MacCentral Online
May 2, 2000, 10:15 am ET
by Dennis Sellers,
dsellers@maccentral.com
Macintosh users can soon use Windows 2000-based software, without installing software emulation packages like Virtual PC or Soft Windows, to run Windows 2000 applications on Macintosh platform, according to Personable.com.
How? The company says because of its new browser support. Personable.com, the first Application Service Provider (ASP) offering a range of "shrink-wrapped" software for rent over the Internet via standard Web browsers, claims to be the first company in the ASP space to serve Windows 2000 Applications to the Macintosh community.
With the support of Mac browsers, Macintosh users no longer have to worry if they have a specific version of Windows-based applications they may use infrequently says Benjamin Chou, president, Personable.com. They can just point their browser to http://www.personable.com, subscribe and get back to work. There is no charge to open an individual account at Personable.com. Accounts are activated instantly and users can try out new software immediately, Chou says.
"Why buy an application that you might only use infrequently? For Mac users, Personable.com is the perfect solution for Windows-based applications," he adds. "Mac users can now rent the most recent version of Windows-based applications, including Microsoft Office, when they need them."
You don't have to download any software or take up storage capacity with applications that aren't frequently used, Chou says. Since applications available from Personable.com require no additional plug-ins or emulation software to run, Windows applications "run seamlessly on the Mac platform -- with little more than a few clicks of the mouse," he adds.
The company says it's goal is to provide Mac users with a comprehensive library of software so you have instant access to the programs to do your work, from word processing and spreadsheets to graphical editors and HTML authors. Personable.com purportedly lets you instantly access your own Windows 2000 virtual desktop on the company servers, offering Microsoft Office 2000 Suites and other software. You select and rent the software you need, when you need it, and for however long you need to use it.
Personable.com automatically upgrades software, providing access to the latest versions of today's popular applications. In addition, working on Personable.com servers, Mac users no longer have to upgrade or change existing hardware configurations to accommodate Windows applications and storage requirements, Chou adds.
Personable.com offers individual subscriptions for personal use or individuals working from home and corporate subscriptions to accommodate multiple users in business enterprises. For an example of the pricing structure, under an individual account, renting the standard edition of Microsoft Office 2000 costs US $19.95 per month and Microsoft Outlook 2000 is $9.95 per month
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