What is Parallels virtualization? How does it compare to emulation?

Virtualization, as used on EveryMac.com, refers to Intel's "virtualization technology". The Intel website describes virtualization as allowing:

A platform to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions. With virtualization, one computer system can function as multiple "virtual" systems. . . [you could run] different operating systems and software for different or legacy tasks.

In very basic terms, virtualization directly uses the underlying hardware to "virtually" run multiple operating systems "alongside" the host, whereas emulation "recreates" a CPU, and often an operating system, in software. Ultimately, virtualization is much faster than emulation.

The virtualization solution that produced a tidal wave across the Mac web is Parallels Desktop for Mac, originally called "Workstation". After months of beta testing that "generated more than 100,000 testers from 71 countries", Parallels released the "final" version on June 15, 2006, and has been releasing even better beta versions and new "final" versions ever since at a lightning pace.

The company rightfully boasts that:

Parallels Desktop for Mac is the first solution that gives Apple users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Mac.

Unlike dual-boot solutions, in which users must completely shut down Mac OS X and endure a full OS start-up cycle to access a important application, Parallels Desktop for Mac empowers users with the ability to run Windows programs. . . without having to give up the usability and functionality of their Mac OS X machine even for a few minutes.

The final version of Apple Boot Camp 2.0 released with MacOS X 10.5 "Leopard", officially supports only Windows XP Home or Pro SP 2 and Windows Vista, and Boot Camp 3.x released with MacOS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Parallels Desktop for Mac, on the other hand, supports effectively every version of Windows, as well as Linux, FreeBSD, OS/2 Warp, eComStation, Solaris, and MS-DOS "in secure virtual machines running alongside Mac OS X"

For more on virtualization, you might like to sift through the reader reports provided by the always excellent MacInTouch [no longer online] and XLR8YourMac.

Also see:

• What is VMWare Fusion? How does VMWare Fusion compare to Parallels Desktop for Mac?
• How fast is a Mac running Windows XP using Parallels compared to Boot Camp?
• How does the performance of Parallels Desktop for Mac 5 compare to VMWare Fusion 3? How does the performance compare for productivity applications? How does it compare for games?

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