Microsoft planned this week to announce that it was broadening the virtualisation rights for Windows Vista, but decided at the last minute to reverse course and stick with existing limits.
The software maker had briefed reporters and analysts on plans to allow the Home versions of Vista to run in virtual machines, addressing criticisms from virtualisation enthusiasts and Mac users who had chafed at having to buy one of the two priciest versions of Windows in order to run Vista in a virtual machine.
Software like Parallels Desktop for the Mac or Microsoft's own Virtual PC for Windows allow multiple operating systems to run simultaneously. When it announced licensing rules for Vista last year, Microsoft said that only Vista Business and Vista Ultimate could run as guest operating systems. The company said virtualisation presents inherent security risks and said that they hoped that by limiting which versions of the OS could act as virtual machines, only sophisticated users and businesses would employ the tactic.
On the Mac in particular, though, virtualisation has become a consumer feature and many people wanted to use the Home versions of Vista, which Microsoft officials concede present no additional security risk.
The company said in interviews this week that it was still concerned about the security risks, but said it was going to make the change and leave the choice up to users.
"Virtualisation enthusiasts would like to make that choice," said Scott Woodgate, a director in the Windows Business Group. "We're really responding to that feedback."
Microsoft provided little explanation for the about-face.
"Microsoft has reassessed the Windows virtualisation policy and decided that we will maintain the original policy announced last fall," the software maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
