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Our week of giveaways continues. On offer today? We’ve got five copies of Parallels 7, our favourite virtualisation app for Mac users and the easiest way to run Windows apps in a Mac environment.
To enter, just tell us which Windows app you can’t live without on your Mac and why. The five best entries (as determined by our judges) will each win a copy of Parallels 7. Entries close Wednesday December 14 at 1:15pm, so get going! Full terms and conditions here.
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TortoiseSVN is the app I can’t live without. There still isn’t a Mac alternative that offers the same level of functionality when merging complex branches together. By far the app I can’t live without!
Autodesk 3DS Max, must have for me on my Mac because I need it for school work! Currently running in bootcamp, but the convenience of running it under Mac would be amazing!
GOG.com games. It’s the holiday sale season and so many bargains coupled with a lot of relative time = time to get my retro on. Plus Ultima 7 jsut got released and i am keen to compare to Skyrim.
As a hobby dev it’s just awesome to be able to test cross plattform applications on just one machine. So it’s actually not a single software, more like a workflow practise … hope that counts as well 😀
Foxtel Download (http://www.foxtel.com.au/download/default.htm). This is a legit way to download and watch movies and TV series. I am a Foxtel customer and the only way I can watch these are by installing Windows on my Mac via bootcamp. I would love not having to switch my OS just to watch my media content.
Zune. All my music is correctly tagged in Zune, I have a Zune pass, a Zune HD and a Windows Phone 7. It is also the most beautiful application Microsoft have ever designed. It is a must have (and actually fits perfectly, design wise, alongside my Mac….)
Civilization 2. The only reason I held out on Windows 7 and 64bit for far too long. The sequels just don’t cut the mustard.
I cant live without Microsoft Security Essentials as it makes the world a better place =)
It would have to be all the Server Admin tools ie. Exchange 2010 Management tools and Active Directory. Mac desktops, Windows servers…yeah…
Well absolutely the most important piece of windows software that hurts because you cannot run it on the mac is Windows Live Writer.
I have tried as many of the OSX blog programs as I could and none of them come close to the fit and polish of Windows Live Writer.
WLW is tightly integrated into windows so it won’t be a simple port to the mac. Bloggers will find their productivity increase once they get grips on this freebie but invaluable piece of software – almost worth the price of windows itself.
It’s a tough toss up between Chrome and iTunes. More leaning towards iTunes, simply because there are very few other alternatives to play media with on a mac. Being so streamlined and apart of the operating system and also a key importance for my iphone, without iTunes, i would not be able to play music, sync my phone, backup my phone, purchase songs at such ease with such comfort.
As sad as it sounds – eTax. The ATO still haven’t got a HTML5/MacOS version of it yet so i keep on having to borrow PC’s or take my tax stuff to work.
Enterprise Architect by Sparx Systems – arguably one of the best applications for designing complex computer systems – and developed right here in Australia!
The complete Office 2010 suite. As good as Office 2011 and other Mac-based alternatives are, there is no true substitute for having full-blown Project and Visio installations.
the ATO tax application… if only the ATO decided that the individuals wishing to use Macs to do their tax running are worthwhile (to also pay their taxes).
Origin Pro 8.5 – unfortunately need it for my PhD analysis. Thanks to dropbox, at least I can share the excel datasheets but it doesn’t stop the back and forth for analysis and writing.
The people using Macs are bum students, so they dont have a Mac version so they dont have to give them massive refunds?
microsoft project so I can stop freaking having to use bootcamp… shutting down and rebooting windows sucks…
I can’t live without playing the LEGO title games on Windows. Yes, I actually am a child trapped in a mans body.
I can’t live without BasicFunder ,our donor and donation management program this is the lifeblood of our charity customer relations and donation management, I’ve switched everything to Mac…… I’ve had to maintain a windows laptop just to keep using this vital program….love to switch it over to the one machine…
Beyond Compare is sadly missing from the Mac ecosystem. I need this as it would give a far nicer way of comparing my versioned files. And eTax for sure.
