Microsoft Changes Mind on Vista Virtualization, All Versions Now Allowed

You might recall during Vista’s launch last January that many were upset due to the license not allowing virtualization on non-Business/Ultimate versions of the OS. Of course there was no need for this, and rather, it was a cheap ploy to have people purchase the larger versions. There’s no denying that. Somehow Microsoft has had a change of heart, and the license how now been changed to allow all versions of Vista to be virtualized.

This rule will no doubt apply most to Mac users who yearn to run a version of Vista through Parallels of VMWare, which is now a more tempting option since they don’t have to run out to purchase a scaled-back Business version or incredibly expensive Ultimate version. I would be very curious to see what kind of speeds would be achieved with Vista through virtualization though. I have a rough time having it run fast natively, I am not too sure I want to test out a VM.

Microsoft reportedly intended to allow all versions of Vista to be virtualized from the start, but something made it change its mind last year. Microsoft’s Server Infrastructure General Manager Larry Orecklin told eWeek yesterday that customer interest for virtualization has increased over the past six months, adding, “We think the market is now ready for this.”

Source: TechReport