Question about the Mac

[Continental Drifter]

I'm intending to start studying for ATPL exams and wanted to use the computerised course material from Bristol GS, however the CD-ROM's they use are only PC compatible (req:Pentium II 400MHz).
I have a Mac G4 ( OsX) and was wondering if there was a way around this problem without buying another laptop? I have heard about Virtual PC but this is meant to take up vast amounts of memory and slow you system down.
Cheers for any ideas.

[Evo]

What you've heard about VPC is pretty much true - in my experience it is slow, expensive and has poor hardware support (e.g. graphics cards, USB 2). It's a last resort for when you must run Windows software on a Mac, but it should be fine for the Bristol software if all they require is a 400MHz pentium. You'll almost certainly need to stock up on some memory though, i'm distinctly unimpressed with it on a G5 with a gig of ram and wouldn't want to run it on much less.

Remember you'll need a Windows licence for it too, and looking at Dabs VPC v7 with XP Pro is only just under £200. Ironically you can buy a new Dell with XP/Pro installed for less money (and could even drive it from the Mac with Microsoft's free Remote Desktop Connection client for the Mac). That's probably not an ideal solution though :)

[WeatherJinx]

You'll probably find that the multimedia content on the CD is accessible as individual files, but that the autorun and navigation element won't work. Silly really, as this kind of thing can be easily and cheaply put together using universal platforms such as HTML or Flash. It's actually easier to put together cross-platform multimedia than it is Win-only. Ho Hum. :rolleyes:

My feeling is that because you are clearly investing in the course for important reasons, your time would be better spent biting the bullet and picking up a secondhand pee cee lappy, rather than picking through the content and trying to work out which bit goes where.

You should be able to get hold of one for peanuts. A quick glance at eBay reveals that machines of the spec required can be had for under a hundred quid, which in terms of your investment in your career, has got to be negligible. Best of luck.

Jx

PS - Oh and yes I concur with Evo that VPC is pretty useless (and extremely slow even on a G4!). Someone once described it as being like a talking dog. It's wonderful that it can speak at all, regardless of the fact that it does it very badly...

[Continental Drifter]

Thanks for the information. I guess its give the Mac to my wife and it's back to the dark side with a laptop & Windows.

[type1]

I used VPC on a 12" powerbook with the Bristol Software and it worked just fine - although to be honest everything on the CD is in the notes - however it is very handy to be able to send in the progress reports electronically. VPC is more than adequate to run it at a good enough speed.