It used to be that running Windows programs on a Mac was a slow, painful process. There was only one option: running Virtual PC emulation software. But with Apple Computer's shift to Intel chips, the pool of options has expanded considerably. For one, Apple has its own, which lets Intel-based Macs boot up with either Windows or Mac OS X. Meanwhile, start-up that lets the Microsoft operating system run in a separate virtual machine with only a slight loss in performance. Soon there will be yet another option, which, unlike the current choices, doesn't even require a copy of Windows. A company called CodeWeavers is using an open-source technology called to allow some Windows programs to run under Mac OS X.

Macs have a thriving ecosystem of software, but some programs still only support Windows. Whether you want to use business software or play Windows PC games, there are many ways to run Windows programs on your Mac. Jan 25, 2017 - Mac/Linux: Wine has long been the best free, open source tool for running. A lot of software comes out for Mac and Windows these days, but.

Is in early testing with CrossOver Office for Mac now and plans to release a final version of the software in July or August. CEO Jeremy White said he would have liked to have seen his product out before the rivals. 'It's unfortunate we couldn't get it out before,' White said in an interview. 'We would have loved to have been the only solution out for a while.' Though the has already opened up Windows options for Mac users, the planned release of CrossOver Office highlights the fact that Apple's systems are becoming far more compatible with the Windows world. White said CrossOver Office has one big advantage over those other options: Using it doesn't require the purchase of a copy of Windows. However, it also has significant downsides.

Windows Media Player 11 is designed to work with all editions of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), and can also be used to restore Windows Media Player and related technologies to N and KN editions of Windows Vista. Introducing Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X. Sporting a new brushed steel skin for Apple's newest operating system, this new version of our player opens the world of Windows Media 9 content to Mac users, enabling them to access the best audio and video on the Web. Download windows media player for os x.

Its focus is on application compatibility, not device drivers, so things like printers don't work with the Windows applications. Also, Wine is a compatibility layer, not a true emulator, so it works with only some Windows programs.

('Wine' used to stand for 'Wine is not an emulator'--a mind-bending nonacronym along the lines of the GNU Project's 'Gnu's not Unix.' ) Developers at CodeWeavers and others on the open-source Wine effort have to work on each program they want to make compatible. Free games like ark survival evolved. 'That's why it is so hard, and why not so many applications work,' White said.

Getting there The move to the Mac is new, but CodeWeavers has been trying to find a commercial market for Wine technology for three or four years now. Its main product has been its CrossOver Office for Linux, which uses the Wine technology to run, among other programs, Microsoft Office.

White said about 100,000 people use the CrossOver Office product. White acknowledged that the Wine technology remains imperfect. 'In theory, it's the holy grail,' White said. 'In practice, it's very promising and great when it works.' While many Windows programs may work with the Mac version of CrossOver Office, CodeWeavers will support only a handful.