Can virtual PCs save desktop Linux?

Desktop Linux has floundered for three main reasons: too few applications, limited desktop hardware compatibility, and too few tools (not to mention skilled people) to manage a boatload of Linux desktop systems.

Desktop virtualisation, on the other hand, has had trouble getting off the ground because the value proposition falls just short of compelling. Sure, over the long haul, the benefits of centralised administration outweigh the investments you must make in server hardware, network bandwidth, and the transition to thin clients. But when you throw in the cost of VMware plus one Windows and Microsoft Office licence per user, you may have trouble finding the "R" in "ROI."

So what happens if you put desktop Linux and desktop virtualisation together? If it were an all-open-source solution, the cost equation wouldn't even be in the same ballpark.

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