Feature recommendations

R

rascaldawg

Bit poster
As a heavy VMware user in a Windows environment where I work, here's some things I'd like to see:

- When in full screen mode, the ability to have tabs across the top to switch between the different virtual machines you have open (it's called Full Screen/Quick Switch view in VMware). In addition, have the toolbar auto-hide when not in use. Also make it smaller, to take less screen real estate, but definately keep it on top.

- Alert messages when the guest OS is not running Parallels Tools, with the option of turning off the alerts when desired.

- Snapshot feature, a la VMware.

- The ability to switch between "connected networks" without shutting down the guest OS and changing VM settings. For example, go into the Devices -> Network menu and select en0, en1, or host-only networking direct from there, and have it take effect instantly without restarting the VM.

- The ability to turn off host-only networking DHCP, and define multiple host-only interfaces (so you can have multiple VMs on seperate host-only networks - useful when working with firewalls and other network utilities).

- For more "Mac" like continuity, setup Parallels Tools to install a universal printer driver that has the ability to print to the printers already installed in Mac OS X. That way the user won't have to setup a seperate printer, drivers, etc. for most printing functionality, a la MS Virtual PC.

- It would be nice to be able to import CDs direct into ISO files within Parallels, without having to use the Mac OS X Disk Utility. If that can't happen, please just setup Parallels to allow use of CD images that have the *.CDR file name extension. OS X Disk Utility (what I use to create ISOs) will only create them with the CDR file name extension, so the file has to be renamed to *.ISO before Parallels will let me select it.

I'm sure I'll think of some more suggestions.
 
<< It would be nice to be able to import CDs direct into ISO files within Parallels, without having to use the Mac OS X Disk Utility. If that can't happen, please just setup Parallels to allow use of CD images that have the *.CDR file name extension. OS X Disk Utility (what I use to create ISOs) will only create them with the CDR file name extension, so the file has to be renamed to *.ISO before Parallels will let me select it. >>

Hmmm... On my copy there is a combo box for File Type below the file name. That combo box allows you to select 'All Files'. This selection is not sensitive to any particular file extension, and provides the freedom to name one's files anything that they want to. The default is logically the extension used by 95% of the computing world for a CD image - ISO. Do you want Parallels to make the default to be something that is only useful to 5% of the computer world? Do you have a justification for this that the rest of us do not understand?
 
First, let me mention this thread started in the Mac OS X beta forum, and was moved by a moderator to this one. So......consider all of my comments to be focused around Mac OS X - I am not a user of the other platform versions of Parallels.

The ISO/CDR issue is two fold:

Unfortunately, Apple's Disk Utility for OS X (which I use to create "ISO" images) absolutely refuses to name the files with a *.ISO extension. When I try to name it *.ISO within the program, it will pop up a nice dialog telling me I can't do that.

iso.jpg

When it comes to Parallels, I go to the dialog where I can select the ISO image to use and it shows all files on the hard drive - no matter the extension. However, the dialog is designed to ONLY allow you to select files with the *.ISO extension. Files without an *.ISO extension are greyed out.

parallels.jpg

So my only choice is to rename the CDR file to an ISO after I create the image in Disk Utility.

Apple should be the ones to allow us Mac users save the files with an ISO extension without all of this fuss. But getting that will probably take an act of Congress. So in the meantime, I believe it would be an extremely simple programming change to allow Mac OS X Parallels users to select *.CDR files in addition to *.ISO (since they're in the same format, just named differently).
 
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Sorry I didn't know that the file type selector was not on the mac version. It's so common in the rest of the world, I just assumed it would be on a mac. Guess Jobs is more of an enforcer than Gates. :)
 
tgrogan said:
Sorry I didn't know that the file type selector was not on the mac version. It's so common in the rest of the world, I just assumed it would be on a mac. Guess Jobs is more of an enforcer than Gates. :)
Click to expand...
No, it just means that Parallels didn't request it in their call to the Open dialog API.
 
One more for the snapshot feature. That would be really awesome. Especially when you're experimenting with new or untrusted software.
 
rascaldawg said:
So my only choice is to rename the CDR file to an ISO after I create the image in Disk Utility.

Apple should be the ones to allow us Mac users save the files with an ISO extension without all of this fuss. But getting that will probably take an act of Congress. So in the meantime, I believe it would be an extremely simple programming change to allow Mac OS X Parallels users to select *.CDR files in addition to *.ISO (since they're in the same format, just named differently).
Click to expand...

I agree -- this issue also arises with floppy disk images. PW uses FDD, while others use VFD. They ar both the same format, but the open dialog will not let you open the VFD files.

IMHO, this is a generic flaw in OS X -- the open dialog refuses to allow you to open files except those it considers "valid". I understand that Apple didn't want regular users getting in a mess with files they should not access, but there should be some kind of over-ride option in the dialog.:(

--Tim
 
Andrew @ Parallels said:
*.VFD format is also should be supported in Beta6 - give it a try!
Click to expand...

Yep, tried it and it works fine!!!

Another big plus mark for the PW team.:)

You guy shave to be one of the most responsive development teams I've ever worked with.

--Tim
 
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