The post My deep dive into Apple’s PQ3 security and Parallels Desktop: A Windows user’s perspective appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The recent release of Apple’s PQ3 security protocol for iMessage stands out from previous changes as a remarkable leap forward.
This protocol isn’t just another security update; rather, it’s a forward-thinking innovation designed to shield our digital communications against the anticipated threats posed by quantum computing.
PQ3, or Post-Quantum Cryptography for the third generation, is a fusion of cutting-edge cryptographic techniques aimed at future-proofing our digital interactions. It’s designed to protect users from hackers using quantum computers to harvest vast amounts of data — a strategy referred to as “harvest first, decrypt later” or HNDL.
According to Apple, PQ3 is the most significant cryptographic security upgrade in iMessage history. It is the first messaging protocol to reach what Apple refers to as “Level 3 Security” and provides protections above and beyond those available in other popular messaging apps.
As someone deeply entrenched in both the Apple ecosystem and a Windows-centric professional environment, delving into the potential of PQ3 and how it can be leveraged via Parallels Desktop has been a revelation.
My personal exploration highlights the significance of Apple’s PQ3 technology and how Parallels Desktop acts as a bridge, allowing Windows users like me to tap into Apple’s pioneering security protocol while maintaining our indispensable Windows workflows.
Let’s start by understanding what PQ3 is designed to accomplish. At its core, PQ3 is Apple’s response to the quantum computing challenge, incorporating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) alongside traditional elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC).
This dual-layered approach is engineered to ensure that iMessage remains a bastion of privacy, securing our communications against both current and future threats.
For me, delving into PQ3 was about understanding how Apple is preparing our digital dialogues to be quantum-resistant, a crucial move as quantum computers promise to disrupt the very foundation of current encryption standards.
The introduction of PQ3 intrigued me, not just as an advocate for privacy but as a Windows user navigating a Mac-centric innovation.
Here, Parallels Desktop is a critical piece of the puzzle. It offers a seamless solution for running Windows on a Mac, providing a unique opportunity for Windows users to benefit from Apple’s PQ3 security enhancements.
Parallels Desktop ensures that Windows applications and workflows can coexist within the secure enclave of macOS, including the quantum-resistant protection of iMessage.
This means that with Parallels Desktop, Windows users like me (and you) aren’t left behind; rather, we can embrace and benefit from the same security innovations that Mac users enjoy, all while continuing to use the software and applications that are integral to our daily tasks.
The introduction of PQ3 paired with the capabilities of Parallels Desktop has been transformative for my digital security and workflow integration.
Here are a few reasons why:
For me, embracing Parallels Desktop in conjunction with Apple’s PQ3 protocol has been about more than just navigating between two operating systems — it’s been a journey towards securing my digital life against the quantum threats on the horizon.
This exploration has provided a practical solution to the challenge of securely operating within both Mac and Windows ecosystems and offered a glimpse into a future where my digital and professional worlds are safeguarded by the most advanced security measures available.
With Parallels Desktop, I’ve found a way to harness the power of Apple’s PQ3 protocol, ensuring that my reliance on Windows software doesn’t leave me at a security disadvantage.
This journey has redefined my approach to digital privacy and security, showcasing that with the right tools, it’s possible to enjoy the best of both worlds — without compromise.
Ready to try Parallels Desktop yourself? Get your free trial now.
The post My deep dive into Apple’s PQ3 security and Parallels Desktop: A Windows user’s perspective appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Unleash your inner assassin on your Mac! Play Assassin’s Creed with Parallels Desktop appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>Yet, Apple devotees may feel as though they’re stuck on the outskirts of this grand saga, believing they can’t play most versions of Assassin’s Creed on their Macs.
Well, that’s a misconception I’m here to debunk. With the power of Parallels Desktop, your Mac can propel you headfirst into the intense escapades of Assassin’s Creed and more.
Whether you are a seasoned warrior of the Brotherhood or a newcomer yearning to traverse the grandeur of earlier eras, Parallels Desktop is your unwavering ally, delivering a pristine gaming experience.
Are you prepared to answer the call of history and begin your thrilling voyage through time? Your journey awaits!
Witness the unmatched Mac gaming experience firsthand with Parallels Desktop! Sign up for a 14-day trial to enhance your gaming.
Follow these simple steps to bring the world of Assassin’s Creed to life on your Mac:
After you buy Parallels Desktop, you can begin to download and install.
Complete your installation with a valid Windows license key.
Access the Parallels Desktop Control Center and navigate to the “Hardware” section.
