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Anyone Have Experience Using Software Virtualization?

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by dtpublisher87 1 view

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It was just another Microsoft "assimilation" last year - one that happened to fly under my radar... (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jul06/07-17SoftricityPR.mspx)
But, after attending a recent Microsoft event, I'm literally stunned that I didn't hear that much about it.

My biggest beef with Microsoft's operating system has always been that there is no separation between the OS and the applications installed on it - and this product seems to provide that necessary separation; seems to be just what the Enterprise IT Dr. Ordered.

If you haven't heard about it... SoftGrid turns almost all Windows applications into a service using application virtualization and streams delivery of those virtualized applications to Terminal Server & Desktop users. (Their demo showed you can literally have MS Office 95 through MS Office 2007 available on your desktop!)

Applications are managed centrally and then delivered directly to the user?s desktop (via SMS or AD) in a contained, virtualized image that runs locally, but does not interfere with or require interaction with the operating system itself and other applications present on the desktop.

I know how MS tends to spin everything as the greatest software to hit the market, EVER!!! I'm also all too familiar with how often their ballyhooed product fails miserably to match up with even a portion of the hype generated about it. [Most recently MS Live One Care (see http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/16/1459254&from=rss)]

So, since I've heard so surprisingly little on the hype side of the equation, and since this looks like a definitely useful product, I'm looking to get some feedback on it... to see if anyone out there has been using Softricity - either before or after MS's acquisition - and to get a feel for your take on it, good and bad.

If there is another Software Virtualization product out there that you're using, I'd love to hear about your experiences with that, too!

Lastly, if you do not fit into either of the above categories, but have something to share - feel free to do so.

3 replies

by now left tr

However it now only works on the Vista platform and will be used as an incentive to get business to switch.

Currently Office 2007 is the only MS application that it supports - something else they are trying to push. Now MS have the application it will become a marketing tool.

Novell have been doing this kind of thing for years - Netware 4 onwards.....

by zaferus

And it's not OS restrictive as MS is. The more our organization works with VMWare the more impressed we are with the product.

It's extremely flexible, and it just works.

by tmosleyiii

We just purchased SoftGrid and I am currently starting to package up some applications that use regularly. It has worked pretty well with the test apps I've been working with but the trouble seems to pop up when dealing with our larger apps.

Since there is no support unless you have software assurance you have to wade through their cryptic knowledgebase of borderline useless info. There are sites like softgridguru.com where other users try to help each other though.

There is no issue with no support systems other than Vista, you can package apps for 2000 Pro on up to Vista.

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