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Virtual machine simulator

In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is an emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve specialized hardware, software, or a combination.
Virtual machines allow you to emulate additional operating systems within their own individual window, right from your existing computer. The beauty of VM software is that you can run a Windows instance on macOS or vice versa, as well as a number of other different OS combinations that include Chrome OS, Linux, Solaris and more.
When utilizing application-based VM software, also known as a hypervisor, your computer's operating system is commonly referred to as the host. The secondary operating system that is run within the VM interface is often called the guest.
While some guest operating systems like Windows require the purchase of an additional license key, others are available free of charge. This includes most Linux distributions as well as macOS, assuming that you are running on Mac hardware from 2009 or later.
It should be noted that running macOS in a virtual machine on non-Mac hardware, such as a Windows PC, is sometimes possible with several of the software solutions listed below including Oracle's VirtualBox. However, macOS is only intended to be run on Apple hardware and doing otherwise might not only be a violation of the macOS license agreement but the user experience is usually slow, buggy and downright unpredictable.
Below are some of the best virtual machine solutions available, each offering their own unique feature sets and platform compatibility.


VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation permits advanced 3D solutions by supporting DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3, eliminating image and video degradation within your VMs even when running graphics-intensive applications. The software allows for virtual machine open standards, providing the ability to both create and run VMs from competing vendors within the VMware product.
Its advanced networking features provide the ability to set up and administer elaborate virtual networks for VMs, while complete data center topologies can be designed and implemented when VMware is integrated with third-party tools — essentially emulating an entire enterprise DC.
VMware's snapshots let you set various rollback points for testing, and its cloning system makes deploying multiple instances of a similar VM a breeze — allowing you to choose between fully isolated duplicates or linked clones which rely partially on the original in an effort to save a notable amount of hard drive space.
Resume: 
Advantages:
  • Evaluation version available.
  • Easy to use once set up.
  • Widely used and well regarded.
Disavantages:
  • Consumes a lot of resources.
  • Not all programs work within the emulation.
  • Default configuration sometimes require changes.

Oracle VM Virtualbox

VirtualBox supports a wide array of guest operating systems, a list that features all versions of Windows ranging from XP to 10 as well as Windows NT and Server 2003. It allows you to run VMs with Linux 2.4 and above, Solaris and OpenSolaris in addition to OpenBSD. You're even given the option to turn back the clock and run OS/2 or DOS/Windows 3.1, whether for nostalgic purposes or to play some of your old favorites like "Wasteland" or "Pool of Radiance" in their native environments.
You can also run macOS in a VM using VirtualBox, although this will only work if your host operating system is also on a Mac. This is mainly due to the fact that Apple does not allow their operating system to function on non-Apple hardware. This is the case with a standard macOS installation, and also applies when running the OS within a VM solution.
VirtualBox supports the ability to run multiple guest windows simultaneously and also provides a level of portability where a VM created on one host can be easily transferred to another that may have a completely different operating system.
It tends to run fairly well on older hardware, recognizes most USB devices and offers a useful library of Guest Additions which are available for free and easy to install. These added features include the ability to transfer files and clipboard contents between the host and guest operating systems, 3D virtualization and other added video support to alleviate many common problems with visuals on a VM.
The product's website provides several thorough and easy-to-digest tutorials along with a set of pre-built virtual machines, custom-made to meet specific development needs.
Boasting an ever-expanding developer community which publishes new releases on a somewhat regular basis and an active user forum with almost 100,000 registered members, VirtualBox's track record all but assures that it will continue to improve and serve as a long-term VM solution.
Compatible with the following host platforms:
  • Most Linux distributions
  • macOS/OS X 10.9 and above
  • Solaris 10 (U10+) and above
  • Windows Vista SP1+, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Resume:
Advantages:
  • Completely free.
  • Intuitive interface and operation.
  • Stable.
Disadvantages:
  • Requires solid hardware setup with ample RAM for efficient performance.
  • Must download "Guest-addition" software to manage additional features.

Reason to use a Virtual machine Software?
The reason to use it is due that some software used in companies might not be suitable for that computer use. for example: some old software might only work in windows XP, so therefore, that old software will not work in a windows 10 laptop.


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