Adjust the virtual machine settings by enabling the Gaming profile to allocate adequate amount of RAM, CPU, and GPU resources, ensuring a more seamless gaming experience.
By enabling “Optimize for games” in the Parallels Desktop Control Center’s Preferences, you can further enhance your gaming experience and ensure smoother gameplay within the virtual machine.
Install Ubisoft Connect, the client that allows you to play many Ubisoft games, including all past and upcoming Assassin’s Creed games.
Once you have this client, you can purchase and install the Assassin’s Creed game of your choice.
Launch the game from within your Windows environment on Parallels Desktop and embark on your adventure as an assassin from your Mac!
Remember, the game’s performance is heavily reliant on your Mac’s specs, so make sure to check out the system requirements for the particular Assassin’s Creed game you want to download and play.
To ensure that you get the most out of this experience, make sure it meets or exceeds these requirements.
Here are the system requirements for Assassin’s Creed Mirage:
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements | |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 3 1200 / Intel Core i5-4590 | AMD Ryzen 7 1700 / Intel Core i7-6700 |
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
Video Card | AMD Radeon R9 380 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or better | AMD Vega 64 – 8GB / GeForce GTX 1080- 8GB |
Dedicated Video RAM | 2048 MB | 8192 MB |
Pixel Shader | 5.1 | 5.1 |
Vertex Shader | 5.1 | 5.1 |
OS | Windows 10 (64-bit versions only) | Windows 10 (64-bit versions only) |
Free Disk Space | 50 GB | 50 GB |
Sound Card | Yes | Yes |
The thrilling world of Assassin’s Creed is just a click away on your M series Mac. Here is a list of the Assassin’s Creed titles that work on an M1 Mac at the time of publication:
The Assassin’s Creed demands a powerful gaming setup for its ultra-high-resolution visuals and intricate gameplay mechanics to be enjoyed without any hiccups.
Fortunately, the remarkable performance capabilities and energy efficiency of the M chip series allow your Mac to handle such an intense game, ensuring smooth gameplay at while offering crystal clear graphics that will transport you into another realm entirely.
Parallels Desktop ties everything together by taking advantage of this power so you can get lost in historical mysteries as soon as you hit play, unleashing your inner assassin on your Mac.
Various Assassin’s Creed games can be enjoyed on a MacBook Air, but with a caveat.
Because they are intensive games, the Assassin’s Creed titles demand a certain level of system resources for the best gameplay experience.
The MacBook Air, being a compact and portable laptop, has not historically been ideal for heavier gaming.
However, with advancements in technology, the newer models with M series chips, enhanced specs, and better graphics handling may run the game satisfactorily.
For example, in the latest MacBook Airs, the Apple M chipset provides a substantial boost in graphics performance, making it possible to run various Assassin’s Creed titles on your MacBook Air.
Of course, running more graphics-intensive games on your MacBook Air may come with some tradeoffs —namely in terms of frame rate and resolution.
But don’t let that deter you — with the right settings, you can still enjoy a thrilling Assassin’s Creed journey on your MacBook Air.
There’s no official confirmation of Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Mac compatibility from Ubisoft.
Parallels Desktop does not support DirectX 12 at this time, so you cannot play Assassin’s Creed Mirage with Parallels Desktop due to the system requirements.
In the intricate tangle of drama that is the Assassin’s Creed world, no gamer should be left unprepared. And with Parallels Desktop, you won’t be.
Whether you’re fighting Templars in the Crusades or navigating political intrigues in Renaissance Italy, Parallels Desktop ensures that you experience every moment of Assassin’s Creed in all its glory — right on your Mac.
Witness the unmatched Mac gaming experience firsthand with Parallels Desktop! Sign up for a 14-day trial to enhance your gaming.
The post Unleash your inner assassin on your Mac! Play Assassin’s Creed with Parallels Desktop appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Parallels Desktop for Mac version 19.3.0 is available! appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>This update includes dozens of critical fixes reported by our customers and introduces quality improvements to some of the frequently used functionalities. Explore the full list of improvements and changes for the Parallels Desktop 19.3.0 version.
Want to experience Parallels Desktop 19.3.0 for Mac for yourself? Get your 14-day free trial now.
Parallels Desktop enables hundreds of Windows games on a Mac with Apple silicon, making it easy to get started playing your favorite Windows game on your favorite computer:
There are just a few simple steps — install Windows in a single click > install Steam if applicable > install your game > enjoy!
This update brings fixes to graphic rendering issues our customers reported in the following games:
Note there are a few limitations when playing Windows games on a Mac with Apple silicon powered by Parallels Desktop — a game won’t run if it requires DirectX 12 as a minimum graphics level and/or you must use anti-cheat software.
