Latest Fusion 2.0 Beta Makes Mac and Windows Play Nice
VMWare has release a second beta for its Fusion 2.0 Mac virtualization software. The latest beta brings several new features to the table including a much improved Unity mode which allows Windows, and now Linux, application windows to run alongside your normal Mac apps.
The Windows side of Unity now allows you to launch Mac files with Windows applications (including at nice right-click option in the Finder) and even set web, email, and other links to launch in either your Mac or Windows browser and email clients. A number of bugs in Unity for Windows has also been fixed including a very annoying one that would cause the task bar to behave incorrectly when entering Unity view.
It appears that the Linux Unity support is limited to “common flavors of Linux.” but VMWare’s release notes tout support for Ubuntu 8.04 in the Easy Install dialog, so at a minimum you should be able to run Ubuntu apps in Unity mode.
Also new in beta 2 are Mirrored Folders, which map special Mac folders to their counterparts in your Windows virtual machine. For instance, you can easily access the Mac “Pictures” Folder in your Windows virtual machine as the Windows “My Pictures” folder. The same is true of the Documents, Music, Movies and Desktop folders.
Gamers will be happy to note that DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 2 3D acceleration has been improved over the last beta — which means better gaming speeds. Windows-only high-def video playback is now reportedly faster as well.
There are some other noteworthy improvements in beta 2, including keyboard shortcut mapping, support for multiple snapshots and more.
The latest beta is a free download and VMWare will be offering the final version as free upgrade for existing VMWare Fusion 1.0 customers.
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