Until quite recently I did not use any operating system virtualization software. On my main PC I ran only Kubuntu and on my laptop I had a dual boot setup with the Windows XP installation that came pre-installed and Kubuntu.
VMware was not very appealing to me since it is proprietary software, not Open Source. A few weeks ago I gave VirtualBox a try. It is available as an Open Source Edition (OSE). There are packages included in the Ubuntu distribution so it was quite easy to install.
I must say that I am very impressed. The UI is intuitive, well documented and straightforward to use. I installed Windows XP Professional as a guest system and it worked without problems.
I had to realize, though, that “Shared Folders” are only supported in the Commercial Edition. That is not a problem since Folder Sharing can be done with Samba.
“Seamless mode” makes the experience even better: The windows from the Win XP desktop and the Kubuntu desktop appear as parts of one united desktop, with the taskbar and desktop background changing according to what window is currently active.
VirtualBox is developed by the German company InnoTek. Keep up the good work, guys!
Oleander Donovan's IT blog 