VirtualBox Reviews
- Review: Sun VirtualBox 3.0
Windows IT Pro - 07/16/2009
Windows IT Pro's Jeff James gave top marks to VirtualBox 3.0, calling VirtualBox "an impressive product with an unbeatable price tag" that "competes well with the likes of VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop." Jeff highlighted VirtualBox's ease of use and performance, giving special mention to its unbeatable free price tag as well as Guest SMP and improved 3D support.
- VirtualBox 3.0: An easy way to mix and match operating systems
Computerworld - 07/09/2009
Steven Vaughn-Nichols tested VirtualBox 3.0 on three different systems running on three different platforms, concluding that "you owe it to yourself to try VirtualBox... It's never been easier and VirtualBox has never been better." Overall the reviewer was extremely complimentary of a variety of features, ultimately stating, "compared to the competition, VirtualBox is much easier to use, and with its SMP support, faster and more stable than VMware or Parallels."
- VirtualBox 3 brings 3D graphics support
Ars Technica - 04/28/09
Ryan Paul called VirtualBox his "current preferred desktop virtualization solution," noting its excellent integration between guest and host environments. Ryan also praised VirtualBox's improved Linux, snapshots and 3D graphics support, which "could make VirtualBox a viable solution for 3D gaming."
- SMP-Enabled Sun xVM VirtualBox 3.0 Turns Up the Heat on VMware
IT Pro - 07/03/2009
Cameron Sturvedant tested VirtualBox 3.0 on a Sun Fire X4170 server and concluded that version 3.0 of VirtualBox "is certain to give VMware Workstation a run for its money." The review highlights support for multiple guest processors, an appealing free price tag and broad host platform support as VirtualBox's most notable features.
- Sun xVM VirtualBox 3.0: Virtual Developer's Delight
ZDNet - 06/30/2009
Jason Perlow stated that the new VirtualBox 3.0 release "represents a culmination of hundreds of bugfixes and significant performance enhancements, including the ability for the product to permit guest OSes to use up to 32 virtual CPUs each." In the accompanying slide show, ZDNet noted that VirtualBox is ideally suited for desktop virtualization applications but also has some nice features for prototyping and developing enterprise-quality applications and environments."
- What's the best hosted virtualisation suite?
ZDNet Australia - 06/15/2009
ZDNet Australia's Chris Duckett examined a handful of Type 2 hypervisors aimed at the workstation and found VirtualBox to be "a no-frills approach that keeps managing VMs dead simple." Overall the reviewer concluded, "we would recommend VirtualBox. It's fast, easy to use and has that sweet price point: free."
- Review of Sun VirtualBox: An Excellent Virtualization Platform
Bright Hub - 05/01/09
Steve Mallard tested VirtualBox 2.2.2, rating it a 5 out of 5 in each of the three separate categories he evaluated: installation, features and performance, and value and price. Steve proclaims that VirtualBox is "easy to use and setup," and it is "one of the best virtualization programs available."
- VirtualBox 2.1.4
Macworld - 03/13/09
Rob Griffiths reviewed VirtualBox 2.1.4, specifically noting the addition of Intel VT-x hardware and OpenGL acceleration support. Overall Griffiths noted, "With the addition of hardware virtualization, support for 64-bit guest operating systems, and OpenGL support, VirtualBox has become an even-better free solution."
- Take Windows 7 for a Spin with VirtualBox
Computerworld - 02/19/09
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols tested how Windows 7 runs on a virtualized environment, noting he chose to use Sun's VirtualBox software because it is free and can used as a host for other operating systems. Steven found VirtualBox's "combination of flexibility, speed and features makes it my PC virtualization program of choice. If you give it a try, I think you'll find you agree."
- Sun VirtualBox a Solid Alternative to VMware, Parallels
eWeek - 01/13/09
eWEEK's Cameron Sturdevant opined, "Any IT professional who wants to get more familiar with virtualization technology that goes beyond a 30-day trial version provided by competitors should get a hold of Virtual Box."
- Secrets for controlling VirtualBox from the command line
Linux.com - 10/29/08
In this Linux.com review, Mayank Sharma examined VirtualBox with a focus on managing VMs via the command-line interface. "VirtualBox 2 is one of the best virtualization applications for desktop users," he said. Overall Mayank noted, "VirtualBox's comprehensive CLI is impressive, and can improve your productivity."
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- VirtualBox
PC World - 10/25/08
Reviewer Jon Jacobi included VirtualBox in PC World's Downloads section, stating that virtual machines are an important part of his testing environment. After years of using virtualization products, he notes "VirtualBox is more capable than Microsoft's Virtual PC 2007 in most respects and a bit friendlier than VMware's free VMware Player and VMware Server."
