Which Linux desktop virtual machine do you recommend??

[Adene]

I have a Thinkpad X200 running Kubuntu 9.10 64 bit with configured intel hardware and graphics. Mac's have Parallels and Fusion to meet their desktop virtualization requirements so i would like something for my desktop as well. So i am wondering how you are using virtual machines on your desktop's and what kind of software are you using to implement it and if possible what you are doing with the setup part. I am not too interested in server applications, Thanks in advance.

[Devasis]

I have used Parallels v.1 and v.2 in my past and i didn't have a good experience with it. I found it buggy enough and that made me think twice before using it for work. I have used VMware and it has given me a good experience so i am using it now for professional software development all the time. I have Windows XP SP2 and OpenSUSE 11.1 currently and it is fast,reliable and stable for me till now. I would recommend VMware fusion to you. I use those virtual machines for Open GL development, c,c++ under Windows XP and kdevelop, Qt3 under Linux.

[Solomon]

If you have hardware support for virtual machines then i suggest you to go for KVM for Linux. It is the best there is available for Linux in my opinion. You can use KVM for full virtualization and in recent times i have been using LXC as well. The reason i prefer KVM is because of its speed, reliability and is compatible with mostly everything according to me. Though my friend has had issues with getting it to work on Fedora, it has worked fine for me. That just shows you it's not exactly perfect. There is not much chance for Open GL acceleration or things like that with this though which is a disadvantage. Take advantage of their remote desktop capabilities for the best graphical performance.

[MrChris-]

VMware has support now for creating virtual machines and also supports Aero graphical user interface in vista and 7 guests which is a good thing. KVM is good but not really intended for running virtual machines that will interact a lot as desktops. You can just use remote desktops for Windows related stuff. You can get sound forwarded, copy pasting, done on it. Most virtual machines supporting Windows as a desktop system just use this approach or are centered around it majority of the times.

[Calvin K]

Since you have asked about how they are being used, I'll tell you what i do. The best graphical performance you can possibly achieve with the guest operating system is to take advantage of the remote desktop capabilities. For Windows i think it is Remote desktop and for Linux it would be X11. I can get opengl for guest logins that can do X11 because of the AIGLX stuff. This way what you can do is set up your main system to do remote GDM login in to the guests system. Remote sound can be enabled through Pulseaudio. This is the best user experience you can get on a guest operating system but obviously it is limited to X11.

[Lillebror]

Hey guys thanks for all the inputs given here by you. This certainly has helped me develop a perspective with regards to the topic of virtual machines. I have brand new CD of Windows 7 with me and am very eager to make use of it. All the tips about remote desktops has certainly helped. I have used Virtualbox and i would say its been working for me. I would recommend KVM or Xen for servers needing a SSH connection.