Re: st: Stata 9 for Windows, running within XP on the Mac OS X 10.4

[Phil Schumm <pschumm@uchicago.edu>]

On Jan 5, 2007, at 4:08 PM, Michael McCulloch wrote:
> With the Mac operating system, it's now possible to install Windows  
> XP and run Windows programs. Is anybody aware of any computational  
> or compatibility issues that arise if one were to conduct analyses  
> with Stata 9 in this environment?

I presume you're talking about the new Intel-based Macs (which are  
necessarily running OS X 10.4).  In that case, you can either boot  
directly into Windows (using Apple's Boot Camp software) or use a  
virtualization solution such as that provided by Parallels (http:// 
www.parallels.com/).  In the first case you get native performance  
for Windows apps, while the second gives very close to native  
performance without the hassle of dual-booting.

I have not used Stata for Windows in such an environment, but since  
it doesn't rely on special drivers or make heavy use of graphics, I  
can't believe there would be much difference from running it on a  
PC.  There may be some memory-related issues (i.e., limitations) with  
the virtual setup, but I don't know.

My question is: Why would you want to do this?  Stata for OS X is  
wonderful, and although it is functionally equivalent to Stata for  
Windows, there are a few little touches that make it better in my  
opinion (e.g., the keyboard shortcuts cmd-J to insert a file path and  
cmd-shift-J to change working directories via the standard file  
dialog box).  Plus, if you use Stata together with other software  
such as Unix utilities, scripting languages, etc., working on the Mac  
is very convenient.  There may be a few very specific reasons to want  
to use Stata under Windows (e.g., if you're using a plugin that's  
compiled only for Windows or that relies on another Windows app), but  
those won't apply to most people.


-- Phil

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