More free things from Microsoft?
 

I've just been looking on the microsoft website and found this:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 SP1 completely free.

Microsoft is certainly changing their image. Either they are becoming nice, or they've all lost their minds.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

VPC may be free, Windows ain't. All they're trying to do is increase Windows sales by taking the hassle out of upgrading your OS. Either that or sales of VPC are so low that it's not viable to actively sell the thing anymore.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

True, but who says you have to use Windows in it?
I'm installing Linux right now.
I liked it, but my wireless adapter wouldn't work with it. Now, I can have the best of both worlds using windows as a middle man for file transfers over network.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

Nothing, but most people don't even know what Linux is...

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

Well, I guess it's not easy to compete with your main rival in the software virtualisation industry (link) when they're offering it for free and you aren't. :uhm:

Seems Microsoft are now offering their Virtual Server (link) program for free too. I wonder if it still locks you into using XP Pro for it...It would definitely explain where the revenue for these is possibly coming from.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

Yea VPC's are either free or cheap these days. yay. But it is good for them to get people to like them before all of us go and buy Vista.

Also they are coming out with a free addition of windows that supports ads.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

The MS one does say it is only supported on XP Pro, 2000 Pro, or XP Tablet Edition, but I am running it on XP Home, and it's worked fine so far. Just a message telling me it isn't supported when I first ran it.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

Sorry, I should have specified. I was referring specifically to Virtual Server rather than Virtual PC (see link in my previous post). The supported operating systems doesn't include XP Home edition, and it refused even to install when I tried it on my copy of it. So XP Home users are pretty much alienated from it, thus creating a source of revenue on extra Microsoft product licenses and upgrades. Virtual PC is fine with it, so perhaps the server part requires some mysterious network tomfoolery which VMWare doesn't (last time I checked, at least).

I'm not sure why XP Home is off the list, but...Well, it is, Virtual Server 05 specs:
This basically means that I can't run a server in these environments, which is a shame because I've wanted to for a long time.

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

O/T: Enterprise, have you done plenty of checks on that wifi? There is usually a linux driver for everything, but not always so easy to find. And what distro are you running?

Re: More free things from Microsoft?
 

I tried to find Linux drivers for my wifi adapter, use ndiswrapper and all that. I'm using ubuntu, and I liked it (thus me installing it now.)

I'm happy having Linux as a guest OS though, and using it like that.