What do I buy to run PC apps?

Alternative a. is identical to alternative d. That means even if b. and c. have problems (which I don't know) you should have no problem using the MBP.

Good luck!

There are 2 distinct advantages to the MBP:

1) You won't have to have an ugly PC sitting around (it's bad enough to have to look at Windows itself).

2) If your needs change later on, you'll have a real computer laying around instead of a Windows box.

I would go for Boot Camp now, since its cheaper and will definitely work. I might try Parallels or Fusion later. I have no expertise to give you on either one.

a. New MBP, and run Boot Camp
b. New MBP, and Parallels
c. New MBP and Fusion
d. New PC

b. and c. are nearly the same, just check that the Windows software is compatible with Parallels or Fusion. I would personal go with b. and c.

What Mac do you currently have? as with a., b. or c. you get a new Mac as well as Windows. If you are going to update your Mac soon any way a., b. or c. may be best.

With d. you are limited to Windows only at home (I assume you would get a desktop not laptop PC)

With a. you need to reboot into Windows, so if you are needing VPN software for significant amount of time, you may find yourself wanting to run the "standard" under Windows so you can run VPN at the same time.

I would recommend C.
I have own both Parrellels and Fusion (purchased Fusion second when having problems with Leopard and Parallels). If you find that Fusion will not work for all your needs then go with the Boot Camp option. It is very convenient to be able to run XP as a Window in Leopard vs. rebooting. I have not found anything Fusion could not handle (I have not tried gaming).

"Chocolates Worth Their Calories"

Thank you for the advice! Since I have no experience with this setup at all, this question may seem "stupid", but I hope not.

If I buy Fusion and it comes with the XP operating system, will I be able to use that copy of XP with Boot Camp as well as Fusion, if I need to?

Thank you,
Peggywrites

The Cisco VPN client runs on Mac just fine. It is compatible with Leopard. When you are connected to the VPN your virtual PC shares the Internet connection. I have tried both Parallels and Fusion in this configuration. Both work in the shared networking mode. I now use Fusion.

-Douglas

I think it depends on what you use it for. I teach workshops in Photoshop and InDesign and it really helps to have Parallels running and when someone asks, "What does that look like on a PC" you hit a keystroke and it switches to Windoze and you show them.

Jim

Never ask someone what kind of computer they use. If they use a Mac, they'll tell you. If they don't, why embarass them.

I agree, our office has 2 accountants who must use accounting software that ONLY runs on Windows. We have purchased Parallels for both to run on their MacBook Pro's. They seem to be really happy with the solution--it is relatively problem free lately, the first versions of Parallels had some bugs.

None have complained about performance issues running both OS's at the same time. However, I always order our laptops "loaded," for longevity and best performance down the road. More money up front, be we expect them to last 5-6 years or longer, as we do with our Towers as well. Don't skimp on RAM, or the size of the drive. You will never be sorry you loaded it. (Yeah, you can order it later, but I like to just get it over with at purchase time and then I don't have to ever think about it in a couple years or question if I have enough.) What seems like a LOT now, is nothing in a couple years. Same with Hard Drives.

_________
I left my heart in SanFrancisco.....among the Macs & Margaritas.