Microsoft Expected To Loosen Restrictions, Announces “Nope”
Microsoft was planning this week to loosen restrictions on Windows Vista virtualization, allowing licenses of Home Basic and Home Premium to be used on virtual machines, but it pulled back at the last minute and announced it was changing nothing. Microsoft had been so close to an announcement that it had already briefed reporters, analysts, and executives at virtualization software maker Parallels, surprising a ton of people when it just changed its mind.
So, why do you have to buy the more expensive Business or Ultimate versions of Vista for virtualization? Basically, Microsoft’s strategy wants Vista only used virtually in business environments, so consumers who want Vista virtually would be mostly priced out. Microsoft claims its a security decision, but it seems mostly aimed at Macs, the only environment where virtualization in the consumer space is a realistic factor. Microsoft wants Mac users in boot camp or paying extra, not using Parallels to run Mac OS and Windows side-by-side.