- VirtualBox update brings improved performance and 64-bit support
Linux.com - 09/22/08
Steven Vaughan-Nichols examined the latest release, noting the remarkable number of supported operating systems as well as the improved performance and 64-bit support. Overall, Vaughan-Nichols was quite pleased with VirtualBox and concluded, "VirtualBox is equal to the purely proprietary VMware Workstation and better than most other open source desktop virtualization programs."
- VirtualBox 2.0 Adds 64-Bit Support, Updated Interface
LifeHacker - 09/10/08
Kevin Purdy discussed major upgrades to Sun's VirtualBox 2.0, saying the latest upgrade not only boosted the networking support for Mac users but it also supported running 64-bit operating systems, like Windows Vista and certain Linux distributions. He believed that Windows, Mac and Linux clients were in for an aesthetic upgrade, and the improved performance of VirtualBox for AMD chips had been very helpful.
- Virtualization showdown: VMware Workstation vs. Sun xVM VirtualBox
InfoWorld - 09/11/08
InfoWorld's Randall C. Kennedy compared VMWare WorkStation Virtualization against Sun Microsystems' xVM VirtualBox, calling the desktop virtualization market a "two-horse race" between the two products. Overall, Kennedy said VirtualBox is "a maturing, relatively stable tool for running multiple guest operating systems on a host PC." He commented that Sun has carved out a niche user base with VirtualBox, and "VMware had better not let its guard down anytime soon."
- VirtualBox Delivers Free, Multiplatform Desktop Virtualization
eWEEK - 08/04/08
Cameron Sturdevant examined VirtualBox 1.6.4 and found it "a surprisingly full-featured, no-cost alternative to VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop that's well worth the consideration of software developers looking to test on multiple platforms and of IT managers who are evaluating the strategic value of desktop virtualization."
- Sun Microsystems -- VirtualBox 1.6 review
IT Reviews - 07/18/08
IT Review was quite positive on VirtualBox and awarded the publication's "Recommended" status. Their conclusion:"VirtualBox has a lot more than no-cost going for it. It is easy to use, provides good functionality and performs well compared to some of the better known competition. Highly recommended."
- Review: Virtual Machine Software For The Desktop
InformationWeek - 07/17/08
In this comparative roundup, reviewer Serdar Yegulalp examined major virtual machine apps for individual users from VMware, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems, as well as Fabrice Bellard's QEMU 0.9.1. VirtualBox ranked quite well, garnering the following statement from the author, "while VMware sports the best overall range of features, both big and small, VirtualBox is rapidly becoming a serious contender if it isn't one already. Its licensing is far less restrictive, and it only differs in functionality in ways that will be important to a minority of users."
- The Firefox of Virtualization? Sun's xVM VirtualBox 1.6.2
CRN/ChannelWeb - 07/15/08
CRN's Test Center published a review of VirtualBox as a follow up to their earlier comparative hypervisor roundup. In this evaluation, technical editor Samara Lynn noted,"... accolades must go to Sun. In the Test Center, it has been the one desktop virtualization product that provided almost no thorny issues setting up a Linux virtual machine on a Vista host."
- Moving to VirtualBox
ComputerWorld - 07/14/08
Martin Brown has been using VirtualBox recently as a potential replacement for Parallels in order to take advantage of VirtualBox features that he was interested in. He noted, "we finally have a VM implementation that is as capable on Solaris as it is on Windows, OS X and Linux."
- The Best Virtualization Program You've Never Heard Of
Enterprise Networking Planet - 06/03/08
Carla Schroder took a look at the latest release of VirtualBox. She examined VirtualBox's history, how to create a VM and installing the guest OS. In conclusion, Schroder stated that that in a second post she'll explore how to make snapshots, manage VMs, and use Guest Additions for better performance.
- Virtualization smackdown: Sun xVM VirtualBox 1.6 vs. VMWare Server 2.0 Beta 2
ZDNet - 05/21/08
In this two-product head-to-head review Jason Perlow pits VirtualBox 1.6 against VMWare Server 2.0 beta 2. Overall the evaluation is quite positive for VirtualBox, highlighting the product's excellent performance and extremely easy setup. Perlow concludes, "VirtualBox has the widest range of host system support and has the lightest hardware demands, and excels for single PC personal virtualization needs."
- It's a bumper crop of VM goodness!
InfoWorld - 05/20/08
Randall Kennedy examines VirtualBox 1.6 and concludes, "VirtualBox 1.6 is a solid release and one that shows how serious Sun is about producing a competitive, Open Source alternative to VMware Workstation."
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