May 3, 2013
Virtual machines are more useful than just for fun and games, and they've helped me a huge deal in work-related areas of my life. Using a virtual machine offers a great sandbox if you're ever dealing with sketchy software that may be riddled with things that you're way too nervous to allow on your main disk.
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April 24, 2013
Haptics is the technology of touch. In the context of a virtual environment, it would mean being able to touch and feel something that literally isn't there, but that's certainly not its only use. From gaming and virtual reality to 3D modelling and making computers more accessible - virtual surgery, driving simulators, swinging a virtual sword, the texture of paper or moleskin on a touchscreen display - this is haptic technology at its most amazing, and the implications are far reaching.
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April 19, 2013
The future is here - the Oculus Rift has finally begun shipping. It's early days yet, but if you're one of the lucky few who backed or pre-ordered the dev kit, here's a collection of resources, videos, and information on everything we know about the Oculus so far. The excitement is unbearable though, so apologies in advance if you just can't wait after reading this.
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December 28, 2012
We’ve lavished attention on VirtualBox here at MakeUseOf, and for good reason. However, VirtualBox isn’t your only option for creating and using free virtual machines. VMware Player, VMware’s free product, is every bit as good as VirtualBox for many users. You may even prefer it to VirtualBox. VMware Player runs on Windows and Linux.
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November 12, 2012
It’s no secret that Windows 8's new interface is a "touch-first experience" – Microsoft said it themselves. If you’re curious about upgrading to Windows 8, you can try Windows 8 on your PC – but unless you're using a PC with a touch screen, it just isn’t the same. Assuming you have an iPad or Android tablet lying around, you can test Windows 8 with a touchscreen before you purchase a new Windows 8 PC or tablet.
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October 5, 2012
We've talked about setting up a local server before, but the process is still fairly complicated and there's lots of quirks and incompatibliities if you're trying to run it on Windows, leading to nothing but hassle when you actually upload the thing to a real website. What if you could just boot up a virtual machine and have instant access to a Wordpress install to play around with, all contained within a fully functional standardised web server setup?
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August 25, 2012
Highly-connective programs can do a lot, but they're also an open invitation for bad hackers to strike. To prevent strikes from becoming successful, a developer would have to spot and close every single hole in their code, which simply isn't possible. Instead, developers have to take that fact and plan their code with that in mind. The most common and effective solution: a sandbox.
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July 20, 2012
If you’ve got an older PC running important software, one of the best ways to give that software a new lease of life is by ditching the hardware entirely – you can convert your existing system to a virtual machine and run it on another computer. The process is fast, and at the end you’ll have an image you can use in VMware or any virtual machine program that can import VMware disk images.
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July 19, 2012
Ever since I started using a second monitor, I realized that I just can't get enough screen space. Every task seems to require so much display real estate. When I'm editing, I like to have the article I'm editing open, my research websites up in another browser window, and my email client available in the background. When I'm writing articles, I like to have a browser open that's dedicated to researching, and a separate browser window where I do my writing work.
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July 9, 2012
With cellphones and tablets gaining in processing power, we are seeing a slow but steady convergence of mobile and desktop computing. Usually, this means you get to enjoy software similar to desktop applications on your mobile, but the reverse is possible as well - using mobile software on your home computer. With close to half a million applications in the Google Play store, there are bound to be a number of apps to complement your desktop computing experience.
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April 27, 2012
Up until recently, VirtualBox had a pretty major limitation: There was no way to use Windows Aero effects when running Windows Vista or Windows 7 inside VirtualBox. If you are testing software, this makes a big difference: You are not getting the Aero experience most Windows users would get, and your screenshots look wrong. Fortunately, with the advent of VirtualBox 4.1, this can be fixed.
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April 11, 2012
Quickly try out a wide variety of open source operating systems, some you're familiar with and some you aren't. You can start browsing now at Virtualboxes, a website that takes almost all the work out of trying out operating systems in Virtualbox. VirtualBox, in case you're not familiar with it, is free virtualization software. It lets you run any operating system in a window, meaning you don't need to worry about partitioning or dual-booting.
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November 26, 2011
Try out Android, Windows 8, any live CD and more, on your computer without messing up your bootloader (or worse.) With VirtualBox it's easy, if you think creatively. VirtualBox gives you an easy way to create "virtual boxes", a sort of computer inside your computer you can use to try out new operating systems and learn more about how computers work.
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September 28, 2011
Are you curious about Windows 8, the upcoming operating system from Microsoft? Try it out in a virtual machine, right now, for free. All you need to do is download the free ISO file and set up VirtualBox properly. What can you expect to see in Windows 8? Once thing is clear - it will be very different than any version of Windows before it.
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August 19, 2011
When I covered Dexpot some time ago, readers Colugo and Mick were quick to point me in the direction of VirtuaWin as a lightweight, fast alternative virtual desktop software. Encouraged by their feedback, I decided to take VirtuaWin on a thorough spin and I am back to report my findings.
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