You're invited: Dive deep into virtualization and SaaS at the 2008 Parallels Summit

In two weeks, on May 19-20, Parallels is hosting its 3rd annual Parallels Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The Parallels Summit is an annual conference where more than 500 of our customers, partners, and worldwide team members gather to dive deep into virtualization and SaaS, learn about new products from partners like Intel and Microsoft, and network with industry leaders.

It's a great place to get the inside scoop on emerging trends in
- Virtualization on the desktop and in the server room
- How to simplify IT management and automation
- Green computing
- SaaS as an internal and external tool/business model

The best part? REGISTRATION IS FREE!!! Hit the Parallels Summit Main Page to learn more about what to expect, who's attending, and the fun stuff we have planned during and after each day's sessions.

Parallels Desktop Build 5600: Complete Vista SP1, XP SP3 Support & More

Earlier this morning we posted Parallels Desktop build 5600, which adds full support for Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3, and improves compatibility with the MacBook Air.

If you're already a Parallels Desktop user, you'll get this update for free (of course) via your auto-updater, or you can download it manually. If you're a new user, you're welcome to try it out for free with our 15-day, fully functional eval copy. Download your update or get a trial copy here.

Major features and updates in 5600 include:
- Full support for Microsoft Windows Vista SP1, including Boot Camp support
- Full support for Microsoft Windows XP SP3, including Boot Camp support
- Full compatibility with the MacBook Air
- Shared Folders improvements: Improved file transfer speed for SmartSelect, and the ability to share files and folders to/from removable drives
- Minor bugfixes and performance enhancements

More information on the update (including a full list of all of the new stuff in this build) is available at the Parallels Desktop Main Page.

Parallels Server Beta4 is Live; Leopard Server Virtualization Support Returns!

Just a quick heads up that Parallels Server beta 4 is now live at the Parallels Server Beta Site, and we've re-included Leopard Server virtualization support, meaning you can once again run Leopard Server in virtual machine on an XServe (or other Apple hardware) running Leopard Server.

See? I told you that we'd bring it back! Go give it a try by downloading your beta copy here.

"Parallels Defines Virtualization"

That's what Galen Gruman of InfoWorld said in today's article, in response to this week's announcement that Parallels Desktop sold its 1,000,000th copy. Here's the full quote:

For the masses (including senior execs who sign IT project checks), Parallels defines virtualization. And that's a good thing, as it works quite well. I believe that the Parallels example will be a key factor beyond the Mac universe: It will show a successful use of virtualization on the desktop, where its benefits are far from widely realized.

Read the whole article here.

Parallels Desktop sells 1,000,000 copies

Wanted to give you the heads up that we (and the Apple community) just hit a huge milestone...we've sold our 1,000,000th copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac! Its been really amazing to see the impact that Parallels Desktop has had on not just the Mac market, but on the personal computer/desktop computer market as a whole.

I wanted to thank you all (again) for your support, suggestions and criticism over the last 20+ months. It's been a heck of a ride, and I really appreciate that you've been in the car with us. You have my promise that we won't be slowing down, so don't let go of the doorhandle just yet!

Speaking of Apple, earnings drop today at 4:30ET, and it is expected to be a good one. This milestone is a clear indicator that the ability to use "Windows on a Mac" has played a significant role in Apple's huge renaissance with consumer and businesses. Frank Bernhard of the Omni Consulting Group agrees...be sure to check out his commentary in our press release.

Meet fellow virtualization nerds on LinkedIn with the Parallels Virtualization Group

Today we launched the Parallels Virtualization Group, a new LinkedIn group that we think will help promote community building among IT professionals and end users who are closely involved with virtualization in their professional and personal lives.

The group is open to anyone who's interested in meeting fellow virtualization nuts. I've already joined as have many of my Parallels colleagues, but we need YOU to join to make the community really work. Join us by signing up for Parallels Virtualization LinkedIn Group now!

BTW, I am always looking to network personally with our partners, users, resellers and anyone else who digs virtualization and Parallels technology. You can find me on LinkedIn here.

Parallels Server Beta 3

Just a quick heads up that Parallels Server Beta 3 is now ready for download. Beta testing is going great and we're moving closer and closer to a final release.

