InfoWorld has published what its test center staff believes are this year's technologies of the year, and Sun's VirtualBox 3.1 is one. The judges find Sun's high performance, cross-platform virtualization software a compelling alternative to VMware Workstation, noting that VirtualBox definitely supersedes this competitor in scalability.

VirtualBox 3.x supports up to 32 virtual CPUs per VM, while VMware Workstation supports just 4. "Add to this improved snapshot capabilities and 2-D acceleration for virtualized applications, and you have a solution nipping at VMware's heels in the general desktop virtualization space," writes InfoWorld's Randall C. Kennedy.

Another feature highlighted is VirtualBox's teleportation capability. The command-line function allows users to use a simple syntax to move a VM running under VirtualBox on one system and "teleport" it to another VirtualBox system, all the while preserving the VM's runtime state.

But it is the speed with which VirtualBox has developed into a real competitor in the desktop virtualization market segment that InfoWorld sees as remarkable. "In a little over a year, Sun has turned this relatively unknown fledgling from an obscure German software developer (Innotek) into a potent threat," observes Kennedy. "Our advice to VMware (and Microsoft): Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Other products earning a place on InfoWorld's 2010 Technology of the Year Awards:

• Intel Nehalem Processor (Xeon 5500 Series)
• Microsoft Windows 7
• Microsoft Windows XP (A Lifetime Achievement Award)
• Cisco Unified Computing System
• VMware vSphere 4
• Citrix XenDesktop 4
• Compellent Storage Center 4.2
• Dell EqualLogic PS Series
• Amazon Web Services
• Apache Hadoop
• Amazon SimpleDB
• Eclipse
• Apple iPhone OS 3.0 and App Store
• WebKit
• Google Chrome 3.0
• Telligent Enterprise 2.0
• LifeSize Express 220
• Sophos Endpoint Security and Control
• Bit9 Parity Suite 5.0
• Autonomic ANSA Platinum Suite

More Information

InfoWorld's 2010 Technology of the Year Awards

Sun VirtualBox 3.1

Sun VirtualBox Product Page

Download site

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