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Running an OS in Virtualization
Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 11:42 AM by Jason Barker
I've mentioned before that, although I use a Mac, I also run Windows in Parallels Workstation for Mac. This enables me to use essential software for which I currently only have Windows versions.
Since Parallels - like most virtualization applications - allows you to install more than one operating system as a guest OS, I also installed Edubuntu so that my three year-old son could have a free education-focused OS that would also be effectively sandboxed (which means that he cannot leave Edubuntu and access anything in OS X, and also means that should he wreak havoc in his Linux OS, I can simply replace that virtual hard drive with a backup copy I've made of the file). There are a large number of good open source applications installed by default with Edubuntu that are a bit too advanced for him right now (Open Office, Firefox, etc.), but he is deriving a great deal of pleasure - as well as developing computer skills and enhancing his reading and memory skills - from such applications as GCompris and Tux Paint.
To enable my son to use his Linux system while still allowing me to use my computer, I wanted to run Edubuntu in a virtual machine on my old computer running Windows, but I didn't want to pay for the Windows version of Parallels. I learned that InnoTek's VirtualBox is now free under the GNU (for personal and evaluation use), so I installed the Windows version, and then installed Edubuntu as a guest OS in VirtualBox. At this point, everything is working fine.
I bring this up not to promote any particular virtualization programs or OS, but rather to note that it is possible for churches and ministries that want to install multiple computers in their office (or install a computer - or even computer lab! - in their library) to do so relatively inexpensively by using free and open source software. For example, the Orthodox classical school at my old parish (and for which I developed their website) runs openSUSE and Open Office on donated computers in their computer lab.
Since the average computer user is unfamiliar with Linux - even I have only the barest smidgen of knowledge about the distro I installed - priests and laypersons may be reluctant to commit themselves to a foreign OS. This is where virtualization comes in: you can install the free VirtualBox application on your PC (they are currently working on a Mac version), install the Linux distro of your choice as a guest OS in VirtualBox, and learn to use Linux without needing to partition your hard drive or risk any damage to your system. If anything goes wrong with the virtual drive running Linux, or if you want to try a different OS, you can simply replace the virtual drive with a new one in much the same way that you would replace a word processing document.
If your church or ministry has the opportunity to receive some donated computers, but you do not have the money for multiple licenses of Windows or applications like office suites, using a free open source OS like Linux and related open source applications is an effective way to legally stretch your resources. Furthermore, running the OS in a virtual machine on your current PC is a relatively painless way to test your options and learn the ropes without doing any damage to your current setup.
By the way, if you do run Linux on your computers, you should know that - to the best of my knowledge - my Bible study applications will not run on those computers because there is not currently a Linux version of the Shockwave plugin (given the focus of this post, they call this situation ironic). You can nonetheless access the main articles through the HTML versions, and download and print the PDF handouts.
Posted in Miscellaneous