I cannot live without Quicken, as I cannot belive that the company have not written a mac based applciation as yet.
as John and Dave have said, unfortunately the ATO are yet to make their self tax app for the OSX. it’s the only app I ‘have’ to run on PC…
VectorNTI by Invitrogen. As a genetics postgrad, this program is invaluable for designing and virtualising experiments and analysing genome data. What’s more, they recommend the use of Parallels to virtualise the program in Mac OSX!
Domdomsoft Manga Download, why? Auto download Manga chapter, the only reason why I kept my old 7 years old Windows laptop running just this software.
I can’t live without eTax on my Mac! I know they are working on a web based solution, but until then I have to borrow another computer…
I’m an engineering student, and I love my Mac. But unfortunately I need to use applications like Matlab and AutoCAD for uni, so a copy of Parallels would make my life heaps easier.
ETAX!!! There is no way I’m filling in an archaic paper-based form simply because I’m on a mac
Pretty much every PC AAA game! Unfortunately the majority aren’t ported to mac. How can I go on without them?
Treesize professional. Im a space junkie. I like to be able to break down directories as close to the bone as possible. I cant find anything even close to the power of this ‘program’ on OSX.
Microsoft OneNote.
It’s one of the best note-taking applications out there, and isn’t available on Mac! I’ve been wanting to switch to a Mac for ages, but I’m so used to using OneNote for university work. I’ve got a copy of Windows and I can grab a copy of Office:Mac for $99, and if I was to score a copy of Parallels 7 I would make the switch in a second! 🙂
Definitely mobile device simulators – for Android and Blackberry. Being a mobile developer its great to be able to do all of your work with one computer.
OneNote: All my school work is done using it on my convertible toshiba tablet. All the work is then synced to my mac via live mesh but it makes it hard having to boot into botcamp all the time.
grassvalley EDIUS 6. Fast keyboard shortcuts, intuitive, realtime HD editing, can’t live without EDIUS 6 just so disappointed it is only for windows. constantly switching between bootcamp on my powerhouse macbook pro. parallels would make my life and my work so much faster. i would love to only be in OSX.
Shiva 3D…….. multiplatform (Android/IOS/PC/MAC/Web) game dev has never been so much fun.
foobar2000. best music player on a windows box. I’m sorry but iTunes does not even come close.
ConvertXtoDVD – Fast, brilliant software to give my burner a bit of a workout and keep the natives happy!
I can’t live without Office. We have an antiquated IT manager in our company who refuses to change over to the glory of Mac, so I’m stuck using Windows applications.
The console for my heart/lung machine is Windows-only, I want to run this on my Macbook Pro because the battery life means in the event of a power outage, the power company would have about 10 hours to save my life or at least bring in a backup generator. If you think that I am just making this up to win a piece of software, you are a bad person.
Basically every flavour of PLC and VSD programming software and logging utilities for my electrical test equipment, I have to take a macbook and a netbook to work everyday to make my job work.
I can’t live without Skyrim, but the missus and the dog can’t live without me on the couch at night. If only I could play Skyrim on the MBP?
I can’t live without HeidiSQL, there’s no other program on the Mac like it for SQL. There’s plenty of other apps out there that have great or better OSX equivalent, unfortunately not for this one.
I was going to say Internet Explorer, but then again no one should have to use that anyway.
Virtualbox. So that I can run Linux from inside of windows which is run inside of parallels for Mac (…which runs within the matrix…)
WINAMP LITE! Its lite, its quick, its tidy, it doesn’t demand much of your system, it has a good EQ and its not iTunes!! 🙂
Jolly phonics for my son, he loves learning with it – such fun and engaging learning for him helps to teach phonics and letter blending and sounds but windows based 🙁 this would be awesome for both of us as he although only 5 can easily work my mac so it would be the best of both worlds for the two of us and he would feel far more comfortable doing his Jolly Phonics activitites.
Can’t love without Notepad++ for ultra fast development. Spend most of my day in it. Haven’t found a speedier editor on the Mac.
