Random strivings here and there these days… I’ve been playing with VirtualBox and enlarging vdi images. Been doing a platform product for work around demo environments using Ubuntu and VMware Server 1.x. I don’t much care for VMware Server 2.x because its some bastardized web thing and some things which made it easy don’t work any longer like the Console Monitor in VMware 1.x.
I’m now building an automation tool which will copy and bring up VMware guest images, use some VMware automation like the “vmrun” command that allows one to do a variety of operations. I’ve built a basic web page, written some PHP scripts which call shell scripts, and created some status monitoring which will allow us to generically create new platforms pretty easily. I really enjoy this kind of work and it really demonstrates the power and flexibility of my chosen platform for the host which is Ubuntu 8.10 Server. I also am building out a ESXi based VMware server to run clients for a new QA environment at work which will take a different twist to things.
All of these things are rather randomly tied to my continuing goals to not boot a real windows system when I can help it these days. Seems that Vista is really nice when its virtual only and I have a Windows 7 beta running which is decent. Its really nice when it gets unhappy and cycling its power does not mean losing everything. I can just take it my own way with a “kill -9″ on that process and get it all back. As I blogged before, the greatest prodcutivity enhancement for me is the seamless mode for Windows applications where I get the best of both worlds. Now if I could have truly embedded applications which would have the OS behind each one but not show the desktop or taskbar at all. That would be cool; but I have as much as I need now. I can taste the windows world but not be subjected to its random disconnects.
I could say more; but the zone is claiming me today. Wanted to tell Ian thanks for the work at the Big T and teaching me more plus writing one of the best weblogs out there! Hope your tomorrows all come along the way you want. Take care.
