I've been using Virtualbox for many years, using it now to run Win7 -- an instance I've been using for many years in several different environments, including Macs (I first spun it up ~10-years ago). Virtualbox is a fantastic product, very flexible, very easy to use. I'm sure there are ways to push it to the breaking point, and Peter knows what they are.  :-{)

I haven't used VirtualBox in a long time. I think I vaguely remember there was something that didn't work because Oracle, but can't remember what/when.

I use Qemu now.

I got a bit annoyed that Broadcomm are saying that the full V17 of VMWare Workstation Pro plus VMWare player are free for personal use when it's next to impossible to actually get it. So, I went to a third party site (Techspot.com) and after fighting off all the "Download Now" buttons that turn out to be dodgy PDF editors or rebadged versions of 7zip, I actually got a copy. Installed, activated (didn't even have to register with Broadcomm) and updated it. Works fine. 

After delving into this a bit, I learned that VirtualBox is best for desktop virtualization, and vmware for servers, which isn't something I've tried (or needed). At work I used a stack of really old, underpowered office pcs for web servers, and a slightly newer and less underpowered, gerry-built pc to run a php front end to a NAS appliance. So if a thing failed, I only had to replace that one thing (the first NAS backplane died, the only thing to fail in >10 years). Still no idea how those goddamn hdds kept on going.

They do though. A few years back we had a patch room next to our office and in one corner was this really ancient tower case. We took the side off once and it was something like a pentium DX4. Then someone suggested turning it off to see what happened. Before anybody could object one brave soul pulled it's kettle lead out. Later that day, a bloke wandered up to ask what had happened to his database. Apparently it was something to do with reporting for a national tax system. It had been running 24x7 for the last 11 years. It all recovered fine and it's probably still going.

Edit: I mean a 486 DX4 of course. Actually can't remember, might have been something else, but it was very old and very dusty.

Yeah I don't have much call for VMs these days but if I do I use Qemu. (And virt-manager for ... managing them).

I installed Qt-based AQemu for management, then discovered the best man page you've ever seen... :/

:D

I mean... it's accurate!

I'm still on VMWare Workstation - it's definitely findable, I only got the latest version a few weeks ago.

This is something that's actually improved, because I had to buy it before. 

Yeah, me too. It seems they forgot that they are a major international company for a few weeks. If they have good intentions then it's sadly masked by poor execution. I went to a third party file download site, grabbed a copy and everything worked fine after that. 

Just got bit in the ass when I ran a backup and clean out of my virtualbox directories, scrupulously not deleting and/or altering in any way machines currently in use. After performing this virtuous act, I test booted my main machine. It didn't. Now approaching blind panic, I tried to figure out what I may have mistakenly deleted/moved. Nope, all present and accounted for. wtf? Finally I reimported the attached vdi's from the exact same location into virtualbox manager, and lo and behold, it booted.