Compactor is now Compressor - and the Release Candidate is ready for download!

The Release Candidate of Parallels VM Compressor - formerly known as Compactor - is now available for download. You can get your copy at the Parallels Compressor Download Center.

I'm sure you're asking two questions: What's so cool about the RC, and why'd you change the name?

First things first: What's new in the Release Candidate?

• Added uninstall feature for primary Mac OS X
• Added /r command line key to register product from the command line
• VM Compressor now posts an event to guest Windows Application event log upon finishing its work
• Changed logic of checking administrator's rights
• VM Compressor no longer removes pictures from My Accounts
• Changed message which appears if Parallels VM Compressor is not activated or license key is expired
• Fixed the problem with Windows File Protection message
• Users are now able to add or remove tasks by clicking on the task itself or its checkbox

Its important to note that the Parallels VM Compactor folder is not automatically deleted on Linux or Mac OS X primary OSes. You can delete it manually. Or, you can leave it for nostalgia's sake. Up to you.

Also, if you are a Mac user, your license key will be deleted when you upgrade to Parallels VM Compressor RC. You will need to re-input it to activate the product. Hit the "My Account" section of the website if you need to be re-sent your key.

Now, the big question: what's with the new name?
After a long internal discussion and a lot of great user feedback, we decided that Compressor was a much more appropriate name than Compactor. When most people hear the word "compactor", they think of a trash compactor. And, while your VM may have a ton of garbage in it (I know mine do!), we're not too keen on having our product associated with garbage. So, behold Parallels VM Compressor!

Workstation for Mac OS X Beta5 includes USB support and Shared Folders

Today's a big day for Mac users everywhere! Parallels Workstation for Mac OS X Beta5 is here...and it includes USB support and a Shared Folder function that makes sharing documents between Windows and Mac OS X a snap.

Get your free copy of Beta5 at the Parallels Download Center. Remember, if you're already a beta tester, you can just install Beta5 on top of your current version. You will NOT have to rebuild your virtual machines.

Remember that you can also pre-order your copy of Parallels Workstation now and save $10 off the $49.99 retail price! Pre-order your copy now!

Improvements and Fixes in Beta5:

• Introduced USB support. Connect your favorite USB devices directly to a virtual machine!
• Read the forum thread about the current status of USB support.
• Introduced shared folders. Share files between Mac OS X and any Windows XP or Windows 2003 guest virtual machine!
• Learn more about the Shared Folder function.
• Support for dynamic screen resolutions has been introduced. This means that when you choose a guest OS, a list of available screen resolutions is dynamically populated with primary OS resolutions.
• Fixed keyboard mapping problems and the mouse pointer lag problem
• Improved sound support. The sound lag problem has also been fixed.
  
• 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. This is a really cool feature that makes switching between OSes in fullscreen mode very easy. There's a video of an early version of this feature in action here.
  
• Fixed several kernel panics
• Added default network adapter for bridged mode
• There's a new and improved Parallels Tools package in Beta5. To update, open your VM, log in, click the "VM" menu, and click "Install Parallels Tools"

Also, we now have more than 100,000 beta testers! Thanks (again) to everyone who's helping make this the best product possible. The fact that we're moving so fast with this beta program is a direct result of your support, enthusiasm, and hard work.

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Parallels Compactor 1.0 beta

Last Friday we launched beta testing for Parallels Compactor 1.0. It automatically deletes temporary and unnecessary files in a virtual hard disk, and then compacts the virtual disk to size that optimizes virtual machine performance and real disk space. It helps virtual machine users to:

■ Effectively clean up disk space in virtual machine, resulting in better performance and faster disk access

■ Significantly reduce the size of virtual hard disks and effectively use the real hard disk resource.

■ More easily share smaller virtual disks. Compacted virtual disks can easily be burned to a CD or DVD, or quickly transferred over network.

Now, here's the coolest thing...

It's compatible with ANY Windows XP, 2003, or 2000 virtual machine or virtual server built with Parallels Workstation 2.1 for Mac, Windows or Linux, VMWare Workstation, VMWare GSX Server, VMWare Server, Microsoft Virtual PC, or Microsoft Virtual Server.

This means that even if you're not a Parallels user (but honestly, why wouldn't you be?), you can use Compactor to save space and improve VM performance.

If that hasn't convinced you, perhaps our shiny new product package will:

Ready to get started? Get your free beta copy of Parallels Compactor 1.0 at the Compactor Download Center.

Back from vacation

I'm back at Parallels after spending a few days with my wife Jen, in Berkeley Springs, WV. Berkeley Springs is a cool artist town in the WV mountains that's known for its natural springs. The place has been a long time vacation spot (George Washington was a big fan), and proved to be a great way to celebrate our first anniversary.

Pictures coming soon, and updates on what's going on with Parallels coming tomorrow!

Coke Blak

This has absolutely nothing to do with virtualization, but it does relate to product marketing, so I thought I'd write about it.

