What is virtualization?

[Bart Silverstrim]

Default User wrote:
> I have been hearing virtualization being mentioned more and more
> recently.  I don't really know much about it.  Would someone please give
> a simple "Cliff's Notes" (TM) version of what it is, how it works, and
> why anyone would bother to use it at all.  
> 
> Please resist the urge to answer that "I if you don't know what it is,
> you don't need it". 

What if we said, "Use Google?"

In a nutshell virtualization software creates a "fake computer" in which 
you can run other operating systems so you can test or run other 
software in a test environment or run software that won't "hurt" your 
own computer while running.  Using VMWare, for example, you can install 
Windows in a fake computer that is actually running on your Linux 
system, so you can run software you "absolutely can't live without" that 
is only available on Windows.

Google sandboxing, virtualization, vmware, virtualbox, qemu.  Wikipedia 
also has some good articles on it.

-Bart