For users of Pro and Business editions, there are improvements to the clipboard synchronization feature. This addition was requested by some of our business customers, and it makes copying and pasting data between Mac and virtual machines more flexible.
For improved data security, a Pro user or a Business administrator can now make clipboard buffer data flow in those directions:
This improvement is available for Linux virtual machines as well.
Navigate to the VM configuration > Options > More Options > “Clipboard sync” dropdown:
Hurray, Linux users! I am very grateful to everyone who reported their feedback about challenges with the scrolling experience in Linux in our forum.
I am very excited to announce that this update significantly improves the scrolling experience with a Trackpad across the entire Linux OS (not just a browser). This improvement applies to Mac computers with both Intel processors and Apple silicon chips.
Once you install version 19.3.0 and update Parallels Tools in your Linux virtual machines, you should feel the difference in scrolling sensitivity — it becomes much smoother.
If you wish to personalize scrolling sensitivity, you can easily do that by executing the following command in macOS Terminal (applies to all Linux virtual machines):
$ defaults write “com.parallels.Parallels Desktop” “HID Host Hook.Scroll Sensitivity” X, where X = 20 is the default value; 1 = minimum value (the highest sensitivity); 120 = maximum value (the lowest).
Ubuntu Linux is by far the most popular Linux distribution with Parallels Desktop users. This update provides the ability to install Ubuntu in one click by using the Express Installation option.
Simply enter your desired username and password, click Continue and your freshly baked Ubuntu VM is ready to meet your needs!
Lately, I see more and more users running macOS in a virtual environment, whether it is for development, testing, or just separating personal and work environments.
What’s so special about a macOS virtual machine on a Mac with Apple silicon? It is a completely new technology (macOS framework) that was introduced with the release of Apple silicon Mac computers.
Because it’s brand new, our engineers needed to adapt the existing Parallels Desktop features specifically for this type of virtual machine.
With 19.3.0, the Parallels team continues our commitment to providing the best experience with virtual macOS on Apple silicon across all the available options.
This is one of your most requested functionalities and it’s now being delivered to users!
While there are not as many options as there are for Windows or Linux, I am glad to announce that users can tweak the most essential aspects of their virtual machine, such as:
This update enables a few widely used system shortcuts and keys to work in the virtual macOS:
Note: If you don’t like the new experience and prefer to keep sending low-level system shortcuts to the primary macOS, open Parallels Desktop preferences > Shortcuts tab > macOS System Shortcuts > set the option “Send macOS system shortcuts” option to “Never”.
Security is a top priority in today’s world.
To further enhance our security measures, I am pleased to announce additional support for the ZScaler security provider and their VPN solutions. This will enable our developers and administrators to use a secure VPN enabling Zero Trust in your virtual machines, making them more robust and secure.
New to Parallels Desktop for Mac? Get a 14-day free trial of Parallels Desktop 19.3.0 now.
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]]>The post Join the Ranks: Parallels Desktop enables Lethal Company gameplay on macOS appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>Welcome to “Lethal Company,” a narrative of epic scale set against the backdrop of abandoned celestial industrial landscapes.
It dares you to gather resources, survive against all odds, and rise above challenges – all in devotion to the almighty company.
But consider this: What if your only portal into these remote galaxies is your Mac?
Fear not, intrepid explorers, for the bridge between your Mac and the universe of “Lethal Company” is not only possible but seamless, thanks to Parallels Desktop for Mac.
This software lets you create a virtual machine on your Mac, transforming it into a portal for endless gaming adventures.
Discover the power of running Lethal Company game on your Mac and unlock a universe of gaming potential with Parallels Desktop for Mac.
Eager to join the ranks of “Lethal Company” operatives on your Mac?
Embark on your Mac gaming journey today by exploring the gaming capabilities of Parallels Desktop for Mac. Get started now.
Ready to join the action in Lethal Company? Here’s how to play Lethal Company with Parallels Desktop:
If you don’t already have it, download and install the latest version of Parallels Desktop. The Pro or Business edition is recommended for the best gaming performance.
Open Parallels Desktop and set up the Windows 11* virtual machine using prompts on the screen.
Access the Parallels Desktop Control Center and navigate to the “Hardware” section.
If you are using Parallels Desktop Professional or Business editions, you can adjust the virtual machine settings by allocating an adequate amount of RAM, CPU, and GPU resources to ensure a seamless gaming experience.
You can accomplish this by enabling the Gaming Profile.
