NumberBox

Linux in VPC?


    It may be blasphemy, but for someone like me, I can't be without Linux.  On the other hand, I can't steer clear of Windows for a ton of professional and personal reasons.  Plus, I insist that my system have an uptime older than most house pets, so rebooting constantly is simply not a good option.

    Individuals strapped to Windows (or a Mac!) at work, I recommend a nice break away from MS Office 2007 and Messenger without having to commit another machine or another OS.  The average corporate laptop is pretty capable of running a virtual machine.  If your IT department complains, remind them it's Yet Another MicroSoft Product.

    Those that are interested in trying Linux again or even for the first time, it's great to be able to test drive the system around a bit.  Of course, please make good use of all the LiveCDs out there, as you will see MUCH better performance!

    Finally, for the developer, what more can you ask for than being able to mash up all of your favorite features of OS's and still have your own personal LAMP without committing an additional PC?

    So go nab a copy of Microsoft Virtual PC or, even better, VMWare.

    VMWare offers much better performance, and is free.  MicroSoft Virtual PC lags behind a bit, and isn't as robust an environment (no USB, etc) and is also free.  Unfortunately, VMWare Server doesn't work so well in Vista (at least not in my Vista x64 environment).

Go to Virtualize Linux from Vista - Part 2