Parallels has released Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta5 for Mac OS X which allows users to use Windows, Linux and virtually any other operating system at the same time as Mac OS X, enabling users to enjoy the comfort of their Mac OS X desktop while still being able to use critical applications from other OSes.
Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta5 for Mac OS X features:
• OS Support: Use any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS in secure virtual machines running alongside Mac OS X.
• Performance: Driven by full support for dual-core processors and Intel Virtualization Technology (included in almost every new Intel-powered Mac), virtual machines created using Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta5 offer near-native performance and rock-solid stability.
• Ease of Use: Download the program and install it with a single click. Build a virtual machine in seconds using helpful wizards. Configure virtual machines using a simple web-inspired interface.
• Works on any Intel-powered Mac: Any Intel Powered Macintosh running OS X 10.4.4 or higher is compatible with Parallels Workstation 2.1.
Beta5 includes:
• Introduced USB support. Connect your favorite USB devices directly to a virtual machine!
• Introduced shared folders. Share files between Mac OS X and any Windows XP or Windows 2003 guest virtual machine! Learn more about Shared Folders Support…
• Support for dynamic screen resolutions. When a guest OS is selected, a list of available screen resolutions is dynamically populated with primary OS resolutions.
• Fixed keyboard mapping problems
• Fixed mouse pointer lag problem
• Better sound support
• Fixed problems with sleeping/waking up the primary OS when a VM is running
• Introduced the ability to resize a guest when switching to fullscreen mode
• Added optional “transition cube” animation for transitioning to and from fullscreen mode
• Fixed several kernel panics
• Added default network adapter for bridged mode
• Sound lag fixed
More info and download link (15.2MB .dmg) here.
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