[mdlug] A big opportunity for Linux?

[Raymond McLaughlin]

Carl T. Miller wrote:

> Is it worth the extra requirements to set up a virtual environment,
> create a virtual machine, install an entire OS, and then run a single
> app inside a window inside the virtual machine?

I take this as a rhetorical question. I suppose the entertainment value
of making it work doesn't count in most cases.

> It depends on what you're doing.

It would also depend on if you already have VMware or similar already
available. That's really most of the work. If you have that DSL may be
"an entire OS" but it is really light weight, and could be stripped down
even more. It wouldn't surprise me if there were VMware VMs built just
for this purpose.

> However, if I did want to run a single app in its own
> window, I wouldn't want a virtual machine.  I would look into getting
> a good x-server for Windows.

Right, but...

>  The good ones aren't cheap, which is why
> I like the putty/vnc connection at the price of getting a full desktop.

Which brings us full circle. VMware Player/server are free to use and so
is Damn Small Linux.

> Of course, it would be possible to customize such a desktop so that
> only one application runs and the connection is dropped when the app-
> lication closes, but I haven't had the need to set up such a desktop.

Right. Of course It only needs to be setup once, then the VMs could be
distributed freely.

Hmmm. Sounds like an interesting project....

> c