Virtualfuture.info

So our application virtualization comparison chart seems to be very popular. We get a lot of positive responses, but one thing that we get a lot is the fact that we mention ThinApp has no central management for deploying the virtualized apps, and that it can easily be done with Active Directory. Although that is true, we still say that ThinApp has no central management for deploying the apps, just to compare it with other products that do come with a central deployment tool, like InstallFree or Microsoft App-V.

Okay, so how can you distribute ThinApp Applications? There a a lot of possibilities, I will explain 2: through Active Directory and with a login script. Read the rest of this entry »

I stumbled on a nice post on TechStrategyPartners from George Gilbert and Juergen Urbanski. It gives a clear view on which areas VMware will be putting their money on and why. It’s a pretty large piece of reading material and I had a couple of “duh” moments but the core of what they’re telling comes down to this:

We’ve all seen the light concerning server consolidation, it’s (becoming) commodity. So what, at this moment, are the areas where the money is ? According to the authors (VMware stakeholders), VMware has defined 3 waves they are setting out to ride the next period : Read the rest of this entry »

Microsoft released the resource kit tool for App-V. The Resource kit is a selection of tools that can be used to help you manage your App-V 4.5 estate. So if you are using App-V, you might need these tools: 

• Application Virtualization Application Listing Tool
• Application Virtualization Cache Configuration Tool
• Application Virtualization Client Log Parser Utility
• Application Virtualization SFT Parser Tool
• Application Virtualization Dynamic Suite Composition Tool

Last week InstallFree released a new version of their application virtualization product called: Installfree Bridge. This version (1.5) fixes some bugs and has also some new features. The bridge is now fully supported on Vista for example. Here is the complete list of new features: Read the rest of this entry »

We (Matthijs Haverink and I) have updated our application virtualization chart with the latest release of Citrix XenApp 5.0, Microsoft App-V and Xenocode 2008 SP1. We also changed Symantec Appstream in the chart by combining it with SVS pro, a more commonly used combination. Read the rest of this entry »

4Sysops is doing a good job on writing about application virtualization. The latest article is about disadvantages of application virtualization (after writing about the advantages). It depends on what product you use for virtualizing your applications, but I have to disagree on some points he mentions: Read the rest of this entry »

After reviewing VMware’s ThinApp I thought to myself:
How about the other application virtualization solution’s features? I know a couple of application virtualization products, but I don’t know exactly what the differences are.

OK, let’s google for an Application virtualization comparison chart… mmm, not there. Why not make one?
So we did. My colleague Matthijs Haverink and I have written a comparison chart with the following products:

• Microsoft Softgrid *
• VMware ThinApp
• Installfree Bridge
• Citrix Application streaming
• Symantec Appstream
• Xenocode Virtual Application Studio

* This is Softgrid 4.2. From version 4.5 it’s called App-V. When App-V is released, this chart will be updated.

This comparison chart will be expanded with other solutions in the near future, but this is a good start.
Over the next few weeks, we will publish a review of all products in the chart, starting with Installfree by Matthijs.

Feel free to comment on this chart and when neccesary, we will correct the chart.

Download the Application virtualization comparison chart. (pdf)

Update September 9th 2008: Download the updated chart.

You probably already knew that starting with version 4.5 the official name for Softgrid will be Microsoft Application Virtualization. Microsoft now announced that there will also be a new official short name: App-V.

App-V and Hyper-V, I must say, that doesn’t sound so bad. What’s next? Terminal-V, Mail-V, DB-V?

Read the article on the App-V blog.

After having seen the Installfree demo last week, I decided to take a look at VMware’s Thinapp Release Candidate, a.k.a Project Northstar. Features in the latest release are:

• Application Link: allows administrators to dynamically link ThinApp packages to one another, making it possible to create separate packages for interdependent components (such as Java or .NET) and use them across multiple ThinApp packages.
• Application Sync: allows customers to execute updates to virtual applications through a secure Internet connection, increasing application portability while reducing security and patch risks to offline and out-of-network machines.

Release notes
Manual

After registering for the release candidate, Read the rest of this entry »

Today I spoke to someone of InstallFree (who, in my eyes, use revolutionary application virtualization techniques) about their Bridge and Desktop products.

The release date of their first product, the InstallFree Bridge was the 7th of April this year. More information about the InstallFree Bridge, like DataSheets, WhitePapers and Business Cases can be found here.

But today I heared that the release date of their second (full blown) Application Virtualization product, known as the InstallFree Desktop, is set to September this year.