Desktop virtualization technology allows people to run different operating system (OS) than the native OS of the computer. Virtualization software has allowed me to run multiple Linux OS instance in Windows XP. I was not successful with having Mac OS X on a Windows XP base. That’s one of the things I still look forward to do. I have done all of these with VMware which is a popular software for virtualization.

In Apple’s Mac OS X there are two major desktop virtualization software namely from VMware and Parallels. Parallels Desktop 4.0 have been recently released for Mac and it promises a 50% boost in performance compared to the earlier versions. This will definitely enable more than a million users to try other operating systems like Linux or Windows inside Mac OS X.

Desktop virtualization software is making it possible for non-Mac users to easily try Apple’s Mac computers. General user reviews shows that the performance of the major virtualization software (VMware Fusion 2.0 and Parallel Desktop 4.0) in Mac OS X are nearly the same. Regarding the price of the software they both cost $79.99 US. This is a big leap for Parallels Desktop 4.0 Virtualization Software to battle with the latest release of VMware Fusion 2.0. More choice for desktop virtualization software in Apple’s Mac OS X.