VirtualBox is going open source.

This virtualization software is released under the GPL License.

VirtualBox runs under Linux and Windows.
There is also a Mac OS X version on the way.

What can you do with VirtualBox?
Well, they support a range of guest operating systems.

Yep! Read more at their website.

Update (2007-01-16, 16:07 CET):
The Unofficial Apple Weblog has an an article on the state of VirtualBox on Mac.

EasyVMX! keeps turning up several places on the Internet.

One of the great things about using VMware Player and EasyVMX! together, is that you have a safe platform to test various operating systems.

Minixtips.com has an example of this:
Running Minix under VMware Player.

Update, 2007-01-28, 23:37 CET:
There are Minix virtual appliances available for download.
Here's Minix 3.
And here's Minix 2. (This last site actually mentions EasyVMX! too.)

VMware just released VMware Workstation 6.0 Beta.

Among the improvements, VMware states Vista support, better support for multiple monitors, integration with Visual Studio and Eclips, headless mode and support for USB 2.0.

Here's the link to the beta registration page.

As I went through my webserver logs today, I noticed an increase in traffic to EasyVMX!.

It turns out that Linux.com is running a story on Desktop Virtualization with VMware Player and Workstation, and my little pet project suddenly got a little more attention.

Oh, and I wasn't aware of rPath.
rPath's software rBuilder is another tool to create virtual machines it seems.

However, I must say I'm a little disappointed.
Robert and Ulli's excellent VMX Builder was not mentioned, even though Linux.com have had an entire article about VMX Builder earlier.

Linux.com is running a story about virtualization materializing in the Linux kernel..

It's also another overview of the different virtualization techniques available on Linux and elsewhere.

Did you ever take a look at the directory containing your virtual machine?
If you did, you would notice that there are a lot more files in there than the two files EasyVMX! are providing.

(Actually EasyVMX! provides virtual disks in 2GB chunks, so the number may be more than two. Anyway, EasyVMX! gives you a config file '.vmx' and a virtual disk '.vmdk'.)

In the directory containing your virtual machine, you may find the following files:

The Linux 2.6.20 kernel (still only a release candidate) will ship with KVM, providing full virtualization for Linux.

In this four page article, KVM is put through the test, to see how it compares to a host install of Fedora, QEmu and Xen.

Interestning read, although I'd really like to see how VMware and Parallels (and maybe even Wine) would end up in the competition...

IBM has an article that gives an overview of virtualization methods, architectures, and implementations.

They offer a walk-through of the different techniques of emulation, virtualization and paravirtualization (hypervisors). Then they give an insight of why virtualization matters.

It's all concluded with a summary of all the different virtualization platforms for Linux.

A good read!
(Through Slashdot...)

Will 2007 be the year when virtualization has it's big break-through?
Some might argue that virtualization is already in it's prime, but is it really accessible to the general public?

People using Linux have been exposed to virtualization for a long time. But Linux is not so widespread as one would wish for.

Windows users who wish to try Linux are often virtualization users too. It's a great way to get your feet wet, without having to sacrifice your Windows install.

What's happening right now, is that there is a rising number of Mac users. These are converts to the new Intel Macs, which has the benefit of being able to run Windows natively through Boot Camp.

Many of these people depend on some piece of Windows software one way or the other, but rebooting your machine for one or two applications is not really what you'd like to do.

This is, in my opinion, the great portal to virtualization for the masses.
A few people used the old, clunky Virtual PC for Mac. Now that the Macs have Intels inside, there are a few alternatives that will give you close to native speed on your Windows install. Without rebooting!

The advent of new chips from Intel and AMD, providing Intel VT and AMD V virtualization layers can only further help virtualization on its way to broader adoptation.

Read more about the different virtualization platforms for Mac, Windows and Linux below.

The Norwegian tradition is to celebrate Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day as in most other countries.

So we are just a few hours from the big traditional Christmas dinner, followed by opening the Christmas presents.

As I'm watching the traditional Disney Christmas show on national television, being filled with that good old holiday feeling, I'm wishing all of you a peaceful and merry Christmas!