Yes, yes, I know what you're saying. There's no reason to run Windows. But if you must, here's an exciting new development in the kernel. The KVM project is working on kernel native virtualization, ie. virtual machines. This means in practice that your kernel becomes the host, and you can run guests OSes on your box. KVM will be merged into mainline by 2.6.20, which should be out the door within weeks.
What you need
Sadly, you need the latest shiny goodies. A cpu with virtualization (VT) support, which is Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Whatever We Call Our Product At The Moment. Regrettably, I have a Core Duo, so it won't run on mine
So what is KVM?
You know all about vmware, xen, etc. KVM builds on these to bring the virtual layer closer to the kernel (= better performance). Based in large part on xen, it removes the need for a lot of complicated software that you have to install, and instead most of the work is done in the kernel.
What can I do with it?
You can run unmodified guest OSes. With xen you can run anything, but the OS must be aware of the virtualization, the kernel has to be patched. With cpu VT technology, this is no longer necessary, the guest can run in a virtual machine without knowing it, ie. you can even run Windows.
How is it different from vmware?
First of all, it's free (tm). Secondly, performance should be better. Thirdly, driver support should be smoother (vmware doesn't support 3d accel in guests, for instance, so you can't play games that require it). Ie. it will probably open the door to more games. Also, vmware is a little buggy, so you eliminate that weakness.
How will it look?
As with xen, you get the guest OS in a window, which you can full screen, alt-tab and so on. It will make it possible to actually run two OSes in parallel (much like vmware, but it should be faster), and it should be ideal for testing new distros and whatnot.
Do I still have to allocate x memory to the guest?
Claro que si. Dynamic memory management on the guest would be sweet, but I think we'll have to wait some more on that. You'll still have to allocate a certain amount to the guest, whether it's using it all or not (again, as in vmware).
How will it change the world?
Xen is pretty amazing in itself, and it hasn't taken us by storm. But xen is fairly complicated. KVM support in the kernel means that using virtual machines will be quicker and easier to do. It will still likely be an involved process, at first. But since it's in the mainline kernel now, I'm sure it will be improved and refined to the point where using VMs will be easy for the users. Imagine that 1-2 years from now, the perspective on running VMs on linux might be quite different, and much more of a common practice.
What's that about safe Windows?
Running Windows in a VM, you deny it access to the actual hardware, it runs in a shell. Just imagine, that makes this possible (assuming 'windows' is the name of the VM)
$ killall windows
And it instantly goes away
What about my grandmother?
Funny you should ask, because it gets interesting. Assuming we now run Windows at near native performance, the fact that it's actually a VM won't really be very visible. That means you could run Linux "under the hood", run Windows in a VM (if need be) and this way grandma (or whoever) gets to use her applications, with full driver support (well, assuming the hardware is supported by linux of course), and won't even know the difference. Meanwhile, you can still admin the box remotely, using ssh, and even access the Windows VM filesystem and all.
What you need
Sadly, you need the latest shiny goodies. A cpu with virtualization (VT) support, which is Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Whatever We Call Our Product At The Moment. Regrettably, I have a Core Duo, so it won't run on mine
So what is KVM?
You know all about vmware, xen, etc. KVM builds on these to bring the virtual layer closer to the kernel (= better performance). Based in large part on xen, it removes the need for a lot of complicated software that you have to install, and instead most of the work is done in the kernel.
What can I do with it?
You can run unmodified guest OSes. With xen you can run anything, but the OS must be aware of the virtualization, the kernel has to be patched. With cpu VT technology, this is no longer necessary, the guest can run in a virtual machine without knowing it, ie. you can even run Windows.
How is it different from vmware?
First of all, it's free (tm). Secondly, performance should be better. Thirdly, driver support should be smoother (vmware doesn't support 3d accel in guests, for instance, so you can't play games that require it). Ie. it will probably open the door to more games. Also, vmware is a little buggy, so you eliminate that weakness.
How will it look?
As with xen, you get the guest OS in a window, which you can full screen, alt-tab and so on. It will make it possible to actually run two OSes in parallel (much like vmware, but it should be faster), and it should be ideal for testing new distros and whatnot.
Do I still have to allocate x memory to the guest?
Claro que si. Dynamic memory management on the guest would be sweet, but I think we'll have to wait some more on that. You'll still have to allocate a certain amount to the guest, whether it's using it all or not (again, as in vmware).
How will it change the world?
Xen is pretty amazing in itself, and it hasn't taken us by storm. But xen is fairly complicated. KVM support in the kernel means that using virtual machines will be quicker and easier to do. It will still likely be an involved process, at first. But since it's in the mainline kernel now, I'm sure it will be improved and refined to the point where using VMs will be easy for the users. Imagine that 1-2 years from now, the perspective on running VMs on linux might be quite different, and much more of a common practice.
What's that about safe Windows?
Running Windows in a VM, you deny it access to the actual hardware, it runs in a shell. Just imagine, that makes this possible (assuming 'windows' is the name of the VM)
$ killall windows
And it instantly goes away
What about my grandmother?
Funny you should ask, because it gets interesting. Assuming we now run Windows at near native performance, the fact that it's actually a VM won't really be very visible. That means you could run Linux "under the hood", run Windows in a VM (if need be) and this way grandma (or whoever) gets to use her applications, with full driver support (well, assuming the hardware is supported by linux of course), and won't even know the difference. Meanwhile, you can still admin the box remotely, using ssh, and even access the Windows VM filesystem and all.
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