# App virtualization..is this as cool as it looks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533 "2007-10-30T03:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533/21 "2007-10-31T00:18:06Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] We use something similar called VMWare. As with the others mentioned, it uses a lot of space, is slow, and has limitations re: interacting with apps outside the VM. But it does have its uses (like setting up a complete development environment for an out-of-date software release in one fell swoop). [/QUOTE] I understand VM just fine whole OS/apps all bundled in one big file. App virtualization is a whole nother ballgame. ---
**Author:** ![tonedef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tonedef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonedef)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533/22 "2007-10-31T07:26:24Z")
There are plenty of sites out there that have links to standalone, usb stick (whatever name you got for them) version of pretty much every program from winamp, to open office, to winrar, to nero. They are well worth using when jumping form computer to computer and dont want to worry about installing/uninstall programs! ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533/23 "2007-10-31T08:03:08Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] We use something similar called VMWare. As with the others mentioned, it uses a lot of space, is slow, and has limitations re: interacting with apps outside the VM. But it does have its uses (like setting up a complete development environment for an out-of-date software release in one fell swoop). [/QUOTE] VMWare, Xen, VirtualBox, MS VirtualPC/VirtualServer and Parallels are _platform virtualization_ technologies - they replicate an entire machine from boot and virtualise hardware. Sun Containers, Virtuozzo/OpenVZ and FreeBSD Jails are OS virtualisations - the running OS/kernel is mirrored into isolated copies that can then run independently. This requires less resources per instance, and seems to be the sort of technology that Xenocode is using. Si ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533/24 "2007-11-01T13:40:37Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] We use something similar called VMWare. As with the others mentioned, it uses a lot of space, is slow, and has limitations[.] [/QUOTE] I’ve always found VMWare to be quite quick, especially when used with a processor that supports virtualization on a hardware level. Clearly it doesn’t run at “full speed,” but what’s that in these days of super fast processors with multiple cores? I used to run Windows 95 in whatever Connectix’ program before VirtualPC was called… emulated 386 on top of a 68040 processor! Talk about dog slow! You young kids are spoiled, is all. [QUOTE=si\_blakely] VMWare, Xen, VirtualBox, MS VirtualPC/VirtualServer and Parallels are _platform virtualization_ technologies - they replicate an entire machine from boot and virtualise hardware. Sun Containers, Virtuozzo/OpenVZ and FreeBSD Jails are OS virtualisations - the running OS/kernel is mirrored into isolated copies that can then run independently. This requires less resources per instance, and seems to be the sort of technology that Xenocode is using. [/QUOTE] Wine (and CrossOver) are kind of an intermediate approach, in a way. They emulate (yeah, WINE’s not an emulator) the native Windows OS calls with independently-written versions of the same. Whatever you’re running lives in its own “bottle” (WINE bottle, get it?). You can run multiple applications in different bottle versions, all somewhat virtualized. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/app-virtualization-is-this-as-cool-as-it-looks/424533.md?page=1)