when M$ bought Bungie, the Mac game developers who made the Marathon series? When that happened, M$ said "don't worry," as if nothing would change... but they ended up becomming the XBox team, and we were out one less game developer.

I don't trust M$... unlike other companies, who buy, but leave companies alone, (like AOL Time Warner with ICQ), Microsoft buys and twists things into something different once they're aquired.

We need our x86 emulators, just in case M$ goes nuts on Virtual PC. I think it is vital now that "Bochs" gets off the ground and gets serious development help. Sadly, though, I'm not a programmer.
 
I remember when they bought Bungie, and I resent it because Halo - the top-selling game for XBox - was already in alpha-testing for Mac OS X and had been demonstrated at MacWorld; only to be canned by Micro$oft.

I'd expect the worst for VPC, in spite of what MS may say.
 
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