When it is enabled, Parallels Desktop provides more RAM and CPU to Windows, enters full-screen view for greater immersion, and toggles the mouse mode for better compatibility with games.
To enable the Gaming Profile:
1. Shut down Windows via the Start menu and open its configuration.
2. Click “Change” and select “Games only”.
3. Now close the configuration menu and start Windows.
By enabling “Optimize for games” in your virtual machine profile, you can further enhance your gaming experience and ensure smoother gameplay within the virtual machine.
Note that if you’re using Parallels Desktop Standard Edition, you can choose from Productivity mode or “Games only” mode.
With the Pro and Business versions of Parallels Desktop, you have more options.
In the Windows Virtual Machine, download and install the Steam client. This gives you access to Lethal Company and thousands more games.
Browse Lethal Company in the Steam store and install it in your Windows 11 VM.
Launch Lethal Company from the Start Menu of the Steam library within Windows 11.
As long as your Mac meets the minimum system requirements below, the realms of this interstellar saga become yours to navigate via Parallels Desktop.
Requirement | Minimal |
OS | Windows 11 |
Processor | Intel Core i5-7400 CPU @ 3.00GHz ; Shader Model 5 *A 64-bit processor and operating system is recommended |
Graphics | NVIDIA GForce GTX 1050 |
DirectX | Version 11 |
Network | Broadband Internet Connection |
Storage | 1 GB available space |
The answer to how Parallels Desktop transforms your Mac into a formidable platform for “Lethal Company” lies in the virtualization magic that Parallels Desktop seamlessly weaves.
Here is an in-depth video guide that delivers a detailed process for transforming your Mac into the ultimate gaming powerhouse.
From how to set up your virtual machine to performance tweaks, this guide will have you ready to flawlessly execute “Lethal Company” and begin your adventure.
The same method above applies to many Steam games that you can play on a Windows PC. As Parallels Desktop enables you to run Windows on Mac, you can access much of the Steam library of 50,000+ games.
Note that while the Steam platform is free to use and hosts many free-to-play games, other popular games require subscriptions to play.
From action, arcade-style, first-person, martial arts, indie games, and more, enjoy your favorite Steam games on your Mac with Parallels Desktop.
The “Lethal Company” universe awaits, and it is accessible even to Mac devotees.
Thanks to Parallels Desktop, the realm of Windows-exclusive gaming opens right before your eyes, allowing users to fully experience games like “Lethal Company” on their Macs.
Adventure beckons, with your Mac serving as the starship navigating you through galactic wonders. Seize the future of Mac gaming; let “Lethal Company” be the first of many quests. Just don’t miss your profit quota.
Are you eager for cosmic exploration or other gaming adventures? Your odyssey begins with Parallels Desktop for Mac.
*Note that you’ll need to purchase a Windows license if you don’t already have one.
The post Join the Ranks: Parallels Desktop enables Lethal Company gameplay on macOS appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Eight best practices for optimizing Parallels Desktop for university IT environments appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>University IT departments benefit from Parallels Desktop for many reasons, the primary reason being that it enables IT admins to provide a solution that lets Mac users run Windows and Linux software seamlessly.
It breaks down the barriers between the operating systems and lets faculty, students, and other end users enjoy the flexibility to use their operating systems and applications of choice for various tasks.
So how do university IT admins maximize the value of Parallels Desktop? This blog post explores best practices for university IT professionals, showing ways to leverage the full potential of Parallels Desktop for enhanced efficiency and academic excellence.
Best Practice: Establish a centralized approach to managing Parallels Desktop installations across university devices. Utilize Mac management tools such as Jamf Pro or Kandji for seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure.
Benefit: Streamlined administration, efficient deployment of updates, better security, and improved control over virtual environments.
Best Practice: Utilize educational licensing options for Parallels Desktop to ensure compliance with university policies. Use your educational credentials and get a discount.
If you need multiple licenses, get a quote from our sales team or find a Parallels partner to get a customized package that fits the needs of your university.
Benefit: Cost-effective solutions tailored to the unique needs of university IT environments.
Best practice: Control Parallels Desktop updates at your own discretion. Rest assured that you can fully test for compatibility and security within your own environments before pushing any updates live to users when your deployment schedule allows.
Benefit: A secure and optimized virtual environment, keeping pace with the evolving needs of university, software and applications, on your own schedule.
Best Practice: Encourage IT professionals to educate end-users on the importance of creating virtual machine snapshots before making significant changes or updates.
Benefit: Quick recovery options, minimizing downtime and potential data loss.
