Although Intel Macs can run Windows 7 in Boot Camp, for most users, the easiest and most hassle-free method will be to use virtualization. This way, you can test out all the features of Windows 7, without having to dual-boot. The big pitfall for virtualization: gaming and HD-video playback, are less an issue in Windows 7 because those areas are still being tweaked and aren’t ready for prime time anyway.

The three big players out there for virtualization on the Mac are:

* VMWare Fusion
* Parallels Desktop
* Sun’s VirtualBox

I’ve installed Windows 7 in the latest version of each program and tweaked the settings to get the best results.

Here are some overall settings to keep in mind:

* You’ll want to dedicate at least 1 GB of RAM to Windows 7 Beta
* For best performance on your Mac, it helps to have at least 2 GB of RAM dedicated to OS X, so that puts total RAM in the 3 GB and up range.
* Reserve about 40 GB of HD space for your virtual machine installation. If you don’t have the space on an internal drive, you can use an external drive without a problem (that’s what I do)
* Disable 3-D graphics support, as it really isn’t working in any of the virtualization programs right now and can be buggy

VMWare Fusion 2.0

VMWare Fusion doesn’t officially support Windows 7. But it installs just fine — even in Unity mode! Note, I used VMWare Fusion 2.0.1, but I’ve read reports that VMWare Fusion 1.1.3 works with Windows 7 as well. Unity might not work correctly, but everything else should be OK. Upgrading to 2.0 is free for 1.0 customers, so if you haven’t already upgraded, you might want to take the plunge. Fusion 2.0 has some great features and it really is worth the upgrade.

Tips and Tricks:

* Remember to use Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 64-bit as the OS of choice. Easy Install works just fine as long as Windows Server 2008 is what you pick.
* Disable shared folders. There is currently a permissions issue so it’s just best to disable it. This means mirrored folders won’t work and shared applications might be buggy.
* Again, disable 3D graphics because this causes some conflicts with certain DirectX appications

Additional thoughts:

* VMWare Fusion 2.0 was the only program that performed a true “auto-install.” This means you insert the activation code in a dialog box before the installation begins and everything is pre-configured, so you can actually just step away for a few minutes and come back to a Windows 7 virtual machine.
* This also means it automatically installs VMWare Tools, which while not specifically designed for Windows 7, do stuff like enable audio and video drivers so you can resize the screen at ease, use Unity and listen to music.
* Performance was solid, but more akin to running Vista rather than running XP.
* Unity mode works, but can slow down the system. If you don’t have at least 4 GB of RAM, use Windowed mode instead.

Parallels 4.0

The latest 4.0.3810 (released today) will automatically recognize and configure Windows 7. Previous Paralells 4 builds do work with Windows 7, but the new version supports Coherence Mode and performed better in my tests.

Additional Thoughts:

* Remember to install your Parallels Tools. Both in the previous 4.0 release and in 4.0.3810, the Parallels Tools installation hung and needed to be aborted. However, in both cases, after restarting the virtual machine (which coincided with the installation of the latest Windows 7 updates), the Tools were installed and working properly.
* The latest version supports Coherence and was pretty zippy.
* The auto-configuration of the VM was also a nice touch, though you still need to manually go through the entire Windows 7 installation. In my tests, the latest build of Parallels 4 had the best performance with Windows 7 on my machine.
* All forum accounts say that Windows 7 will NOT run well under Parallels 3.0

VirtualBox 2.1.2

VirtualBox is favorite for several of my fellow-Download Squad bloggers because it is free and is becoming fairly robust. The latest build, 2.1.2, even supports Windows 7 as a guest OS out of the gate.

Tips and Tricks:

* Remember to allocate 1 GB of memory to Windows 7. VirtualBox defaults to 512, but that really isn’t enough.
* Additionally, VirtualBox recommends 20 GB of space for the virtual machine but 40 is really better. You can create an expanding drive, so only what you use now is taken up, but let the system have some room to breathe.

Additional thoughts:

* The virtual machine creation process isn’t as streamlined as Fusion or Parallels. I’m not saying it is hard to figure out, it’s just clunky.
* By default, audio and USB support are disabled. After you install Windows 7, you’ll need to manually enable them in VirtualBox’s settings.
* Despite support for guest tools (VirtualBox’s version of Parallels or VMWare Tools), resizing Windows 7’s window is still a bit slower than the other two programs.
* Overall performance was a bit lower in VirtualBox than the other two programs, at least in my tests.

VirtualBox does have a Seamless mode, I just checked it and it works. Not as slick as the other two programs, but it exists! Thanks!

Commercial photo and image editing programs don’t always come cheap. Although there are many different freeware alternatives that can be used to replicate some of the features of commercial packages, many users find that they just don’t have the same clout as the big names.

GIMP’s photo editing free software package, however, is often favourably compared to Photoshop in terms of its functionality and features.

What is GIMP?
GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) was first conceived in 1995 and has seen various version releases over the years. The software is designed to allow users to edit, compose, manipulate and retouch photos and images.

As part of the GNU free software program, GIMP is free to download and to use. Users can simply use the base program if they wish or they can extend its functionality to suit specific needs via a wide range of free plug-ins.

What Does GIMP do?
The software can do just about anything in photo and image editing terms. This may, of course, depend on the plug-ins that are downloaded and used on projects. Some users will use it for simple tasks such as retouching occasional photos. Others may use it for more complex projects such as animation production and video editing. Some of the more popular features of the program include:
• Drawing/paint tools
• Video editing capabilities
• Animation tools
• Photo retouching/enhancement
• Image/photo editing and manipulation
• File format conversions
The software works via a series of different tabs or windows which can hidden or shown as the user wishes. This can be especially useful when working on more complex projects. Initially available for Unix users GIMP can now be downloaded on to various platforms, including:
• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X
• Sun OpenSolaris
• FreeBSD
It can, of course, still be run on GNU/Linux operating systems as well.

The Advantages of Using GIMP
One of the main advantages to using GIMP is that it can be as simple or as complex as its user wishes. The program is easy to learn how to use yet offers the kinds of features and functions that tend to be otherwise reserved for commercial products. Unlike many other freeware photo/image editing packages this solution probably comes closest in terms of matching overall functionality to the commercial market leaders.

Cost is also a primary factor for many users trying out this kind of package for the first time. The fact that GIMP allows a user to access advanced kinds of photo/image creation, editing and manipulation tools completely free of charge may make it worth a look. Given the high costs of commercial software packages in this sector, many will try out GIMP as an alternative first so this may be worth doing.