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Friday, September 26, 2008

Ultimate Virtualization (for now)

VMware planning to make your OS irrelevant

This would be the ultimate virtualization of the desktop. A desktop independent of the hardware it is used to run on or the very operating system that runs it. This would be great as users need more and more of virtualization. Our desktops are becoming ever more important parts of our lives. My Documents is probably the most important folder ever, containing ever increasing part of our existence - sound files, pictures, documents, resumes, mail history, licence keys, what not... This is the folder that gets backed up and that has to survive whatever might happen to the operating system or the computer it is used on.
I'm using Microsoft's Mesh to backup and synchronize parts of My Documents folder but the service is not ready yet for the real thing. Subfolders are still creating problems and there are other glitches around. But eventually it will get there.
Now, the question is whether it will be there on time. :) Probably will as VMWare strategy is to develop in that direction in the coming years. Besides, the description of the vision goes along Microsoft's efforts to establish Mesh as exactly the same thing, more or less.
Obviously, Microsoft is too big to focus on one thing only. There is the new Windows (7) being announced and presented in its pre-beta form next month.

Looking forward to initiatives like this as I really need my personal things to be accessible anywhere and backed up.

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