In fact, the Connectix deal resulted from Microsoft's search for 'virtual machine' technology to help them migrate business customers of their server products from older server versions of Windows - like Windows NT4 - to the latest version - Windows Server 2003.Ĭonnectix just happened to have the best technology available for Microsoft's needs getting Virtual PC for the Mac was a bonus. But after several days of reading about the deal and reflecting on what it might mean to the Mac community, my sense is that it's not necessarily as bad as it looks.įirst, it's clear from an article on the eWeek Web site that Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., didn't set out to snap up Virtual PC for the Mac. But that notion smacks just a bit too much of paranoia.Īs a Mac user myself, I admit that I, too, was stunned and unnerved when I first heard the news. Mac users assuming Microsoft is peeved at Apple may view the Connectix deal as Microsoft's retaliatory strike. announced two applications, the Safari Web browser and Keynote presentation software, that compete directly with Microsoft products. Perhaps some of the consternation resulted from nervousness stirred last month when Apple Computer Inc.

Others suspected a nefarious Microsoft plot, in which Virtual PC had been bought only to be killed at some future date to force Mac users to switch permanently to Windows. Some didn't explain their concerns, simply posting such statements as 'This is bad - very bad.' Shortly after the news broke, Mac forums filled with comments from worried users. The companies did not disclose financial details of the deal.

During a transition period of about six months, Connectix will continue to sell the acquired products under its own name after that, they will bear a Microsoft label. Still, Virtual PC represents a safety valve for Mac users who occasionally need to run a Windows program but don't want to buy a Windows PC. said last week that it had purchased the 'virtual machine solutions' of Connectix Corp.Ĭonnectix, based in San Mateo, Calif., makes Virtual PC, an 'emulator' application that allows Windows programs to run on a Mac, though sluggishly. The news broke like a thunderclap across the Mac community: Microsoft Corp.

Windows 95 game emulator for mac