13-12-2010, 12:45 PM
Abstract
Virtual PC is a program that emulates Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, as well as IBM OS/2, or Linux on a personal computer, assuming it's equipped with a sufficiently fast micro processor. With Virtual PC installed, a Mac can show the desktop for the emulated operating system on one part of the display or it can take up the entire screen. You can run any program that will run under the other operating systems on "regular" (Intel microprocessor-based) PCs. Virtual PC works by converting Intel x86 instructions into PowerPC instructions on the fly.
Virtual PC allows the user to install a Microsoft, Linux or IBM operating system on his Mac. VPC tricks the guest operating system into thinking your Mac is a PC so you can actually run PC programs.
A virtual PC, or a PC with desktop virtualization software, is an end-user implementation of virtual computing where a desktop application (rather than a server) is used to emulate a PC. With a virtual PC, the emphasis is on direct interaction with the virtualized machine as if it were a local PC, rather than simply emulating computing power to use server-based apps.
The virtual PC is designed to run on most operating systems without modification. The user can typically boot the installation media and install the OS as if all this were taking place on an actual computer. That said, after the installation is complete, the user can also install a set of tools (essentially a device driver package) that allow better integration between the guest OS and its host.
Such tools are available for Windows and Linux when running in VirtualBox or VMware, and include such functions as two-way clipboard sharing, enhanced graphics (including support for the host’s 3D hardware acceleration features), and more tightly-integrated networking. These add-ons are not vital, since the guest OS will usually run decently well without them, but they enhance day-to-day use of the guest and make certain tasks easier—e.g., network integration between the guest and host for the sake of copying files in or out.
References:
http://searchservervirtualization.techta...02,00.html
http://wiredscience/discoveries/news/2002/01/48964
http://itmanagement.earthwebentdev/artic...ual-PC.htm
