Virtualization on the cheap

As a Mac user something that really irritates me is when I go to a website and the service it provides is only for Internet Explorer on Windows. Or when a piece of software is Windows only. Fortunately when Apple went to using Intel processors for the Mac a new line of virtualization programs came along. The two best in this field are Parallels and VMWare Fusion. Both of these programs are excellent, but they cost $60-$100 depending on when and where you buy them. If you are like me and need to use Windows on a daily basis for something (in my case I have to check to make sure pages render correctly in 3 [yes 3] versions of IE), then it makes sense to dole out the cash for one of these programs. I use VMWare Fusion and I'm very happy with it. But if it's just an occasional thing where you want to try something then putting out the cash might not be worth it. Enter Virtual Box (vbox). Vbox works much like the other pieces of software mentioned here with one difference, it's open source and as such it's free. From the review it sounds like it works well or at least well enough for the casual user. If you're looking for a virtualization program, this may be the ticket for you.

Note: You probably have to own a copy of Windows to install it on vbox, so that would be a cost for you to consider.