OpenOSX on Wednesday announced the release of WinTel 2.1.2, an updated version of their graphical user interface to control the open source PC emulator Qemu. WinTel costs as little as $25.
OpenOSX recently updated WinTel with an Intel-native version of Qemu, an open source virtual machine that makes it possible to install and run PC operating systems on the Mac. The software comes bundled with a number of Linux and Unix variants.
It works on PowerPC-based Macs, too, but OpenOSX notes that the software runs considerably faster on Intel-based systems like the new iMac — fast enough to use Windows XP, if you’ve got a copy you can install (it is not included). A QuickTime video posted to the OpenOSX Web site shows WinTel in use on an Intel-based Mac.
A frequent complaint of users who have tried WinTel is how long the software takes to install Windows XP — in some cases, dozens of hours. WinTel 2.1.2 “brings hand-compiled, aggressively optimized Bochs binaries that can be used to install Windows XP in about 10 percent of the time previously required,” according to OpenOSX.
That still factors into a number of hours to install Windows XP — three to six, depending on the speed of the Mac, according to OpenOSX — but it’s a big improvement. Also new in this release is a fix for a potential problem involving the “Image CD-ROM” feature.
WinTel requires Mac OS X v10.4 or later.