shepherdweb.com

I love building applications with the .NET Framework, especially since the release of .NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005. I also love Apple computers and OS 10.4 “Tiger”. I want these great technologies to all work together! Unfortunately the .NET Framework and Visual Studio Microsoft proprietary technologies and only run on Windows. I decided to try installing .NET on my Mac with Virtual PC running Windows XP Professional. This is not really running .NET on the Mac OS, but probably the closest you’ll get.

The Experiment Begins

After installing Virtual PC 7 on my Apple G5 iMac running Tiger, I was able to install Windows XP Professional. I immediately liked the fact that I could open up a Windows Desktop without having to RDP to another location. Also, my entire Apple keyboard works in this environment…and I can easily toggle my full screen Windows view and my full screen Tiger view. I was able to install IIS, the .NET 2.0 Framework, and Visual Studio. I also set up a share between my Mac and Windows XP so I could share files.

Success?

So, “Did it work?”, you ask. Of course! I was able to create a new virtual directory in the default website of IIS, create a website in that directory using Visual Studio, add a new web form with some simple code, build and display in browser…all on my iMac! Finally, “How well did it work?”, you ask. Performance was less than ideal. It took about a minute to create the website in IIS. Also, anytime the screen is rendering something new or it’s having to process something more than typing text, the CPU usage shot through the roof to the high 90%. There was noticable lag during these times. I was surprised that my Mac OS continued to perform great during the CPU ramps though. I felt successful when everything worked, but to have to develop in this sluggish environment would frustrate me. I have since found another “solution” to my Apple/Visual Studio pipe dream that I will share next time.