Re: OT: 5 new PC's required

["David Buckley" <db@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, Doogie Brodie <ukhad@d...> wrote:

> I've certainly installed Debian a couple of times...

And thats the only way I run Linux now - I no longer have a linux
PC, just a VM running Mandrake.

> Pete Shew wrote:
> But VMware (and probably Virtual PC) are more than PC emulators
> - to get the performance it has drivers (which are guest
> OS dependant) to handle the virtual screen, etc., and
> the performance of the guest depends on the availablility
> and effectiveness of these.

For VPC, you need load no VPC supplied software at all.  It all just
works.  The VPC emulates certain types of hardware, and as long as
your guest has its drivers for them, its fine.  There are (for some
guest OSs) video drivers, but they aren't required, but they do
allow funky things like user definable resolutions.

However, where VPC addins can make a difference is in host (but not
really the guest) performance.  Real operating systems think they
have the CPU to themselves, and are willing to burn it.  Much like
multi-tasking DOS programs on Windows 2.  VPC drivers behave a
little better.

Finally, the guest addins add integration, like seamless mouse
pointers, and easy access to any drives and/or folders accessible by
the host.  All unnecessary stuff, but just a tad handy.

I must confess - as if you hadn't guessed - I am an utter fan of
this product.  It has - literally - changed the way I do computing.
I now use one laptop, and VPC, and thats it.  Previously, I had
three "regular" PCs for different things, and several others for
specialist stuff.

I still occasionally need these specialist PCs for certain things,
for example, I have an I2C analyser that is an ISA card, that runs
under DOS and a slow (486 or below) PC, but that hasn't been used
for over a year...

The only other real probelm having just one PC is serial port
connectivity, and thats what terminal servers were invented for!
VPC can connect the emulated UARTS to real (or virtual) serial ports
on the host.