DVDprofiler … all my DVD’s and Blurays cataloged and searchable. Real shame there is no mac version – great program though.
Windows 7. Using Parallels to run Windows 7 would mean not only showing non Mac users what a Mac can do, but also allow me to continue to develop viruses and trojans…. Oops I mean keep up to date with developments in Windows software.
I can barely live without Beyond Compare and I could get by without Microsoft Money but I can’t get off Adobe Dreamweaver without forking out the bucks for a cross-grade/upgrade so Windows on a Mac it is.
Dammed etax for me – how else do I write off my shiny new macbook pro over the next few years? And I aint filling out forms by hand!
The app I miss the most at home on my mac is Notepad++. I use it all the time at work and although there are a couple similar apps for Mac nothing comes close.
I use web2book to put all my online research onto my ereader for greater portability. Would be great to not have to fire up the vm everyone.
Solitaire.
Since Windows 3.0 it’s been the number one productivity killer, way before kitten videos were watchable online.
Windows 98 came out with the Quick Launch bar for one-click Solitaire anywhere, anytime from any program. Not that it mattered since Solitaire was the only program running.
Windows XP gave me peace of mind it wouldn’t crash mid-game and Windows 7 gives me stats, win-loss ratios, save games, the whole shebang. Similar to Call of Duty Elite I guess. Give me Solitaire on Windows and I’ll give you 52 reasons why I need a 20GB minimum partition on my hard drive.
foobar 2000, because its simple, lightweight, highly customisable has great tagging features, supports heaps of codecs (including uncompressed exact cd copys) and its free, also it doesn’t crash every 5 minutes
I absolutly can’t live without songsmith, I’m constantly using it for work and fun, it was the only thing stopping me getting a mac. Since I made the switch it’s really affected my user expirience negatively.
OneNote. I bought Office:Mac and I still need Windows to run essential programs. Also virtual box severely has its limitations.
I can’t live without Guild Wars on Windows because I feel like I’ve lost apart of my soul and I feel like I’m currently being chased by zombies. OH NO !
(sung to the theme of without you_ I can’t live if living is without Outlook; I can’t give; I can’t email anymore.
I really cant live without my copy Arcsoft’s Total Media 5. I use it to play Bluerays on my TV with my old laptop. I have been waiting agonisingly for when I can put it on a Mac.
Simple Retail’s Aquarius Dispensing for Pharmacy – I’m glad there’s a dispensing program for pharmacy. The doctor’s directions, patient details are entered (unless there is a repeat barcode), and a label and repeat forms generated.
From what my boss says, 40 years ago, they typed labels up using a typewriter, licked the labels and stuck them onto the box. Kinda gross right?
MS Visio – need it for process engineering work. It would be nice to ditch the old toshiba laptop…
Parallels would give me convenience AND give me death. Anatomy and Physiology Revealed is a Win app that strips back cadavers from fully skinned to just bones, with layers of muscles, brains, vessels and viscera in between. I thought I’d be freaked out by this stuff but it’s totally absorbing and utterly essential for my Clinical Science course.
I can’t live without my Karateka emulator, complete with 8 bit sound. They just don’t make games like they used to….
Skyrim. Can’t get through Christmas without killing some Christmas Dragons.
Can’t live without Internet Explorer because I need it to download Chrome!
Wordperfect.
The ‘Reveal Codes’ function is amazing – it has a small window underneath the normal page area which is formatted terminal style showing you the ‘code’ behind the text.
i.e, all formatting tags like font, size, bold, etc, tabs (differentiating between tabs and indents too), margins, objects such as pictures or tables – everything happening in the document is represented in the code window.
You can interact with the code window too so you can select, cut/copy and paste tags and even include them in a search. You don’t get such complete control of your document in any other word processor I’ve ever used and it feels like such a step backward using any of the main competitors.
Elcomsoft Advanced Office Password Recovery. Not a week went by when one of the executives at work (or their assistants) forgot the password to their Excel file and I would end up running it overnight to try and recover it.
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