Bob2002
ULTIMATE Member
...The company sells three core products, VMware Workstation, GSX Server and ESX Server, but competition is on the horizon in a market VMware once had to itself. On Monday, however, the company is expected to announce it will give away GSX for free, sources familiar with the plan said.
GSX runs on a "host" Windows or Linux operating system and then lets "guest" operating systems run atop it in compartments called virtual machines. The higher-end ESX product, in contrast, needs no host and runs below the operating system layer.
VMware may gain two advantages from the move. First, because virtual machines can be moved from GSX to ESX, customers who try the former may choose to upgrade to the latter. Second, giving the software away for free could make VMware's technology more popular and cement the company's lead over emerging rivals.
Today, GSX costs $1,400 for dual-processor servers and $2,800 for more powerful machines. ESX, while more expensive, permits more sophisticated features such as VMotion, which lets one running operating system be moved from one server to another while it's still running.
http://news.com.com/VMware+to+make+server+product+free/2100-1012_3-6034615.html?tag=nefd.top
First we had the WMware player, and now, possibly, this ! I suppose they are trying to head off the open source VM killer app - Xen - before it builds up unstoppable momentum.
EDIT:
More at The Register - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/03/vmware_goes_free/
Last edited:

























