Running CS2 on XP on a Bootcamp MacIntel

[Marko]

cxc: CNet says an IntelMac running PhotoShop is more than twice as fast under BootCamp than Rosetta:

Of course it does. Even G5 runs Photoshop faster than IntelMac under Rosetta. Rosetta is a software emulator.

The real fun will start when Photoshop goes UB. That will be the first time a really serious cross-platform comparison will become possible, with Photoshop running natively on each platform AND on the same hardware. Not "similar", not "comparable" but identical. The only limiting factor that will always remain will be the skill of programmers in maximizing one environment over the other. Assuming Adobe has all their programming ducks in a row, that shouldn't be too significant.

In all likelyhood, that will happen a couple of months or so after OSX 10.5 (Leoppard) is released, so that CS3 will be both IntelMac- AND Leoppard-native at the same time. The way things are, Vista will most likely get to compete against OSX 10.6....

[paulr]

"processing means scanning, photoshop work and workflow in general. Equipment is hardware and software (and money) as items, the reasons for acquiring one rather than the other, etc."

hey, i understand why people might get annoyed by computer geekery taking up space once reserved for camera geekery. but your logic might lead us down a slippery slope ... this forum is supposedly about photography--but what gets talked about more than equipment, money, items, the reasons for acquiring one rather than the other, etc?

[Marko]

hey, i understand why people might get annoyed by computer geekery taking up space once reserved for camera geekery. but your logic might lead us down a slippery slope

Like it or not, computers already do have their role in photography and that role is only going to grow, so why not be able to discuss photography-related computer issues right here on the board? Chances are the advice dispensed here would be much more relevant to photographers than that gotten from an average geek board. Those among us who are too extreme to accept that fact can always feel at home over at APUG.

[CXC]

... or not click on threads with titles like "Running CS2 on XP on a Bootcamp MacIntel". Precise titles, like this one, should suffice in directing folks to/from what they are not/interested in.

Personally I am considering buying an Apple to do PhotoShop (and other stuff), so I am extremely interested in this discussion. The more opposing viewpoints the better!

[paulr]

Marko, i think we're both trying to say the same thing.

[tim atherton]

"But if you have PhotoShop CS2 for the Mac, why would you want too? The speed probably isn't that much faster. Better to wait till the duel core duel processor Intel Macintosh desktop machines come out and wait till Adobe releases CS3. "

aren't there problems with Photoshop - like it's going to be a year or two...?

[Walt Calahan]

Tim

I'm not a technician so what do I know about problems with PhotoShop? All I know it works for me. If it has bugs, and I'm sure it does (what large software doesn't) Adobe will issue fixes well before CS3 is released. Then CS3 will come out with bugs that will have to be fixed.

For the rest of the Wintel/Mactel crowd, the "whose is better" debate is very reminiscent of the Canon vs. Nikon debate that always rages between sports photographers. It just doesn't matter. The software engineers are working hard to make sure photographers get quality results from both Windows and Macintosh OS systems

I know an astro-physicist who will only work on a Mac because he know how to code in UNIX. I know a software consultant who only uses Microsoft products because that's what his clients use. When I go to a photographers gathering, the vast majority of shooters are using Macintoshes, so why bash the product? It clearly works for many.

As I said in my original posting, I have one bit of software that needs Windows. Boot Camp seems to be a good solution for my needs. I really don't think a serious Windows user needs to switch to a Macintosh. Frankly, most Mac users probably won't need Boot Camp either.

Love a healthy debate. Grin.

[Marko]

No problems that I'm aware of, Tim. According to Adobe, it's going to be a year. Probably less, since both Apple and Adobe should want that to happen sooner rather than later. Like I said in a previous post, that will happen a couple of months after Leoppard (OSX 10.5) is out, so it'll be fresh for both the new CPU and the new OS.

One nice thing about both companies is that they really take their quality and quality control seriously. So yes, they tend to be a little slow releasing new stuff, but when they do release it, they do it right.

That alone makes it worth waiting for me. Meanwhile, I'm running CS2 on an iMac (2x2 Intel) and I'm not unhappy.

Regards,

[tim atherton]

was trying to remeber where I had read it:

"Adobe balks at Intel Mac transition costs"

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2152762/adobe-balks-intel-mac

[Marko]

Well, Bruce Chizen (Adobe CEO) gave an interview with Forbes recently in which he slated CS3 for April '07. Steve Jobs said BootCamp will be a regular feature in Leoppard, end of the year. Going by previous releases, Adobe usually comes out with new suite a couple of months or so after new Mac OS. Every indication is that this will hold true again, Intel switch non-withstanding.

When you think about it, Adobe and Apple live in a real symbiosis since the beginning. They are too interdependent to give up. Sure, they'll occassionally get a little colorful, maybe even some fur and feathers in the air, but no real blood - that's as far as it will ever go.

Gotta take all those geek-blog articles with a bag of salt, though. They all have an agenda and/or sponsors. Ads are usually the first giveaway. Few examples from that article with my comments (emphasis mine):

Tests indicate that Photoshop on the new Intel Macs runs at only half the speed of a previous generation PowerPC machine.

The newest version of Photoshop, CS2, was released in April last year. Adobe declined to give a projected release date for the next version, but said that it typically takes 18 to 24 months.

This would indicate that an OS X Intel-ready version of the application could take until April 2007.

Well yes, Adobe typically takes 18 to 24 months with new releases, Intel or not. CS2 came out last April, CS3 could take until next April, so what's different? Business as usual, no news. But put it in such a dramatical context and all of a sudden it's supposed to take on an ominous meaning or become a problem?

Guess what, Vista realease has been pushed back several times and at least a year already and chances are it'll get pushed again before release. Features, some very serious features, have been dropped too. Nobody on MS-friendly blogs makes a note of it, but when Apple/Adobe are in the spotlight, everything is an issue all of a sudden, even the non-issues.

Only half speed? Well, duh, it is a software emulator! The real news is that it works at fully half the non-emulated speed and that it simply works.

Time to quote my favourite grump:

Some see the glass as half-empty, some see the glass as half-full. I see the glass as too big.