Best Practice: Customize resource allocations based on the specific requirements of academic software. Adjust settings for RAM, CPU cores, and storage to optimize virtual machine performance.
Benefit: Enhanced performance for resource-intensive tasks, ensuring a smooth user experience for students and faculty.
Best Practice: Explore seamless integration with existing university systems, such as identity management and network protocols.
Benefit: A cohesive IT ecosystem, reducing the learning curve for IT professionals and enhancing user experience.
Best Practice: Utilize training materials and support resources for end-users navigating Parallels Desktop. Foster a culture of awareness and understanding among students and faculty and ensure they have adequate access to documentation and know where to find answers to their technical questions.
Benefit: Reduced support tickets, increased user confidence, and a smoother adoption process.
Best Practice: Establish communication channels with academic departments to understand specific software needs. Tailor virtual environments to accommodate diverse academic disciplines.
Benefit: Improved collaboration, proactive problem-solving, and a customized IT strategy aligned with academic goals.
Parallels Desktop is a transformative tool for university IT environments, offering a versatile solution for academic software compatibility. It empowers IT admins to provide their end users with the flexibility they need to succeed academically and add value by fostering an environment of effortless collaboration.
By implementing these best practices at their institutions, IT professionals can harness the full potential of Parallels Desktop, contributing to a more efficient, collaborative, and technologically advanced academic ecosystem.
Embrace these strategies and unlock a world of possibilities within your university IT environment.
Revolutionize your university IT experience today.
Claim your Parallels Desktop business trial now!
The post Eight best practices for optimizing Parallels Desktop for university IT environments appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Four reasons to use virtual machines in software development appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>However, with the rise of virtual machines (VMs), developers now have more options at their disposal, opening up an array of business and technical opportunities.
Virtualization has been a critical tool for data centers for quite some time, but it is now recognized as an essential part of a developer’s toolbox. With support for Windows, Linux, Mac, and other guest operating systems on local devices, test-driving a VM with Parallels Desktop is now more accessible.
Below are just four of the many reasons why virtual machines can improve the software development process:
Virtual machines substantially enhance isolation and security in software development, preventing cross-contamination between projects.
When software development is conducted on a VM, the development environment is dedicated exclusively to that project. This approach mitigates any potential conflicts that may arise by installing different versions of development software, ensuring a pristine, controlled environment for each project.
Furthermore, using VMs introduces a valuable feature known as sandboxing.
Sandboxing is a security measure that provides an isolated space for the development process, safeguarding against any inadvertent or intentional access to sensitive personal or corporate information.
By segregating the development environment from the host computer, confidential data remains secure and isolated from potential threats, protecting the integrity of the development process and fortifying the overall security posture of the software development ecosystem.
The improved isolation and security offered by VMs enhances trust and reliability for developers and stakeholders alike.
The flexibility that virtual machines provide in software development and testing is an invaluable asset. VMs are an excellent solution for testing various configurations and setups.
VM snapshots are particularly helpful in this regard. These snapshots allow developers to capture a specific VM state at a given moment, providing a foundation for experimenting with different scenarios.
The ability to experiment with different configurations within VMs, facilitated by snapshots, offers developers a dynamic and risk-free environment for testing.
Developers can implement changes, apply updates, and modify configurations, all within the confines of a virtual space. Should any issues arise, the VM can be effortlessly restored to a previous snapshot, effectively reversing the changes made during the testing process.
This flexibility offers significant advantages, allowing developers to identify and resolve configuration issues before software is deployed for end users. By allowing developers to preview potential challenges in a controlled environment, VMs contribute to significant savings on time and effort.
This proactive approach to testing enhances the quality of the final product and minimizes the likelihood of post-deployment issues, ultimately resulting in a more reliable and user-friendly software experience.
Moreover, VMs provide a versatile and efficient platform for testing and debugging software. Developers and software testers can replicate diverse user environments, ensuring the software performs optimally across various configurations.
This adaptability makes VMs an indispensable tool for technical experts, enabling them to conduct comprehensive testing, identify potential pitfalls, and refine the software to meet the highest performance and reliability standards. VMs offer flexibility in testing configurations and setups, making them a cornerstone in the development lifecycle, fostering innovation and efficiency in the pursuit of high-quality software solutions.
Virtual machines (VMs) serve as indispensable tools for developers engaged in simulations, offering many advantages that enhance the efficiency and flexibility of the development process. They provide a controlled and isolated simulation environment, ensuring no interference with the host system or other development tasks.
Containing the entire simulation environment within a VM enables high reproducibility, a critical factor for achieving consistent results across different machines and collaborative efforts.
