Virtual Reversal
Late last night, I got an IM from frequent
RDN contributor Mary Jo Foley
informing me that Microsoft had suddenly and unexpectedly reversed course on
its virtualization licensing policies.
According to Foley's
blog post, Microsoft was set to announce today more relaxed virtualization
policies, which would "allow users to run all versions of Windows Vista
in a virtualized environment." The previous policy (which will remain in
effect for the foreseeable future) only allows the more expensive Business and
Ultimate versions of Vista to run in virtual machines.
The change is a setback for development organizations that looked forward to
using virtualized Vista environments for software development, testing, QA and
prototyping. It could also scramble the channel, as VARs and resellers poised
to configure and sell virtualized workstation environments must scramble to
stay legal under the current EULA. You can read more about this issue here.
Of course, Microsoft has struggled with licensing around virtualized environments
for years, so I suppose this kind of 11th hour change shouldn't be a total shock.
What do you think? Does this change impact your plans? E-mail me at [email protected].
Posted by Michael Desmond on 06/20/2007