I just had a Coke Blak. For those of you who don't know what it is, its a new coffee-flavored Coke. Perhaps just reading about such an abomination makes you say "Dear God! Why would they DO such a thing? That sounds HORRIBLE!" My answer to you would be "I have no idea", and "Man, is horrible an understatement."

If you want to experience it for yourself, here's my suggestion: save the 75 cents by simply taking a day old cup of coffee and pouring it into a bottle of Coke. Shake vigorously. Try not to gag when you take a swig.

As a marketing guy, the decsion to constantly create new Coke products baffles me. There's a lot of wisdom in the old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and the Coke guys don't seem to understand that. Coca-cola classic is the best selling food product in the world...why mess with it? Dare I bring up the fiasco that was Coke II?

I'm going to brush my teeth and try not to have nightmares about Coke Blak. I'll see you all in the morning.

Beta4 for Mac OS X is ready for download

Beta4 is here!

Thanks to the help of our thousands of beta testers, we hammered our many of the bugs found in betas 1, 2, and 3, and were able to include several important new features, including:

• Support for full screen mode
  
• Dual-monitor support
  
• Improved real CD/DVD support
• Improved, easier to use interface
• Better sound support, including a fix for Windows 2000 guest OS
• Networking kernel panics fixes
• Bridged networking issues fixes
• WiFi networking issues fixes
• Fixes for some of the issues encountered when entering "Sleep" mode when a VM is running
• Many other minor bug fixes

Dual monitor and full screen suppot are my favorite additions to Beta4. Now, you can drag a VM to a second display, hit full screen, and effectively have 2 "life size" computers running different OSes, but with one set of input devices. I do this all the time with Linux on my Windows XP machine and can't wait to get to work with Windows and Mac OS X at the same time on two displays!

Just a heads up...there is one known issue with Beta4 that we're already working on and I wanted to share with you: If you have a real CD or DVD connected to a VM, you may have problems ejecting the disk. Simply disconnect the CD from the VM, and you should be able to eject the disk as normal.

Ready to get started with the new version? Get it at the Parallels Download Center!

76,924

I mispoke on the forum when I said we had 50,000 beta testers...its actually more than 70,000!

Actually, its 76,924 to be exact. :)

Because of the support of our testers, we're really moving fast on development/testing. Look for a new update soon!

Parallels in the New York Times

This morning Parallels was featured on the front page of the Business section of the New York Times. The article was written by David Pogue, the Times' personal technology columnist and the author of several books on personal computing.

Either pick up a print copy (don't forget to check out the awesome screenshot on page 10!), or read the article online:

• "Run Windows and Mac OS Both at Once", by David Pogue of The New York Times
  

PW for Mac OS X Beta3 is ready for download

With almost 50,000 beta testers behind us, we are making tremendous progress in beta testing. Because of the massive support and constructive feedback we've recieved, our development and QA teams were able to resolve a number of bugs and issues very quickly, and as a result, I'm proud to let you know that beta3 of Parallels Workstation 2.1 for Mac OS X available for download!

Get your copy now at at the Parallels for Mac OS X Download Center. If you're a Beta1 or Beta2 user, Beta3 will install over your current copy of Workstation, and you won't need to get a new key. Just download, install, and get back to work.

And, don't forget that if you pre-order your copy now, you can save $10 off the $49.99 retail price! Pre-order your copy now for just $39.99 at the Parallels Online Store.

Beta3 offers the several fixes and improvements that bring us much closer to a complete product:

• No need to reinstall Parallels Workstation if its moved from the default file location.
• Mac OS X no longer restarts when Parallels Workstation is left running and host wakes up from “Sleep” mode
• Kernel no longer panics when working with several VMs
• Improved speed and performance
• Idling guest OS now consumes only 1-2% of CPU power
• Bridged networking issues fixed
• Sound support introduced (I mean it this time!)
  
• Improved wi-fi support, especially for MacBook Pro laptops
  
• Improved mouse synchronization tool
• Keyboard mapping and repeating bugs fixed
• CD/DVD problems fixed
• Many other minor bug fixes

There are a few known issues that are being resolved now:

• Do NOT suspend your VM when sound is playing inside guest, as it may reset Mac OS X.
• VMs are created with the Sound device pointing to the Null Device. Its important to point it to “Default Audio” manually to have sound enabled in a VM.
• Sound may tremble at the beginning of playing
• USB is not working yet, but will be very soon
• Video output is still a bit slow
• Image Tool is not available yet, but will be very soon.

6 is better than 0

I noticed today that my blog now has a Google PageRank of 6. This is substantially better than the last pagerank the blog had, which was 0. Having such a high PageRank is pretty cool because it means that 1) people are actually reading what I have to say and 2) the blog is now one of the top sites on the internet for information about virtualization. All in all, its a good thing.

What's a PageRank? In short, its Google's way of indicating how important a web page is. Learn all about it here.