VMWare allows you run an OS inside your OS, eg. Run Linux in your Windows machine, or Windows in Linux. A very useful program I think.
I installed my WinXP Pro in an WinXP Pro machine, and used the VM as a test platform to try out software without corrupting my actual system. Can be also used to test if some software is spyware-like. Once I made a complete installation, I made a “copy” of the OS so I have a clean WinXP installation anytime.
Working within the VM is exactly like having another machine, much like what VNC provides, except the VM is not any physical machine anywhere else. The VM has its own BIOS, hard disk space and IP address… I could ping from my host to VM and VM to host, very real.
The only annoyance was trying to transfer files between my host OS and the VM. This is especially necessary when I want to copy installation files over. Shared folders didn’t really work out, so I had to use another machine’s shared folder. Perhaps there exists an easier way for file transfer from host to VM.
I give VMWare 10 out of 10.