[sf-lug] doing test installations into a virtual machine (was: (forw) Re: SF-LUG meeting notes for Sunday 02022020)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu):

> VirtualBox - easier to get going (point and drool^Wclick),
> cross-platform (host can be Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux (, ...?))
> mostly a play(+?) with it on one's desktop/laptop, but rather to
> quite solid and functional (and relatively easy).
> No live migrations or the like, but can always copy over cold images
> Not OpenSource,
> fails DFSG: https://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines
> Oracle, evil ...

This is off the top of my head, so I can reasonably _hope_ it's still
the case:

There is a 99.9% complete VirtualBox Base Packagethat truly is open
source / DFSG-free -- and that forms the basis of distro packages.  The
0.1% of functionality omitted can be _optionally_ retrofitted after
installation, via a separate VirtualBox Oracle VM VirtualBox extension
pack that is proprietary (free of charage for personal use, evaluation,
etc.).  Mostly what the extension pack adds is USB 2.0/3.0 support.
Without the extension pack, USB is limited to USB 1.1 (slow!).  

(There are also a few other enhancements in the extension pack.)

Compared to geeker and far less novice-friendly virtualisers like
qemu-kvm and Xen, VirtualBox exacts a bit more RAM/CPU overhead, last I
checked.

-- 
Cheers,                     "Why doesn't anyone invite copyeditors to parties,
Rick Moen                   when we're such cool people out with whom to hang?"
rick at linuxmafia.com                        -- @laureneoneal (Lauren O'Neal)
McQ! (4x80)