• Categories

  • Pages

  • Tags

  • Archives

  • Meta

  • Is there a way to get completely separated desktops on MAC?

    Posted by admin on February 11th, 2010 and filed under desktops |

    What i am looking for and asking myself is, if there is anyway i can get lets say 2 desktops or more which are completely separated from each other? with this i mean, that to siwtch to the other desktop you need a password, and for example have 2 Msn’s on at the same time, 2 skypes etc etc.I’m new to MAC so i really dont know, if anyone could help.
    thanks.

    There is a way to do what you want (virtualization) but using Spaces inside MacOS will only give you separate screens, you won’t be able to run multiple instances of Skype and MSN as different users (simultaneously).

    Virtualization can be done with something like Virtualbox (free). It’ll let you run a separate instance of an operating system, completely separate from the host OS you’re running it under (in this case MacOS).

    The catch is Apple won’t let you virtualize MacOS so you’d need to run Windows or Linux under Virtualbox. It may be possible to run MacOS under Virtualbox but it’s not allowed by Apple and won’t be easy. Either way, virtulization is not trivial… it’ll be a learning curve for the average computer user.

    2 Responses

    1. philipscown Says:

      Look at the built-in features of OS X: spaces and exposé. I think this is what you are looking for.

      You’ll find info on these in help, and settings within system preferences.
      References :

    2. Sean H Says:

      There is a way to do what you want (virtualization) but using Spaces inside MacOS will only give you separate screens, you won’t be able to run multiple instances of Skype and MSN as different users (simultaneously).

      Virtualization can be done with something like Virtualbox (free). It’ll let you run a separate instance of an operating system, completely separate from the host OS you’re running it under (in this case MacOS).

      The catch is Apple won’t let you virtualize MacOS so you’d need to run Windows or Linux under Virtualbox. It may be possible to run MacOS under Virtualbox but it’s not allowed by Apple and won’t be easy. Either way, virtulization is not trivial… it’ll be a learning curve for the average computer user.
      References :
      http://www.virtualbox.org/

    Leave a Comment

    Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.