VirtualBox is a simple easy to use virtualization tool. With support for most common Intel clients such as Windows XP, Vista (note issue about manually installing NIC drivers, Solaris and many versions of Linux. The windows interface is quick to load and easy to navigate, it does seem almost to simple, but I feel that some other virtualization packages are really just too complicated for beginner users. The ability to save and create states is well thought out and easy to control.

Possibly my favorite feature which I have only seen in the beta of Microsoft’s Virtual Machine Manager, is a good media manager. Once you build up a few dozen Virtual machines and the associated iso images that go with them it does get confusing. The media manager makes it quick and simple to load up that floppy disk with the usb drivers you might need or a copy of open office.

The more virtualization packages I test out the more I think simple is better. VirtualBox has built a product that will hold up within this growing industry and with the unique features they should be able to excel where others may fail. Now, lets hope Microsoft doesn’t step in and buy them out.

All testing was done on Version 1.3.8 of the Windows Binary, Download VirtualBox directly from their website. Click to download 1.3.8 VirtualBox Binary

Pricing information:

I contacted the sales department in regards to this question and I have attached the PDF file they sent back to me. The PDF does answer most questions very well, with some real world situations and examples. For those who just want the short answer, here is a portion of their reply:

“Keep in mind that VirtualBox (even the commercial version) can be used free of charge in most setups. The only real caveat is when you perform automated installations of VirtualBox in a corporate environment. This this case you have to purchase a license. If corporate users individually install VirtualBox on PCs/servers, it is still free of charge. And there is of course the GPL version which is always free and comes with no restrictions at all.” Achim Hasenmueller

For full details, download the pdf: VirtualBox Pricing Structure PDF

Screenshots of VirtualBox, including the Main control panel:

One great feature is the easy to use Media Manager, allowing easy loading of Harddrive, Floppy and CD image files.

Simple and easy to use VirtualBox control panel, pretty much the same as any other Virtualization product.

Windows 2000 boots up nice and quickly, installation was a breeze.

Windows 3.11 is possibly one of the few problems I have seen with VirtualBox, the mouse doesn’t work inside 3.11!!!

Sources:
VirtualBox: UserManual.pdf
VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE) « Divilinux Lost Blog
linuX-gamers.net - VirtualBox vs. Qemu vs. VMware-player (updated) - Reviews - Articles
VirtualBox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ovidiu’s Blog » Free (as in speech) virtualization from VirtualBox
The Codecruncher :: VirtualBox :: January :: 2007:
HackITLinux: VirtualBox on Dapper Drake
HackITLinux: VirtualBox: Commercial-grade Open Source virtualization
VirtualBox « Xubuntu Blog
LUX.ET.UMBRA: VirtualBox
Warped Systems - Create virtual Machines Using Virtualbox in Debian
Create virtual Machines Using Virtualbox in Debian — Debian Admin
Create and Manage Virtual Machines Using VirtualBox — Ubuntu Geek
Jason R Briggs : vmware and virtualbox