I've asked the OS2WORLD folks to look into creating a Virtualization category, so we can begin consolidating posts/knowledge on this vast topic ... they're probably still flying/traveling ... Done ... thanks!
Here's a presentation (attached) I gave at Warpstock 2023, and you could executive summarize it even further and say "removing all limitations" ... but basically, it is one way of solving these problems: networking, browsers, x64 apps, etc. for ArcaOS. As in, there could be a world (a platform) where these problems just don't exist ...
In a nutshell, we take advantage of modern hardware & virtualization software, and install multiple OS's, each doing their thing to resolve limitations. The platform looks like:
Any reasonable desktop/laptop (dt/lt): i7 multicore, 16gb ram, ssd (or your combination that yields similar results)
- rule of thumb: 4GB ram = 1 OS (of any type, host-os, vm-os, etc)
- choose wisely, as in, the concept is theoretically possible on 4GB or 8GB ram, but ...
- my $200 ebay special (shown at Warpstock '23): 2018 dell precision 7520, i7, 32gb ram, 512gb ssd
HostOS level: Windows 10/11 or Linux (whatever) ... but running more as a conceptual "service"
- provides access to all modern things (networking/internet, filesystems, x64, etc.) to every VM
- type 2 hypervisor (virtualbox, vmware workstation)
- you don't really do much at this level, except "service" stuff (connectivity, antivirus, backup, etc.)
-conceptually more like a server OS, because, well ... we're driving it "like we stole it ..."
- ... and yes, Microsoft helps us run x64 under ArcaOS
ArcaOS is running as a VM (Avm) ... could even run two or more, no problem
- ZERO installation issues ... it runs nicely in a vbox VM
- 4GB address space, unless you run two vm's, and now you have 8GB address space
- x64 apps via Winflector ... yep, this works in Avm's HTML5 firefox engine (there's my x64 Notepad++)
- wifi networking ... yep, HostOS provides it, Avm gets it
- NTFS (really, any FS by any HostOS) ... yep, Avm gets that too
Any other OS in parallel VM's ... well, you already know how to do this. But, imagine:
- dev OS, dedicated to crunching away at that OS/2 compile problem ... now imagine 2 or 3 of them
- specialized app (cad, whatever ...)
- your "office" Avm ... it's got the stuff you use as a daily driver
- Wordstar, or any other difficult/vintage app ... in a VM running the OS that old wordstar needs
All the VM's run in parallel, and nothing steps on the others ... everything can get at everything. Finally, your dt/lt is getting to be more than 5% efficient. And, you switch back and forth as easily as you switch windows in a desktop today. The UI options exist to run this the way you want to see it ... whatever that is.
I run this at home, on a single laptop, and at any given time, multiple VM's are running ... it's VM-as-a-Service (I coined it first, I think), doing whatever you need to get done. I presented the concept at Warpstock 2023 ... "ArcaOS - Thrusters at Max".
If you've got the time, please read the presentation & come back with comments or otherwise provide feedback (by testing some of this for yourself, for example).
Hope this helps!
NOTE: I've added fair use & copyright stuff to the presentation, but it may change again, if I've still managed to step on copyright toes. Be prepared to throw away the old ones, and d/l the latest from this post.
