Free. There is something about the word free that causes many of us to lose our minds and install any free applications even if it is junk. With stiffer competition for market share, the primary competitors are releasing free versions of their virtualization platforms that are worth testing and far from junk.
Free Server Offerings
VMWare, the industry leader for virtualization, has VMware Server for some time but recently released ESXi to compete with Microsoft’s soon-to-be released free version of Hyper-V. Sun has entered the game, offering VirtualBox for free with support for more versions of Linux than can be imagined. It should be noted that VirtualBox offers not only a PC and Mac version but a Linux version too.
Desktop Offerings
On the desktop side, VMWare, has offered Workstation for PC and Fusion for Mac. As a long-time Windows administrator and recent convert to an Intel Mac, VMware’s Fusion is pricelss. Prior to Fusion, Parallel’s Desktop for Mac was the popular, if not only solution, for virtualization on the Mac but it has been riddled with performance issues. Additionally, it is far more convenient to use Fusion and import a guest machine into ESX or Virtual Server with minimum configuration changes. One should keep in mind that converting a guest machine from Parallels to Vmware can take hours depending on how large the virtual guest machine.
For hesitant users desiring to switch to a Mac, virtualization offers the best of both worlds. Even though I administer Windows servers for a living, I am able to do so from my Mac without using Apple's Native BootCamp. When necessary, I am able to run any of the desktop solutions above. Now that Sun offers a free desktop solution, it can reduce the overall cost when purchasing a Mac.
Summary
Regardless of the major operating systems, a free and/or desktop solution should be available to meet most testing or development needs. If a business requires a full-time, production virtualization solution, ensure the chosen option is fully supported by all vendors should any problems arise. A free solution could be the most costly mistake ever made if it is not supported. Otherwise, test away!!
A really interesting green computer technology I found is Userful Multiplier. It's where multiple people can use the same computer at the same time each with their own monitor, mouse and keyboard. This saves a lot of electricity and e-waste. A company called Userful recently set a virtualization world record by delivering over 350,000 virtual desktops to schools in Brazil. They have a free 2-user version for home use too. Check it out: userful.com
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