Hi, On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 04:57:11PM +0100, Arne Babenhauserheide wrote: > Am Mittwoch 29 Oktober 2008 12:16:58 schrieb [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
> > However, I dwelt on an interesting variation above: For *virtual* > > appliances the Hurd might be interesting -- using hurdish > > subenvironments instead of full virtualisation, they could be more > > efficient and convenient. > > What does *virtual* mean in this point Well, I'm not sure about the exact usage of the terms; but AFAIK "software appliance" is used to describe an operating system with preconfigured software, so you only install the system, and the software is immediately usable with a minimum of configuration. Fli4L is a popular example. A virtual appliance is similar, only that the operating system+software is preinstalled in an image, and comes along with a virtualization solution to run it -- you can use it inside an existing host system, and don't have to install the actual software at all. Only the virtualization solution interacts with the host system, while the actual software is completely isolated. However, the use of full virtualization makes it quite inefficient, and rather awkward when some communication with the outside world is necessary. Using hurdish subenvironments instead could be an attractive compromise here. -antrik-
