How many here use virtualization, and why?

I like to view virtual machine software as more of a generic tool that you keep around, never knowing 100% when , how often, or for what purposes you will use it for, Kinda like a swiss army knife. Here's some of the more common uses I have found particularly useful for myself or from talking to friends who use this kind of software, but keep in mind uses are practically endless, and you never know when you will find a new use for it.

1) Safe web browsing

If you make a virtual machine, and than make a copy of it, at any time you want you can swap the virtual machine you are using for the copy. This is the equivalent of reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling the OS and all your software, reduced to simply restoring one file. So if you are browsing the web and get a virus, spyware, cookies , whatever, those can easily be removed by deleting and copying one file. Also while those baddies are active they are trapped inside that virtual machine, and can only access information you type or use inside that virutal machine, and nothing on your actual computer.

2) Better security against viruses

If you are using a virtual machine and get a virus, that virus is contained inside the virtual machine and cannot access or corrupt files on your actual computer. Removing the virus is as simple as restoring, as previously mentioned.

3) Run two different OS's simultaneously without needing to reboot

Using a virtual machine you can run say Mac OS and windows 7 simultaneously, without having to reboot to access the other OS.

Another example of this is to run a 32 Bit OS inside of a 64 Bit OS. Most programs that work with a 32 bit flavor of an OS will also work with a 64 bit flavor, but most drivers for peripherals won't. Usually the maker of the device will make another version of it but sometimes they don't. Say you have an old printer that only has 32 bit drivers. You could keep a VM going and everytime you need to print just copy the file to the VM and print it from there. This is kinda a bad example as there are probably better ways to do that for printing, but I know there are other cases where this would be a good option.

You may also have software that is old and hasn't been updated for a new OS, and the program won't even run in the new OS. Install the old OS on a VM and every time you wanna use it fire it up.

4) Trying out a new/different OS or software

With virtual machine software it is very simple to try out a new OS without having to dual boot or dedicate your whole computer to it. Also it is great for trying out software or freeware, that either you only use once in a while or that you are unsure that you want to keep it. Keeping this programs inside the VM keeps your computer cleaner, making less programs load at start up, and less programs that could trip over programs you have running on your computer, as sometimes certain programs don't get along well living with other programs on a computer. Also removing programs, even with their own uninstall option, often leaves remnants of that program in the registry or leaves system changes that don't get reverted back properly.

5) Consolidating Hardware

You can use a single box as if it were multiple boxes. You can set up your own mail server, file server, and still use it as a computer all at the same time. You can have two people use the same computer with 2 separate keyboards,mice,and monitors and it would seem as if they were both on their own separate computers.

6) Allows you to share your computer easier

When I have a friend or relative use my computer, I like to set them up in a virtual machine before they go. They don't even notice they are in one,and I can feel better knowing they don't have access to any of my files, or if they catch a virus or spyware it won't affect me.

I'd also like to share one unexpected use of it I had, that was pretty useful to me. So a while back, like 6+ years, I had a virus on my computer for a while without even realizing it. I than periodically would back up my files, or move stuff over to CDs to clear up space. Recently, I went back to browse these files, and found them all to be corrupted, and my virus software wouldn't let me go near them. I cannot run these programs at all with virus protection, and if I run them without virus protection they will work ok, but than corrupt my computer. Trying to just clean these programs with anti-virus always makes them unusable. So I fired up a VM, and than made a virtual image of each disk. So when I pop in a virtual disk, it's as if I just popped in the actual cd I made. But now I can also copy these images to my actual computer, and my computer cannot see the virus nor can the virus affect my computer, but all those files that were on my CDs are still in those images. I can even wipe my VM and than recopy the CD images from my computer back into my VM. So for most of the programs I have on there, I will install on the VM one last time, see what it is, and than download a clean version. However, if a program is no longer available and I really need to use it, I can created a VM, copy the CD image file containing the program into the VM, install the program, use it as I normally would, and than restore the VM to its original condition. Pretty powerful stuff.

Wrote this whole thing myself, if you like it let me know, maybe I will talk more about it, as this happens to be one of my interests.

I use Virtualbox because it's free and it does what I need. I primarily run Ubuntu inside of it, but I might expand to different distributions of Linux. Why? because I can.

I use virtualization software to run various forms of linux, Chromium OS, and Windows OS.

To Virtual Machines of Windows count??? My cousin runs those a lot. Only for Benchmarking browsers.

Yes, I use VirtualBox to test operating systems such as Windows Beta releases, Linux distros, and FreeNAS...

I use virtual Box to test new OS's and to run different Linux distributions.

I've dealt with virtual machines in just about every implementation, from the first time I booted Ubuntu in VMWare, to a full on terminal server ESXi farm supporting 500+ users' remote connection to a database backend. Currently, I use VirtualBox for development on a specific mobile platform, 2k8/7Pro for my MCITP training, and Ubuntu/OSX for tinkering.

I have XP in VMware strictly for iTunes, so that I don't have to install iTunes onto my main system. It slows down iTunes a little, but worth it, I think.

I also use vm's to test new linux releases, and I have used it in the past to test web server changes.

I use VMware, for Windows XP, 7, Linux Mint, and Tiger Server. I use them for pure windows programs, and messing around. I prefer it to running a Windows computer all the time and I use my Mac for my regular stuff so I find bootcamp non efficient.

I use VirtualBox with Windows XP because I don't want to dualboot my mac and I need to use some Windows-only software for school.