Microsoft is just responding to business customers, trying to gain market share. BTW R2 is not a production product it is still in testing. Quoting "dfellman at mn.rr.com" <dfellman at mn.rr.com>: > If true, I think this will be good news, as it will make it easier for > Windows users to try a number of different Linix distros without having > to risk clobbering their boot partitions. > > http://www.windowsitpro.com/circulation/win_v1_apr06.cfm > > According to a report on CNET News.com, Microsoft today will reveal that > its upcoming server virtualization software, Virtual Server 2005 R2, > will be made available to customers for free. The current version costs > either $99 or $199, depending on the number of supported processors. > Virtual Server 2005 R2 will allow corporations to run guest operating > systems in special software-based virtual machines under the host > server. It will compete with products such as VMWare Server, which will > also be made available for free. > > Also new from the Microsoft camp is a sudden resurgence in Linux > support. When Microsoft initially developed its Virtual PC and Virtual > Server products, both of which are based on technology acquired from > Connectix, the first thing the software giant did was remove any > official support for running Linux virtual machines. Now, however, after > a few years of customer complaints, Linux support is back, and Microsoft > says that it has even developed methods for more easily installing > popular Linux distributions in Virtual Server-based virtual machines. > The company will even support customers that wish to run Windows and > Linux virtual machines side-by-side on the same hardware. > > "We’ve made a long-term commitment to make sure that non-Windows > operating systems can be run in a supported manner, both on top of > Virtual Server and our future virtualization products," says Windows > Server director of product marketing Zane Adam. Additionally, Microsoft > is working to build virtualization services directly into the next > Windows Server version, currently codenamed Longhorn Server and due in 2007. > > Microsoft's Virtual Server moves are timed to coincide with the start of > LinuxWorld in Boston this week. Though Microsoft is a staunch opponent > of Linux, the company has been opening up to various Linux > interoperability and migration scenarios over the past few years. > > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list >