This Beta is all about speed and stability...you'll notice that things move a lot faster than they did in Beta 1 and 2. That's really saying something because those of you who worked with the early Betas know that they were really, really fast to begin with!

Some new stuff in here as well:

• An integrated toolset that includes Parallels Tools (makes your user experience smoother, just like in Desktop), the Parallels Image Tool (tinker with your virtual hard drives) and Parallels Transporter (our free physical to virtual and virtual to virtual migration tool).

• Open APIs and SDK for extensible management. This makes it incredibly easy for 3rd party tools vendors to add support for Parallels Server. Fun fact about the SDK: the one you get is the same one we used to build the Parallels Server Management Console.

• Command line interface (CLI) scripting, including Python. Now you can automate common server tasks straight from the command line! Support for more scripting languages coming soon.

More information on what's new can be found in the Parallels Server Beta3 release notes, and at the Parallels Server Beta Page.

What are you waiting for? Go get it and tell us what you think!

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Have a question?
Then go ahead and Ask Ben Anything!

The Sun shines on Parallels

Many of you have probably seen the post on Virtualization.com that broke the news that Sun is buying Parallels for $205 Million.

Interesting idea, but not true. In reality, its the other way around...Parallels is acquiring Sun!
And, in the process, I've been promoted to "Supreme Lord Chancellor of Worldwide Communications". Needless to say, its been a good day.

Now that we've scooped up Sun, its time to move on to our next acquisition targets. Here are a few that we've got in our sites:

1. Apple. By buying Apple, we can make it even easier for people to get Desktop for Mac by simply bundling a new Mac with every copy. We figure that everyone with a Mac pretty much buys a copy of Parallels Desktop anyway, so why not cut out the middle man?
2. Microsoft. Fingers crossed that our acquisition of Microsoft goes through. These guys are a real up and comer and I think that they could do some really great things. Mark my words, they're gonna be big, and with our guidance, we can make them HUGE!
3. BMW. Because the boss likes BMWs. Simple as that.
   

As you probably understand, not a single word of this post is true (aside from the "Supreme Lord Chancellor of Worldwide Communications" bit, obviously).

Parallels is NOT being acquired by Sun or anyone else! This was just a joke put out by the Virtualization.com guys (and to their credit, it was a good one).

Happy April Fools Day everyone!

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Become a friend of Parallels on MySpace!
Join us at www.myspace.com/parallelsinc!

This week's Parallels Story winner

Congrats to Mark Ward, our next winner in the Parallels Story contest. Here’s what Mark had to say:

I'm two things, but for years my computer could only be one.

I'm a biblical scholar in training, so I have needed my computer to run the expensive and powerful Windows software (BibleWorks, Logos) that I rely on for my studies and work.

I'm also a graphic designer who never can seem to say no when asked to design a T-shirt or a friend's wedding invitation… For this work I needed the computer and OS most designers prefer, Mac!

For years I had to content myself with clunkiness because school and work won out over design. Also, I was single. Girls did not like me.

But with Parallels (and Spaces in Leopard!) on my perfect little Macbook, I switch completely seamlessly and with no hiccups between OSX and Windows. I can even drag a file from OSX and drop it on my Windows desktop or in a Windows application! I copy text back and forth between OSes all day. I barely have to think about the transition.

Now my divided psyche is one. And I'm engaged to be married in May!

Thank you, Parallels!

Congrats on winning, and mazel tov on the wedding! I’m tossing in a second gift card in the mail…one for you, and one for your bride-to-be.

You can also read more about Mark (and Mrs. Mark) at their blog.


_____________________________
Become a friend of Parallels on MySpace!
Join us at www.myspace.com/parallelsinc!

Customer Reviews

It was recently brought to my attention that two Parallels employees posted, on their personal time, some not-so-nice comments and reviews of VMware Fusion on Amazon.com, and while they tagged their posts with their full names, they didn’t include the company name. Our team is a passionate one, and in this case, two of our most passionate members were overzealous in their support of Parallels, and went a bit too far.

The situation was taken care of immediately. Those posts have been removed, we’ve talked with the posters and their managers, and we’ve taken action to make sure that this doesn’t happen ever again.

I appreciate your understanding here. If you have questions about what’s going on, please email me, and I’ll talk with you personally.