Microsoft"s acquisition of Connectix"s assets is beginning to bear fruit on the Windows side of the market.
The software giant Monday plans to announce the release to manufacturing of its newly branded and enhanced Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, formerly known as Connectix Virtual PC.
The desktop software, expected to be available within the next 90 days, will allow customers to run multiple versions of Windows on the same desktop, as well as Mac and Linux on virtual machines.
Microsoft, which acquired Connectix"s assets in February, shipped Virtual PC for Mac - 6.1 in August.
Running multiple operating systems in virtual machines on the same PC is ideal for corporations that want to test out and ensure quality of applications on newer versions of Windows before they go through an upgrade cycle, or for developers who wish to run both Unix/Linux and Windows applications on the same box, observers note.