A guide to virtualization

Fast-forward to 2008, and virtualization has gone from a solution in search of a problem, to an explosive market with an array of real implementations on offer, to a word that's often mentioned in the same sentence with terms like "shakeout" and "consolidation." But whatever the state of "virtualization" as a buzzword, virtualization as a technology is definitely here to say. Virtualization implementations are so widespread that some are even popular in the consumer market, and some (the really popular ones) even involve gaming. Anyone who uses an emulator like MAME uses virtualization, as does anyone who uses either the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3. From the server closet to the living room, virtualization is subtly but radically changing the relationship between software applications and hardware.