Imagine if you could run Windows XP, Mac OS X, and multiple versions of Linux on the same computer.  That's already a reality--you just have to reboot to switch between them.  Now imagine that you could run all these operating systems at the same time on the same computer.  You could run MS Word 2003 at the same time you're running Safari, all while programming in Eclipse.  It's possible.  The technology that makes it possible: Xen.

Comment from cheryl jerozal on January 31, 2007 - 8:37pm

but eclipse is available for many platforms

Comment from John Miller on February 1, 2007 - 3:14pm

My goof! My intent was to pick something that's somewhat well-known and associated with Linux. Perhaps the GIMP would have been better, but it seems like most of the best F/OSS programs these days are cross-platform.