VMware readies virtualization software for Macs

Virtualization software manufacturer VMware has announced a product designed to enable Mac OS X users to run multiple PC operating systems simultaneously without needing to reboot the computer.

VMware says its yet-to-be-named software, which is scheduled to be presented on Monday at Apple Computer's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, lets a Macintosh computer simultaneously run Linux, Sun Microsystems' Solaris and Novell's NetWare, in addition to Microsoft's Windows XP. Users can access the operating systems by clicking on designated tabs, and files can be moved between systems via drag-and-drop functions, according to VMware.

VMware is by no means the only recent entrant into the field of virtualization software that accommodates side-by-side access to different operating systems. In June, start-up Parallels introduced a product that enables a variety of operating systems to run alongside Mac applications and appear to users as a separate window within Mac OS X. Even Microsoft has been exploring opportunities in virtualization, collaborating with start-up XenSource to investigate the possibilities of permitting XP users to run Linux.

Even Microsoft has been exploring opportunities in virtualization, collaborating with start-up XenSource to investigate the possibility of permitting XP users to run Linux.

Windows compatibility with Macintosh machines is expected to be a hot topic at Monday's WWDC event, as it has been since the technology was made possible with the introduction of Intel-based Macs. It has already been announced that Apple's own Boot Camp software, which permits the installation of Windows on Macs--albeit with rebooting required to switch between the Mac and Windows systems--will be part of its so-called Leopard operating system.

Since VMware's offering has not yet been released to beta testers, it is unclear how it will match up to products like Parallels in stability or speed. Additionally, there has been no word on its compatibility with XP successor Windows Vista, now slated for a January debut.

[hank777]

duh... but parallels already does linux

"But VMware hopes that its product will stand out because it can also run other, non-Windows operating systems."

This would be interesting if parallels didnt already do this

[ddesy]

Bad reporting....

The article says "But VMware hopes that its product will stand out because it can also run other, non-Windows operating systems." Regardless of what VMWare hopes, the article should mention that Parallels does indeed run non-Windows operating systems. Another poster mentioned Linux, but Parallels can also run:

- OS/2
- MS-DOS / PC-DOS / other DOS versions
- Solaris
- FreeBSD / NetBSD / other BSD types
- just about anything that will run on x86

VMWare will have a tough time outdoing Parallels when it comes to speed and compatibility, so they better have come up with something really special!

[kelmon]

Will Be Interesting To Compare VMWare With Parallels

I haven't yet bought my Intel Mac yet (fingers crossed that this will
be done tomorrow if there is the right announcement today) but I
do already own a license for Parallels. It'll be interesting to
compare VMWare's solutions to Parallels and I'm hoping that my
license for Parallels won't go to waste, if only for the fact that it
would be nice to see a start-up do well. Still, I'll clearly be looking
for the right tool for the job so if VMWare is faster, more reliable
and easier to integrate into my workflow then I'll use their product
instead unless it's too expensive.

[Broward Horne]

Virtualization Meme

As predicted back in May 2006, the move towards virtualization is increasing.

http://www.realmeme.com/roller/page/realmeme/?entry=virtualization_meme

[chuck_whealton]

Workstation or VMware Server?

I haven't seen anything (or have overlooked it) to indicate if
they're going to have either VMware Workstation or the VMware
Server product - or both, or something totally different/new -
for OS/X.

Anybody know?

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com