Shandalar for Mac

[mezmerize]

Please, is there any avalible version of Shandalar for Mac osx?

[stassy]

If you can use Parallel Desktop, maybe

[mezmerize]

but I can't

[gmzombie]

unless you can find someone willing and able to port a windows program to mac i can only see that available with something like parallel desktop or something that is a virtual windows like program to run it in.

[Bog Wraith]

but I can't

As a long time Mac user, I can tell you that without a virtualization app like Parallels or VM Ware Fusion, you won't be able to run Shandalar. I use Parallels and not only does Shandalar & ManaLink work, but I also run MTGO and play online with it as well.

If it is the cost that is preventing you from getting this kind of software, there is a free open source program called VirtualBox that can run any OS within it. Like all other programs of this ilk, you must own a copy of Windows to be able to install it. It can be any version of Windows, but obviously, it will run more programs from within it, the more current the version you are using is.

I used it years ago & it did a great job but it didn't run some key apps that I needed. I hear that it has continued to improve and that it is capable of doing things now that it couldn't before.

If you want to check it out, here's a link:

https://www.virtualbox.org/

[Tyrael]

There might be one more option, Crossover by Codeweavers: https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibili ... -gathering

I have not played on my Mac for a while but I think I remember that I was able to run Shandalar a few years back. Crossover saves you the hassle of setting up a virtual machine for the most part, it is based on Wine. Still you will probably have some configuration to do in order to get it to run properly...

[Bog Wraith]

I didn't mention Crossover because people I know who, I seem to remember, used it in the past & did not have any luck running ManaLink on it. In fact because it is a Wine emulator, many apps that were very resource intensive had problems running at all. Things might have improved as this was a number of years ago.

There is a great comment written by a user at MacUpdate named "Mcr" that explains the difference between emulators like Crossover & virtualization apps like Parallels. It's important to understand these two very different approaches so as to use the application that is best suited for this task.

Worth a read for those interested in these 2 very different methods:

Just a technical note. Emulation and virtualization are very different concepts and approaches. Crossover and WINE are emulators. Parallels, Fusion and Virtual box use virtualization.. People often use the two terms interchangeable and often incorrectly. Understanding the difference will help you make a better informed choice.

Why should you care? The highest degree of compatibility will be found with virtualization. Emulators try to 'emulate' the Windows environment, translating Windows system functions into OSX equivalents, for lack of a better word, trying to 'fake' the Windows environment (and I'm not using the word 'fake' here in a negative sense or to put down Crossover, i'm using the word to describe how it works, not pass a value judgement on the product).

virtualization does not 'fake' the windows environment, for all intents and purposes, when you run Windows (or Linux or OSX) in a virtual environment, like Parallels or Fusion, you are literally running that OS completely, with hardware access etc. The Windows operating system is literally loaded into a memory space and is "running". Hence the reason why you need a copy of Windows to install in the first place. The built in VTx support in Intel and AMD chips literally allows for virtual environments to run in and control their own physical 'copy' of the hardware. Virtual environments can directly access hardware, like USB, CD drives, Firewire, network adapters, etc. When you access Windows under Parallels or Fusion, your CPU on your Mac is literally switching back and forth millions of times a second, allowing Windows and its programs to execute code directly on the CPU and hardware, and then back to OS X. During those nano seconds when Wiindows has control, you are RUNNING the complete and full Windows operating system on your Mac. Same as Bootcamp, the difference being that with Bootcamp, you boot into Windows and run it till you reboot, whereas with virtualization, you are switching back and forth very fast between Windows running (or a Linux or OSX virtual machine) and OSX running directly on the Mac.

Emulation doesn't involve running any Windows code at all, hence why you don't need a copy of Windows to run WINE or Crossover. There is no Windows code ever really executed, instead, when an app makes a request that normally it would expect Windows to handle, that request is being intercepted by Crossover, and 'translated' into something OSX understands, like "give me some memory", or "please draw this dialog box in my 'window' on the screen", or 'move the mouse cursor here'..

There are benefits and disadvantages to both approaches. Choose based on what you need to do and your needs. DEFINITELY as suggested elsewhere, it's your responsibility to test the trial version first and make sure the app you want to run works under Crossover. Don't blame anyone else if you buy Crossover and your app doesn't work because you didn't test it. and don't assume if you buy Crossover, that apps you want to use in the future that you can't test now will work. As with anything, no vendor can guarantee future compatibility, but by its nature, you have a better chance with virtualization than with emulation as far as future apps running. for the reasons I mentioned earlier, namely that with virtualization you are running a 'real' copy of Windows.

Of course that also means with virtualization that the hardware resources required are greater, you really need a decent CPU and enough memory for both Windows and OSX. 4GB of RAM is barely acceptable, you really should have 8GB if running virtualization. Also, you need a copy or license of Windows to install. Cost wise as far as the product, it looks like the $39.95 'subscription' for Crossover is comparable to the $49 yearly upgrade fee for Parallels and Fusion.