Desktop virtualization: Linux inside Windows or Windows inside Linux?

[Veliz]

So i created a thread few post down that got very good info, now how about this topic? Saw an article this morning about it (http://www.123unix.com/2011/linux-windows-guest-vs-host/) What do you guys think/do?

And lets make it only virtualbox or Vmware workstation.... So kvm or qemu wont come up

To make it fair

[firewalker]

There is no right answer to such a general question.

Are you familiar with Windows or GNU/Linux? The guest OS will need to "talk" to particular hardware? Are you going to use a rolling release distro?

Axiomatically: If your main OS is Windows you will choose Windows as host. If your main OS is GNU/Linux the host will be GNU/Linux.

Alexander.

[poorchava]

I'd rather go with windoze as host. It's simply more compatible with everything (or rather everything with windoze). Linux is good if you need free OS for your office and don't want to pay for windoze. other use is to set up some server-like stuff. Linux is simply too unpredictable to use as a main system. Not meaning that it's unstable, because it indeed is stable. Rather the fact that you can screw up whole system with one bad command. Of course you cannot screwup Linux to the point where you cannot fix it, but in some cases you'd have to spend weeks before you figure out how to do it.

btw. i mean 'true' Linux (Slackware, Arch, PuppyLinux etc) not some bloated eye-candy 'consumer grade' Linux (Ubuntu?)

[GeoffS]

As previously said, go with the host operating system that you're most comfortable with.  Both Windows and Linus are well supported by VMware both as hosts and guests.
If you're just starting out with Linux and don't want to commit to installing it on your hardware while you learn/test then stick with Windows as your host.

I run Linux (Centos) as a host OS and VMware Workstation with Linux and Windows guests. 

[Psi]

Linux will play nice inside a VM (if there are bugs people will fix them)

Where as your rely on microsoft to fix and bugs running Windows in a VM.

So yeah, i would run windows as the host and linux as the VM.