Virtual PC 5.0.3 for X--How Fast Is It?
In March, Connectix released Version 5.0.2 Update and again we tested it's speed. We found that, indeed, v5.0.2 was faster than v5.0 and v5.0.1. Last week, Connectix released v5.0.3. So, how fast is it?
We completed the same OS X benchmarks as we did our speed test of v5.0.2 with Windows ME and Windows XP Home, i.e. launching the virtual machine (OS), Internet Explorer, Start button, control panel, and Virtual PC 4.0 Manual PDF in Acrobat Reader v5.0.5. Plus we timed the shut down. Our 450 MHz G4 Cube with 1.5 GB RAM was again the test bed. Virtual PC was the only application running and all windows were closed. In addition, Mac OS X 10.1.4 came out since the v5.0.2 results. There is some variability in the times so we reported the average of three trials:
| Windows Ver.-> | Win ME | Win XP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPC Ver.-> | 5.0.2 | 5.0.3 | 5.0.2 | 5.0.3 |
| Action | ||||
| OS |
59
|
66
|
142
|
168
|
| Internet Explorer |
14
|
12
|
17
|
19
|
| Start Button |
<1
|
<1
|
<1
|
<1
|
| Control Panel |
3
|
3
|
4
|
6
|
| Acrobat Reader |
43
|
44
|
27
|
50
|
| Shut Down |
13
|
13
|
44
|
54
|
Virtual PC 5.0.3 is about the same as v5.0.2 for the Windows ME virtual machine except for OS launch time where 5.0.3 is consistently slower. The launch times for Windows XP were also slower, consistently some 25-28 seconds slower in v5.0.3 than we recorded for v5.0.2. The same was true for v5.0.2 vs 5.0.1. Altogether, Windows XP takes about 45 seconds longer to launch in v5.0.3 than v5.0.1. All other actions in Windows XP were also slower in v5.0.3.
Why is v5.0.3 slower? We don't know but both Windows virtual machines were updated extensively by Microsoft since v5.0.2 and Mac OS X has been updated from 10.1.3 to 10.1.4. Perhaps, these OS updates have an effect.
In addition, v5.0.3 comes with new features. According to the Read Me file, they are:
Password Protection--The following elements of Virtual PC can be password protected:
-Preferences.
-PC Settings: A user must enter a password to make changes to a virtual machine's settings. This includes making changes to the memory settings, undo drives and shared folders.
-Exit from full screen mode: Users will not be able to exit full screen mode unless they enter a password.
-Create and delete PC: A user will not be able to create or delete a virtual machine unless they enter a password.
Sockets-Based Networking (Mac OS X)--The 5.0.3 update adds a new shared networking method known as Sockets-Based Shared Networking (SBSN) for Mac OS X. SBSN, now the default method of network sharing, contains all of the functionality of normal Open Transport Shared Networking (Shared OT), but adds the capability to access the NetBIOS port which allows Windows to log into Windows NT domains and browse the Network Neighborhood.
COM Port Settings--Serial port emulation and configuration has been improved in Virtual PC 5.0.3. The primary change was made to the COM1 and COM2 Port settings user interface in the Virtual PC Settings. The new user interface includes Advanced Settings that can be used to increase connectivity and compatibility with some devices and also clarifies the use of the non-modem device checkbox found in previous versions of Virtual PC 5.
Modem Checkbox--The logic for the "modem/non-modem device" checkbox has been changed from previous versions of Virtual PC 5 so that the default will assume that you intend to map a Windows COM port to the Mac's internal modem (the most common use of the COM port settings).
Advanced Settings--When a Mac serial port is chosen in the COM Port settings, the Advanced Settings will become available. There are two options for Advanced Settings: DTR tracks RTS and CTS tracks RTS
These options were previously only available in Virtual PC via AppleScript commands.CPU Usage Controls--Virtual PC 5.0.3 now includes an option in the Virtual PC global preferences that will allow the user to specify how they want the Virtual PC application to perform and respond in Mac OS X when other applications are running. There are two options that can be adjusted - one to set Virtual PC's processor use when it is the foreground application and one to set its use when the application is in the background. By default, Virtual PC's foreground usage is set to maximum and the background usage is set to medium.
"Type CTRL-ALT-DEL" Menu Item--Many Apple keyboards lack a forward delete key whereas PC keyboards do not. On the Mac, the large Delete key maps to the backspace delete key in PC operating systems and keyboards. Because of this, the common PC key combination of CTRL-ALT-DEL is not readily available on keyboards that lack the forward delete key. Virtual PC 5.0.3 now contains a new item in the Control menu that when selected, sends the CTRL-ALT-DEL key combination to the active PC.
Long Filename Support for Shared Folders--Virtual PC will now support long filenames (up to 255 characters) for files and folders that are used within shared folders in Windows.
Improved Printing Help and Printer Icon in Virtual PC Toolbar--Virtual PC 5.0.3 adds improved help to clarify the different methods of printing in Virtual PC. A new icon has been added to the Virtual PC toolbar that links directly to Virtual PC's printing help center. Additionally, a dialog will now appear when launching a PC with a USB printer connected to the host Mac.
Any or all of these changes could have contributed the increase in launch times. However, they are excellent improvements to a critically important Mac application.
-- Weekend, June 1-2 --
[Update] Speed Download 1.8.2 has been released today and is available for download. This is a recommended update for all Speed Download users. Here's what's new:
- NEW Updated and feature enhanced/faster Speed Download Plugin for Classic and OSX.
- NEW Much faster FTP performance and compatibility.
- NEW Improved handling of downloads from pages with frames.
- NEW Added feature to allow adding multiple URLs to the same file; for mirror servers.
- NEW Added feature to allow adding multiple URLs to different files at once.
- NEW Percentage downloaded is now displayed even when a download is cancelled.
- NEW Completely optimized Drag 'n' Drop ability in the main window.
- NEW Updated user-agents information.
- NEW Added the preference of picking a sound to alert when downloads are complete.
- NEW Improved the handling URL rerouting.
- Continuous improvement on the performance/integration with all popular Mac browsers.
- Fixed the registration bug that wouldn't recognize some keyboard strokes.
- Many minor miscellaneous tweaks to the interface and Speed Download code.
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