I'm having a very positive experience with an Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro which I've had for a couple of weeks. All the Virtual Machine (VM) stuff 'just works' under Parallels Desktop (www.parallels.com). It really is a universal run time platform when special hardware peripherals are not a factor. Parallels is a third-party app that lets you create and maintain VMs containing guest OSes, and to selectively connect VM peripherals to the host hardware peripherals (or software emulations thereof).
I'm running WinXP, Win98, FreeBSD and SuSE Linux on this machine in addition to Mac OS X, and with no appreciable speed penalty in the VMs. In fact the Windows apps seem more responsive than on some new Windows workstations that we have at work. Now I can run my obsolete apps, ARRL Windows based apps, and my favorite Mac OS X logger and Sat software on the one platform.
I'm running MacDoppler Carbon on OS X with rig control USB-Serial adaptor (2303 chipset) to a Kenwood TS-2000. That is all seamless. For that reason have no Windows Sat programs on the system, but on the strength of your post I thought I'd at least see if could connect the Windows COM port to see through the USB-Serial adaptor to external hardware. I can confirm that it works.
In addition to Parallels, you need a small freeware app SerialClient from http://eudyptes.com/SerialClient.php to hook the USB device to a temporary file. Parallels then connects that file to the COM port that Windows sees. Windows thinks it has standard COM hardware. I was able to connect to terminal configuration on my Sat Trak IV from Windows Hyperterminal. A nice little side benefit is that SerialClient gives you a real time view of the serial streams for debugging.
I'd imagine (hope) there will be similar solutions for the parallel port using USB-Parallel adaptor.
Hope this helps, -Nick VK2ZTY
From: Richard Lawn [email protected] Date: 25 November 2006 01:00:39 To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] New Macs
Anyone tried using the new Intel based Mac computers to run PC Sat programs such as SatPC32 and Nova? Just curious and if so how the serial and possibly parallel ports are handled, if at all.
Rick W2JAZ
Richard Lawn, Dean College of Performing Arts University of the Arts 215-717-6125