VirtualBox 4.0
December saw the release of the latest critical update to VirtualBox, Oracle's desktop visualization tool. In its previous incarnation chose it as our readers so let us look at what has to offer 4.0 preferred VIRTUALIZER.
After starting the new VirtualBox, the first thing that is obvious is the new GUI layout. Long-term VirtualBox users however have to fear little as there is a close relative of the original. In the most obvious addition to the VM management part GUI is, that there is now a thumbnail that is constantly updated view of a running GUI. It seems an update period of about once per second, so hopefully, there is no amount of resources. Having said that, is useful for people who want to just keep an eye on what is running.
Speaking of which, the VM Windows are even now scalable. This means that you run an OS in, say, 1024 x 768 resolution, but scaled could perform in smaller window. This is also useful when you have to keep an eye on things want without sacrificing the space on the desktop, and you can flip back to a full sized screen with a keyboard shortcut.
CLI junkie or GUI monkey? As in previous versions, VirtualBox 4.0 can completely through the GUI or from the command line run but the GUI still somewhat some advanced features are the. Can the new features, insert the disc access bandwidth limitation and the change in size of the virtual hard disk images are accessed only from the command line will be. Port forwarding now has a GUI dialog, on the other. How some features CLI are only, it is important to have good documentation, and the good news is that the 4.0 features manual has already been updated.
Under the hood, there was some changes in the way that the individual VMs you save your settings. The settings file for each VM is stored in the same directory as the HD picture and together with some modifications, makes transfer of VMs between computers easier. In addition, file cleanup is comprehensive, when a machine is deleted.
Conclusion
Some may be disappointed with the volume of the brand new features, because there is a change the major version number is. What offers the latest 3.x release 4.0 is a new GUI and a few other improvements. A look through the release notes, makes it clear that there are a handful of smaller, but also useful new addition to the more remarkable. I suspect that great minor leap from 3.2 to 3.5, would give people have a clearer idea of what actually does the new version. This is a nitpick but when discussing one such piece of fine free software VirtualBox OSE version. Overall it has some nice updates, although it lacks the earth shattering new innovations that people tend to expect from a full version number increment.
______________________UK based free writer Michael Reed http://www.unmusic.co.uk/ technology, retro computing, geek culture and gender politics writes. His byline has appeared in several technology publications.
