Something very strange happened to me today.

Three unrelated people I know just told me they want to buy their first Mac.
They are asking my opinion on what they should buy (iMac).
All three used to be VERY anti-Mac and VERY pro-Windows.
But they all see what I have been doing for the last several years, and they hate Vista and are fed up with patches.

My only hesitation is that they all play games.
What games? I don't know, I'm not a gamer.

QUESTION: Are you gaming people happy using Windows games through virtualization?
I thought there was something like DirectX or whatever, that couldn't be emulated.
Is it safe to tell these people they can play their games through Windows on a Mac?

Good question! I have wondered about this myself.

Probably the BEST way to play Windows games on a Mac would be through BootCamp.

But I too wonder how Emulation would be and which emulator would be best.

BootCamp is the answer for them. No limitations.

So, emulation is not good with gaming?

OK, COOL!
Does BootCamp require a separate partition to run Windows?

I'm sure I'll be setting everything up for them.
That's my only hesitation about recommending Macs to people.
Tech support for life!

Ah well. That's what I have you guys for!


Thanks for the replies!

Yeah, a separate partition is needed I think.

Zwei, can you install bootcamp on a external HD?

Yes, it requires a separate partition (unless you are on a Mac Pro ...then you can designate a separate HD)

The bootcamp assistant sets everything up for you. It's easy peasy.

You're making this too easy for me.

Like John asked, howz about a separate hard drive?
Do they need virus protection (especially when connecting to the internet)?

One last question.
Why doesn't everyone own a Mac???

The hard drive has to be on an internal bus ...not usb/firewire. If they are getting an iMac the only option is to partition.

Thanks, Dude!