Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 RTMs

Microsoft this week completed its first conversion of virtual machine technology, from the acquisition of Connectix Corp. as a product.

Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 released Monday in the manufacturing sector to controversy, its compatibility with Linux and aggressive pricing structure, and will increase pressure on virtual machine software market share leader VMware companies. Virtual PC 2004 will be generally available by the end of this year, according to Microsoft.

Virtual PC is one of three technologies, Microsoft is carried out from the acquisition of Connectix Corp. in February. Connectix also by the virtual machine technology for Mac, Microsoft has promised to continue, but also in pre-release stages of work on a virtual server, is a strategic product for Microsoft in the server space. Microsoft officials said that Virtual Server will ship in the first half of 2004.

Virtual machine technology allows a user run more than one operating system on a machine. Virtual Machine software Digest hardware, the operating system from the customer, resulting in a normal operation, the operating system, because if it had complete control of the system.

Although there are many potential uses of virtual machine technology, Microsoft is positioning Virtual PC as a solution for application migration from previous versions of Windows, DOS or OS / 2 to Windows XP.

It had support policies carefully to further achieve this goal - only to products running on W indowsX P W indows2 Professional Edition and Professional Edition 1000 as a mainframe operating system. Client operating systems supported only restricted to the use of Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0, Windows Me, it is Windows 98, Windows 95, MS - the DOS 6.22 and IBMs OS / 2, the ageing of the operating system with a history closely linked to the windows.

Listed the support of the operating system, leading to allegations that Microsoft has disabled the technical ability to run Linux, the free BSD, Netware and Solaris Intel internal Virtual PC - all of which may in the C onnectix Virtual PC products. Early users report that these non-Microsoft operating systems, such as IBM, or has been dropped from the product guide. In the trade press interviews, Microsoft officials counter that Linux and other operating systems can still run on Microsofts Virtual PC, in 2004, but they did not receive support.

Microsoft prices fell 100 yuan, from Connectix by 229-1 at the price of 129 US dollars new. New bond amount is a significant price savings from the more flexible VMware Workstation 4, installation costs 299 dollars, 329 US dollars a download or packaged versions.

More expensive on the 4th VMware Workstation provides customers with greater flexibility in their use of virtual machine technology, even for the Windows operating system. The product can run any Linux host operating system or Windows host operating system. And Windows host can be Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows NT 4.0, in addition to the Windows host operating system Microsoft Virtual PC support.

VMware is more inclusive customer operating systems, and support more Windows client such as Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11 of the working group, and support NetWare, and Free BSD flavor of Linux 4.

Changes Microsoft Virtual PC by Connectix Virtual PC 2004, is based mainly covers. Microsoft redesigned Virtual PC, to review its security, and conduct rigorous testing, the company said. Some new characteristics of the grace period, 2004 edition. Support network adapter, an increase of 4% is the virtual machine. New XML file-based configuration to make it easier to copy one virtual machine to another computer. Memory support, it was also proposed to support up to 4 GB of RAM.