Cool Video Shows Fast OS-Switching

Posted by: Arik Hesseldahl on April 26, 2006

It was one when Apple introduced the concept of fast-user switching to OS X. Now we’re approaching a period where fast switching between operating systems on a single computer won’t be uncommon. Scott McNulty over at TUAW is pointing to a very interesting video clip showing a user on an Intel Mac switching from OS X to Windows XP to Red Hat Linux, using the same “turn the corner” effect that shows up in Apple’s fast-user-switching feature. See for yourself below.

How was it done? Apparently it involved a hack combining Parallels Workstation, the virtualization software for Mac which I mentioned a few weeks ago, and a virtual desktop manager app called Virtue Desktops. If there was a more elegant method of switching between operating systems, I haven’t seen it.

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Reader Comments

Joe

June 4, 2006 02:10 AM

Great. But what's the different between using a virtual PC loading various OS simutaniously besides the rotating animation?

Thomas Helms

December 4, 2006 04:13 PM

What worries me is how much my CPU can take from the flipping back and forth before it crashes. Like if I want to play a game in Windows and do design in Tiger.
I might want to hold off, as I don't wish to loose the data in either partition.

jamie

February 28, 2007 08:50 PM

with ubuntu, linux i heard there is a screen switching mode, where the desktop is like a cubic screen in which you can switch.

is this available on windows xp? or is there a program that makes this feature availiable?

thanx

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A blog on the daily doings of Apple and the many companies in its orbit, with insight and analysis by two longtime Apple-watchers BusinessWeek Senior Writer Peter Burrows and BusinessWeek.com Senior Technology Writer Arik Hesseldahl.

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