VMs address challenges related to the variability of underlying environments by encapsulating the simulation environment, including the operating system, dependencies, and configurations. This containment guarantees consistency in simulations across various development environments.
Additionally, VMs offer fine-grained control over resource allocation, allowing developers to assign specific resources (like CPU cores and memory) to the virtual environment. This control ensures optimal computing power for simulations and supports scalability for running multiple instances concurrently or allocating additional resources for computationally intensive tasks.
The snapshot functionality provides a safety net for experimentation during simulations, enabling developers to revert quickly to a previous state if needed. Platform independence, easy environment setup, and heightened security through isolation further contribute to the empowering role of VMs in streamlining simulation workflows.
Overall, leveraging these benefits enhances collaboration, accelerates development cycles, and confidently enables developers to explore innovative solutions through simulations.
Once the software code is ready for deployment, it can be conveniently packaged into Virtual Machines and dispersed. The entire development environment can be stored on a flash drive or solid-state hard drive, allowing end-users to download and run the VM effortlessly. This eliminates the need for complex installation instructions or on-site engineers. Furthermore, the hardware abstraction feature makes troubleshooting and support simpler.
By optimizing virtual machines for resource-intensive development tasks, developers can tackle complex projects with efficiency and speed. Fine-tuning resource allocation, leveraging hardware acceleration, and implementing strategic optimizations can create an environment that maximizes productivity and enhances the overall development experience.
Continually refining the VM setup to ensure it evolves alongside the demands of projects and the ever-changing software development landscape empowers developers to stay ahead of the curve.
Parallels Desktop is a powerful tool allowing you to create a virtual machine inside your Mac. It helps you develop and test for multiple platforms without compromising performance or security, allowing you to seamlessly work with popular platforms such as Windows, Linux, and virtual macOS without needing multiple machines or dual-boot setups.
In addition, with the Parallels Desktop extension for Visual Studio Code, you can take your development capabilities to the next level.
This extension provides an integrated platform for managing Parallels Desktop virtual appliances within the familiar Visual Studio Code environment. It enhances extensibility and customization, all within an IDE you are already familiar with. If you want to maximize performance and unlock the full power of your Mac, give Parallels Desktop a try.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop, and then go to GitHub and get the Parallels Desktop extension for Visual Studio Code.
The post Four reasons to use virtual machines in software development appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Seamless learning: A student’s guide to integrating Windows-based Software with Parallels Desktop for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The challenge intensifies when these applications are designed for Windows, and you are a proud Mac user.
Fear not!
Parallels Desktop bridges the gap and ensures the seamless integration of essential software.
Let’s explore some invaluable steps to effortlessly run your school applications meant to perform best on Windows on a Mac with Parallels Desktop, the first solution authorized by Microsoft for this purpose.
Before diving into the world of virtual machines, compile a list of all the software required for your courses, particularly programs designed for Windows, such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Studio, or AutoDesk.
Take note of any specific versions, system requirements, or compatibility constraints. This proactive step will guide you in setting up Parallels Desktop efficiently.
Begin by installing Windows within your Parallels Desktop virtual machine.
Follow the easy step-by-step installation process, ensuring that you allocate sufficient resources for smooth performance.
Optimize your virtual machine settings to match the requirements of your school software.
Adjust the amount of RAM, CPU cores, and storage allocation to optimize the performance of the applications you will be running.
Once your virtual machine is up and running, install your course-specific software within the Windows environment. This ensures the applications have a dedicated space and operate seamlessly without compatibility issues.
Before making significant changes or updates, create a snapshot of your virtual machine.
Snapshots act as backups, allowing you to revert to a stable state in case any issues arise during software installations or updates.
Maintain a well-organized virtual machine by creating folders and shortcuts for your course applications. This makes it easy to locate and access the tools you need for each specific class, streamlining your workflow.
Parallels Desktop’s Coherence Mode integrates Windows applications seamlessly with your Mac desktop.
Experiment with this feature to run Windows applications alongside your Mac applications, providing a more cohesive user experience.
Stay on top of software updates for Parallels Desktop.
The development team frequently releases updates to enhance performance, improve compatibility, and introduce new features.
Keeping your virtualization software up to date ensures a smooth and secure user experience.
With Parallels Desktop, the integration of Windows applications for your school courses becomes a breeze.
By following these steps and customizing your virtual environment to meet the demands of your coursework, you can ensure a seamless and efficient learning experience.
Break free from compatibility constraints and unlock the full potential of your Mac with Parallels Desktop.
Experience firsthand how Parallels Desktop can enhance your academic journey.
