Virtual PC

Virtual PC is an emulator that was created by Connectix to allow PowerPC-based Macs to run PC software, including Microsoft Windows.

History
The software was first released in June 1997 as Connectix Virtual PC. It allowed Power Macintosh computers to emulate a PC to run DOS, Windows, or OpenStep. Registered users of SoftWindows were offered a competitive rebate.

Version 2 was released in 1998 and added support for Windows 98. Apple offered Virtual PC 2.0 with Windows 95 for free to purchasers of a Power Macintosh G3 computer.

Version 3 was released in 1999 with improved performance and USB support for Mac OS 9 users running Windows 98.

Version 4 was released in 2001 with up to double the performance through support for the PowerPC G4 Velocity Engine. Disk images containing the Windows installation could be dynamically resized. Support for Windows 2000 was added; support for other operating systems could be easily added through OS Packs.

Version 5 was released in 2002 with support for Mac OS X 10.1 or later. Classic Mac OS was still supported for users of Mac OS 9.1 or later. Support for Windows XP was added with improved menu and text scrolling performance. Undoable disk images allowed users to back out of any problematic Windows session. Multiple Virtual PC sessions could also be networked together on the same computer.

Version 6 was briefly released for Mac users in 2003 before it was withdrawn by Microsoft. Performance for Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later was increased along with improved compatibility for USB printers. Classic Mac OS was still supported for users of Mac OS 9.2.2 only.

Acquisition by Microsoft
Virtual PC was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. Its development and support staff, including Connectix's Chief Technical Officer Eric Traut, were transferred to Microsoft. The Mac version was discontinued and the PC version was adapted into Windows Virtual PC to allow users of Windows 7 to run older software in "Windows XP Mode" (like the Classic environment in early versions of Mac OS X).