VirtualBox Alternative on MacOS: A Frustrating Experience

The recent shift to Apple Silicon has brought about a plethora of changes, some of which have left me scratching my head. As someone who relies heavily on software development tools, I was dismayed to find that the new M1 iMacs don't support VirtualBox and other essential applications.

When Apple discontinued support for their older x86 products, I expected the newer models to not only maintain compatibility with existing software but also offer improved performance. Unfortunately, my experience has been the opposite. The lack of support for VirtualBox is a significant blow, as this popular virtualization platform allows developers to create and manage virtual machines.

In addition to VirtualBox, other applications like Vagrant are also incompatible with the new M1 iMacs. This means that developers who rely on these tools will need to find alternative solutions or adapt their workflows to accommodate the limitations of the new hardware.

The removal of Bootcamp and the inability to boot from a USB stick have only added to my frustration. The promise of Rosetta, which was supposed to provide x86 emulation, has failed to deliver. This lack of support for legacy software is not only inconvenient but also limiting in terms of what developers can achieve on their Macs.

As someone who relies heavily on VirtualBox and other development tools, I'm left searching for alternatives that will allow me to continue working efficiently. While there are some viable options available, such as Parallels, the performance issues with this software make it less than ideal.

The experience has been particularly challenging for my team, which has 15 M1 iMacs that won't support our Apple Server for network user authentication when Filevault is turned on. The lack of support for VirtualBox and other essential applications has forced us to reassess our workflow and find alternative solutions.

In conclusion, the shift to Apple Silicon has been a frustrating experience, particularly for developers who rely on software tools like VirtualBox. While there are some alternatives available, they don't quite match the performance and functionality of the original software. It's disappointing that Apple hasn't provided more information about these limitations before we made the switch to their new hardware.

Virtualbox alternative macos