I would like to know if it is possible to set a windows Program as my default app for a certain file type IN OS X. Crazy I know. I am using Coherence and love it but need more. Any ideas? ~B
Mostly for Microsoft Office, What What you say?, There is a version of office for Mac! You are right and for the most part it does a good job, Excel and most of Word I actually prefer in a Mac. However, I work with multiple-hundred page documents made by others (PCers). These are filled with WMF graphics that would (and have) taken up to 30 minutes to convert. and that is assuming it does it right, which is hit or miss. Not something i want to go through. Oh and PowerPoint is crapo on a mac. Sometimes I think Microsoft did it on purpose just to be mean to macs. So it is a matter of having two versions of the same sopftware installed, one works well and the other works ok. Seems like a simple choice. Granted this is all because Microsoft is lazy at cross-platform programming (no one has ever written this about Adobe, Thunderbird, iTunes...) and they are still stuck in using proprietary WMF. So now that you know... any idea? Thanks
The problem is that Parallels doesn't run windows programs in OSX, it runs Windows in parallel with OSX, and all the "integration" is smoke and mirrors. Coherence makes it look as if a Windows program is running right next to an OSX window, but that's a video trick and isn't what is happening under the hood. All the other tricks that make it look as if Windows programs are right there in the dock, etc., are routines executed in the Parallels monitor context, and only make it look as if the two are integrated. Windows programs don't run in OSX. Period. They run in Windows. Period. You have a Mac, and a Windows computer running on the same box and sharing a keyboard and screen, but they are really two different computers, and will behave that way. You can access files over the internal network between systems, and that's the only mechanism available for sharing. BTW, FWIW, I have not installed the coherence tool because it's just cycle consuming eye candy. It's a concept I very much DON'T love. Mac is Mac and Windows is Windows. They aren't the same and never will be.
joem, i appreciate your response. You make many good points about the realities of Parallels and the integration of the systems. i do disagree with your disregard for Coherence; i think it's one of the main things Parallels has going for it in terms of public appreciation. i care about cycles too, but i'd prefer a good and seamless user experience over a slightly faster machine. When i need speed, i'll reduce customization; otherwise, i want to live in a happy world with fluffy bunnies and candy houses. : ) Personally, i'd find great use for a feature like the one blucci is requesting. As you've said, Coherence is smoke and mirrors, and they're trying to blur the lines between the two OS's. What many users are looking for is a seamless experience. What keeps me from just click ing on a Windows file in OSX?
Someone mentioned they had found a solution for this in the Parallels for Mac Technical Forum. They had a video posted of opening a document within OSX and having it opened in Windows. I think they were using Automator or something like that. Hopefully they will post the details soon.
Well, let's say that someone sends you an email with a Visio diagram. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to click on it and have it open Visio within Parallels?