Break down software compatibility barriers, empower your workflow, and embrace a more versatile learning experience.
Download your free trial and get started with Parallels Desktop!
The post Seamless learning: A student’s guide to integrating Windows-based Software with Parallels Desktop for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>The post Parallels Desktop for Mac version 19.2.0 is available! appeared first on Parallels Blog.
]]>This update addresses various critical issues reported by our customers and introduces quality improvements to some of the frequently used functionalities. See the full list of changes in this KB article.
Want to experience Parallels Desktop for Mac for yourself? Get a 14-day free trial now.
By listening to our users, we learned that some of our users have an extra protection layer enabled for their Apple ID — hardware security keys.
“A security key is a small external device that looks like a thumb drive or tag, which can be used for verification when signing in with your Apple ID using two-factor authentication.” says Apple’s support article.
Those users couldn’t sign into their Parallels accounts in Parallels Desktop UI using the “Sign in with Apple” option — a very convenient way to get into a Parallels account.
While investigating this situation, our engineers identified that we need to use another method from the Authentication Services macOS framework to support Apple IDs with security keys.
19.2.0 uses this new method and allows users with security keys configured for their Apple ID to sign into their Parallels accounts! We are eager to get feedback from our users about how it works for them.
A growing number of software developers, testers, and IT professionals around the world rely on Parallels Desktop as an integral part of their workflow.
In many scenarios, users need to clone a virtual machine from a golden image or a template. It used to take noticeable time with a linear dependency on the size of the virtual machine.
With the new approach using APFS capabilities, cloning a virtual machine becomes incredibly fast or almost instantaneous instead of taking 10-30 seconds or even more depending on the VM size.
Technically speaking, the time it takes to clone a virtual machine residing on an APFS partition using the new approach doesn’t depend on the size of the virtual machine.
With fast external SSD drives, running a VM that is stored on those drives provides nearly the same level of performance and user experience as if it were located within a Mac, plus it frees up Mac storage. With that being said, some of our customers have their Windows machines stored on external disks.
The macOS Sonoma 14 operating system brought changes to exFAT and MS-DOS file systems, and “these file systems are now provided by services running in user-space instead of by kernel extensions”, as stated in the macOS Sonoma release notes.
Those changes, combined with our virtual disk implementation, resulted in significant stability issues with running Windows VMs from an external exFAT-formatted drive. In some situations, Windows used to fail with BSOD and won’t boot again.
In this release, we are excited to announce stability improvements for running virtual machines from external drives with an ex-FAT file system by tuning our virtual disk implementation to accommodate changes in the latest macOS version.
The Parallels team is dedicated to continuously investing in better ways to help developers and DevOps teams streamline their workflows and automate their processes.
Accordingly, I am excited to announce our latest effort in this regard – the launch of two new open-source projects that provide the tools needed for seamless automation within the world of CI/CD.
The first project is a REST API wrapper around our already powerful command-line client. This wrapper enables remote management of a Parallels Desktop instance, allowing you to create, clone, start, stop virtual machines and more. It comes with built-in security and RBAC controls to ensure everything is secure.
When combined with the new Parallels Desktop Terraform provider, this project makes it incredibly easy to manage and deploy remote instances for use with CI/CD.
Terraform is a popular Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that enables the management of large and complex infrastructures in a consistent and repeatable manner. The addition of Parallels Desktop provider for Terraform provides companies with the ability to manage their virtualization infrastructure with the same benefits.
Both projects are open-source and free to use, which means that anyone can improve upon them. Check out these projects at:
To conclude, we want to thank all our customers who share their feedback about using Parallels Desktop with our team whether it’s in the forum, via the surveys, or through customer support.
As a team, we continue to stay true to our commitment to provide the best experience, performance, and reliability for running virtual systems on a Mac, be it Windows 11, Linux distros, or macOS itself. Let us know your thoughts and experience with the latest Parallels Desktop 19 update here.
New to Parallels Desktop for Mac? Get a 14-day free trial now.
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]]>In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, developers and testers now have the power to operate within a virtual sandbox, with the capability to swiftly create and dismantle virtual production-like environments using containers, virtual machines, or Kubernetes clusters.
Whether you’re crafting traditional desktop applications for Windows or Mac, constructing server applications on Windows or Linux, or diving into container-driven, cloud-native applications, I’ll show you how Parallels Desktop is the cornerstone of a cutting-edge application development process.
Ready to see for yourself? Get your full-featured 14-day free trial now!
Parallels Desktop equips developers with the tools to establish local virtual environments that faithfully replicate cloud production systems. This level of fidelity is indispensable in ensuring that your applications perform as expected.
