Are there comparisons or studies that show the relative performance of virtual machines to those running on native hardware?

I have no studies but I have some timings. Hardware: Mac Pro 8 core 6gig RAM vs HP 3gh P4 with 2 g ram Compile moderate size application: HP: 65 sec. Mac Pro with Boot Camp Partition 105 seconds Same with project files on Buffalo NAS with 1000mb ethernet.

150 seconds Mac Pro with VWware Fusion virtual machine Virtual machine set to use one virtual processor and 512 megs RAM Time = 20 Seconds. Increasing the virtual machine to two processors and 640 megs RAM actually slows it down. I am now 100% MAC hardware running 100% Windows XP-Pro SP3 in four virtual machines.

All running simultaneously all are faster than the 3gh HP. I actually have 5 virtual machines. One is called "Windows XP-Pro CLEAN".

It has absolutely nothing but XP-Pro installed. This virtual machine exists as a file in the OSX file system. When I want a new clean machine to test something I can just make a copy of it and tell VMware to execute it and I have literally a throw-away windows machine.

When I finish my tests, I just delete it. As I said, I have four virtual machines. One runs only development software.

One is really a test bed where I install all the junk applications I want to look at but don't want clogging up my 'real' machine. One runs my personal fun and play and business stuff that I use frequently. And last but not least, one runs ONLY Microsoft Outlook.

If you really use Windows extensively and hard like I do, you will have realized that 80% of all windows freeze-ups are caused by Outlook. By keeping it isolated, I have completely eliminated these freeze ups.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.