On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:23:14 -0800 in K Barrett wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:25:00 -0800 in K
Barrett wrote:
I have a macbook laptop I only use for orchid judging. Operating systems
are OSX, Parallels 3.0 and XP Pro. It has Intel core 2 duo 2.00 ghz, 2
Gb
SDram memory, and a 200 Gb harddrive. So it should be quicker than it
is.
It seems like I'm always the last person to pull up an award at the
judging
table.
[SNEEP].
Okay, nothing in what you wrote explains why you are running something
under Windows XP under OSX.
The orchid programs are written for the Windows operating system. Parallels
is like Bootcamp or Virtual PC, Its a program that allows a 'virtual
machine' to be created, so you can run windows and your windows programs.
bootcamp allows other operating systems to run natively on Intel
based Apple hardware. Parallels provides the ability to create a
virtual machine.
Nor do you explain what is involved in pulling
up an award, whether the application is up and running already and you
then
pull up an award and whether you retrieve that award from a database on
the
local harddisk, or from a database residing on the network, or from a web
application.
The award data is stored in teh program's database on the computer's
harddrive from an application that is running already. No network. No web
application.
Possibilities.
1) Judging software only runs under Windows XP
2) Judging software requires win32 APIs
3) Judging software requires IE6
4) Everyone else is using hibernate and suspend to ram, you're booting
it from a cold stop each time.
5) Handwaving relating to the network and DNS.
6) Handwaving relating to memory.
Let's start with the easy one, #4. If you're waiting to boot the thing
until you get there, stop doing that. Get everything ready to go when
you pack, and preferably suspend to ram. If travel time is longer than
the
battery will keep the suspended state in ram, hibernate, or invest in an
inverter to provide juice while you travel.
#1, #2, #3) If orchid judging requires something microsoft windows
specific,
then start with something that runs Microsoft Windows natively.
The options would be.
a) Get a new non-mac laptop and add the Vista to XP upgrade to the
purchase.
b) Obtain 'bootcamp' from Apple and have the laptop run XP natively.
(You get a little boot menu to pick whether to boot to OSX or to boot to
XP).
c) Obtain 'bootcamp' from Apple, and a replacement harddrive so you can
setup XP to run natively without dorking up whatever you've currently
done.
#2, #3) If just the win32 APIs are needed run the software under WINE
instead
of a full machine emulator see http://wiki.winehq.org/MacOSX.
The products from CodeWeavers may be an other option if you're one to call
for support.
#3) Contact me offline if you need IE6 pre-bundled to run under WINE.
#6) I found XP to be an unpleasant experience with less than 1G of ram
devoted to it, and that's with as much garbage turned off as possible.
See if you can get Parallels to allocate 1.5G of ram to the virtual
machine.
Parallels asks if you want to optimize the computer to run under OSX or XP.
I can't recall which I chose, but suspect it was OSX. I have given the
maximum amount of memory and hardisk space to the XP side of the computer,
which should be 1GB memory. The second Parallels upgrade allowed access of
some programs from one operating system by the other. I think I mis
installed that upgrade becasue it got slower after that. I didn't know how
to answer some of the installer wizard's questions, so made a best guess. I
think I guessed wrong, *G*.
"If your only tool is a hammer, after a while, everything starts looking
like a thumb."
That you may have mistuned optimization on parallels is somewhat irrelevant
as you have hardware that can run XP natively.
Native is roughly equivalent to being fluent in Spanish.
Virtualized is roughly equivalent to giving the illusion of being fluent
in Spanish over the phone as you flip through the dictionary.
Optimized virtualization is where you've memorized important phrases like
"Where are the toilets?"
Unless you're talking IBM mainframe hardware or commodity microcontrollers,
the general rule of thumb is "A virtualized current machine runs slower
than a native current machine."
You paid more money, have twice as much computer software to maintain, and
probably violated the license agreement for Microsoft Windows XP to be
able to run the judging software slower.
I like fiddling with computers and I like virtualization, but unless the
goal is to pack fewer laptops in my luggage or save money in a server
room, when I'm forced to use Windows to get a job done I run it natively.
If it were me using a laptop only for judging, I would have just
bought the cheapest XP laptop that ran fast enough and been done with it.
If I was also planning to use the laptop for other things once judging was
done, well windows makes a great dumb terminal to my colo box :-). If
I didn't have that option, I'd dual boot (The point of boot camp).
The other option since it's supposedly only a single application is to
see if it can be made to work under WINE. Think of that as being a quebecer
driving in the rest of Canada. Most of the driving is the same, just
sometimes you have to look further down the road signs to tell what's going
on.
#5) I know nothing about how parallels virtualizes the network and
insulates
the user from such things. I do know that OSX has some adhoc nameservice
capabilities that can slow things down if they are the first to be used
and noone else is using them on the network.
--
Chris Dukes
I wound up searching the Parallels support FAQs and there's a way to delete
teh 3.0 upgrade, which I barely understand.... so for right now I'm just
going to leave it.
Thanks for answering, Chris. The WINE idea seems very simple. And I'm all
for KISS.
By the KISS principle. If the laptop is only to be used for orchid
judging and the orchid judging software only runs under Microsoft Windows,
then get the cheapest laptop that is sufficient to run Microsoft Windows
and the judging software.
If there is insufficient budget for another laptop, then using bootcamp
to make the laptop dual boot OSX/XP is probably the wiser option.
K Barrett
--
Chris Dukes
RON PAUL: Pretty lady screw Mitt lifeless. Ronpaul SMASH!!
KUCINICH: GAZEBO!
--
http://somehedgehog.livejournal.com/245807.html