With Parallels Desktop, you can seamlessly build, test, and debug local apps for any platform, guaranteeing the highest quality output.
By simplifying the sharing of files and paths from your host system to multiple guest environments concurrently, Parallels Desktop assures the utmost security for your work.
Your source code directories can be effortlessly connected to one or multiple virtual machines or containers through shared folders.
Thanks to Parallels Desktop’s compatibility with modern automation tools, developers can automate the rapid creation and removal of virtual machines and their associated application dependencies.
Running headless VMs from the command line empowers you to automate and deploy your applications more efficiently and precisely.
You can also tap into the burgeoning community that shares container-based images and templates tailored to various developer workflows and can swiftly download and launch pre-built images from this community, saving valuable time and effort.
Parallels Desktop is also a valuable tool for information security professionals, many of whomrely heavily on Parallels Desktop to support various functions such as digital forensics, penetration testing, security fortification, environment simulation, defensive security training, and more.
As a front-end developer, it’s common to face the challenge of testing applications on different devices and operating systems. Parallels Desktop provides a solution to this problem.
For example, Flutter development allows you to write code once that can run on any device, but how do you ensure it works? How do you debug specific blocks of code for specific platforms?
In the past, you would need multiple devices to test your application, which was inconvenient. With virtualization, you can quickly spawn a Virtual Machine to test a specific scenario or orchestrate specific testing conditions, such as a bad network connection or loss of connection.
This allows you to see how your application reacts before you publish it. Furthermore, with our command-line tools and other tools, you can automate these tests by integrating them with scripts of CI/CD pipelines.
Another situation where using a VM is beneficial is when you need to run two pieces of incompatible software that may not even be able to be installed side-by-side, such as two or more different versions of the same browser. Purchasing another PC just to run these incompatible applications is not only expensive, but time-consuming and inefficient as well.
With Parallels Desktop, you can run these separate browsers in different VMs, all running on a single Mac. You can install as many virtual machines as you have space for on your Mac hard drive and run them simultaneously as your RAM allows.
As you can see, Parallels Desktop is a robust virtual machine platform offering many advantages to developers and testers.
The software enables modern development and testing processes, offers secure file-sharing capabilities, automation and deployment via CLI, access to pre-built images, support for information security professionals, and the ability to facilitate the development, testing, and debugging of local apps across diverse platforms.
Parallels Desktop is an indispensable tool for any developer or tester seeking to streamline their workflow and deliver top-notch applications.
Find out how this solution transforms your application development and testing processes and unlocks the full power of your cross-platform development. Sign up for a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop.
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]]>Microsoft recently announced that they were introducing .NET8, the latest version of the popular open-source developer platform. It is the successor to .NET8 and will be supported for three years. It encompasses .NET Aspire, aimed at simplifying cloud application complexity (and more) and .NET MAUI for cross-platform development.
Interested in making your experience with .NET8 as optimal as possible? Try Parallels Desktop and boost your productivity while streamlining your cross-platform development process.
To get started using .NET8 on a Mac, you first install the SDK and follow the instructions to set up your development environment.
From there, you can enjoy the cross-platform development and cross-platform testing capabilities of Parallels Desktop using the same integrated development environment or IDE that you’ve been using previously.
As in any update, there were bug fixes and other performance enhancements in the .NET8 release.
Some significant changes include (in no particular order):
The latest version of .NET8 also offers improved MAUI integration for cross-platform development, which is a positive change if you are developing a brand new or greenfield application. Note that if you have existing code in c#, MAUI integration will compete with frameworks like Flutter or React Native.
What’s more, .NET8 introduces .NET Aspire, designed to simplify cloud app complexity and more, aimed at empowering developers to produce production-ready distributed applications.
You can use Parallels Desktop to work with .NET8 on a Mac in the same way as you have previously worked with .NET.
With Parallels Desktop, you can confidently take advantage of everything .NET8 offers and benefits from the numerous features and enhancements described above, while maintaining a simple and secure development environment.
Yes, .NET8 developers can use Macs and macOS if they use Visual Studio Code as their code editor or the Visual Studio IDE.
Visual Studio has been updated to work with .NET8 version 2022 17.8. If Visual Studio is the IDE you are using, you need to update to version 20222 17.8 of .NET to be able to use .NET8 and c#12.
The development framework integrates with different providers, but the biggest one will be Azure OpenAI service.
Interested in maximizing the potential of .NET8, particularly if you prefer to use a Mac or develop on multiple platforms? Get your free, full-featured trial of Parallels Desktop now!
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