Virtualbox and MX snapshots

[asqwerth]

...

Also, VirtualBox and the VirtualBox guest add-ons are under a totally different license than the VirtualBox extension pack. Be aware of what you're running and what the consequences are, and never run any more Oracle code than you absolutely need.

Interesting about totally different licenses. If I understand correctly, VirtualBox extension pack uses less desirable license and should be stay away from?

Does MX comes with some virtualbox packages already preinstalled? I don't recall installing them and I have these three packages installed:

- virtualbox-guest-utils
- virtualbox-guest-utils-modified-init (different version number)
- virtualbox-guest-x11

but not virtualbox which I'm assuming I need to install, correct? Or are other three files all I need?

I understand I don't want those virtual drives in my snapshot :)

If you just want an installation of VB that works without any issue, simply install from the VB entry in the MXPI Popular Apps tab. It will include all the necessary packages (eg the guest utils etc).

And yes, it will install the VB extension pack [which is Oracle's proprietary package] but that package is very helpful to enable your VM to connect to USB2.0 and USB3.0 devices on your real world host machine.

I would say that if you aren't too confident about what packages you need, just install from the single entry in MXPI popular apps, rather than going through Synaptic and manually searching for any package that is VB-related to install.

The only time you need to fiddle with manually installing VB packages from Test Repo [or is it AHS repo?] is if you are running AHS or Liquorix kernels that may not work with the standard Debian verison of VB in the normal "Enabled repos" of MX. Mainly that is due to the newer kernels needing newer VB kernel modules .

[ADDED] to clarify, the "virtualbox" entry in MXPI Popular Apps tab runs a script that pulls in all necessary packages from Debian Repo and Oracle [the ext pack] PLUS it adds your user to the appropriate virtualbox group. Everything is done for you.

[davidy]

Ivan/HC on github just made a completely portable working appimage of Bottles (like vbox). I ran it yesterday from my laptop and it couldn't get any easier even though I have vbox installed.
https://github.com/ivan-hc/Bottles-appimage
Just a thought

He also made a working appimage of VirtualBox 7.0.20. It opens on my laptop but I haven't used it yet. Includes Guest Additions ISO and the Extension Pack in a single runnable file. How cool is that?
https://github.com/ivan-hc/VirtualBox-appimage

[Eadwine Rose]

No problem

Moderator: images changed to links, please read the forum rules

Ah, sorry, and thanks for the edit. (I had interpreted the rules differently. I know it says "Do not unnecessarily post images or screenshots of text. Copy and paste the text in your post. Text can be searched, images cannot", and in this case I specifically wanted to add to my post by showing how neatly Virtualbox indicates the missing VMs in the GUI, not just textual output. In any case, I'll keep this in mind, cheers.)

From the rules:
Images added to post via hot links from other websites will be limited to a 640 x 620 pixel size as they appear in the Forum post. Large images take up large areas of the post and thread space, are distracting and impede the flow of the thread. You can post the link to the full image without the [img] tags. You can also choose the "Large" image option if logged in. If not logged in and the image is a public image, add the letter l to the end of the imgur link (before the '.jpg').
Animated images, such as gifs, shall be no larger than 120 x 120 pixels.

[Nokkaelaein]

From the rules:
Images added to post via hot links from other websites will be limited to a 640 x 620 pixel size as they appear in the Forum post. Large images take up large areas of the post and thread space, are distracting and impede the flow of the thread.

Ohhh it means images larger than 640 x 620 shouldn't be posted inline at all, and only linked! I've thought this means what it literally says, i.e. images "will be limited to a 640 x 620 pixel size as they appear in the Forum post", and then further explains why that is (in other words, that images will appear limited to 640 x 620 (scaled) in the post, no matter what their original size is.) Thanks for clarifying, my bad!

[Buck Fankers]

Sorry for later reply, getting over some aggressive bug. But I will prevail

[ADDED] to clarify, the "virtualbox" entry in MXPI Popular Apps tab runs a script that pulls in all necessary packages from Debian Repo and Oracle [the ext pack] PLUS it adds your user to the appropriate virtualbox group. Everything is done for you.

Gotcha, thank you and perfect, I have never messed with the groups before, so this is as simple as it gets. In the mean time I already installed it and it works ok so far.

[Buck Fankers]

Ivan/HC on github just made a completely portable working appimage of Bottles (like vbox). I ran it yesterday from my laptop and it couldn't get any easier even though I have vbox installed.
https://github.com/ivan-hc/Bottles-appimage

Interesting, I will give it a try.

Quote from his github:

"The biggest obstacle in the Bottles project are some collaborators who, in order to support Flatpak as the only packaging format, give a firm NO to every request or proposal to use an alternative packaging format. Having met some of these arrogant people has served as an incentive to continue doing the opposite of what they said."

[DukeComposed]

If you just want an installation of VB that works without any issue, simply install from the VB entry in the MXPI Popular Apps tab. It will include all the necessary packages (eg the guest utils etc).

And yes, it will install the VB extension pack [which is Oracle's proprietary package] but that package is very helpful to enable your VM to connect to USB2.0 and USB3.0 devices on your real world host machine.

[ADDED] to clarify, the "virtualbox" entry in MXPI Popular Apps tab runs a script that pulls in all necessary packages from Debian Repo and Oracle [the ext pack] PLUS it adds your user to the appropriate virtualbox group. Everything is done for you.

I take issue with the MXPI option automatically installing the Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack. As I previously linked, that software is not under a free license, and from the FAQ it states:

The VirtualBox Extension Pack is freely available under the VirtualBox Extension Pack Personal Use and Educational License (PUEL) for personal and educational use. For a fee, the VirtualBox Extension Pack is also available for most commercial, non-distribution uses restricted by the PUEL

Individual users are free ("""""free""""") to install and run the software, but it is not permitted for use in commercial applications without paying Oracle. This means that a person can very easily install MX Linux in a corporate position, install VirtualBox, and end up legally liable for violating Oracle's Personal User and Educational License without even knowing it.

Linux as a whole is a slippery slope. The kernel is GPLv2, and that lulls a lot of people into thinking that the entire OS is free and equally open. This is simply not true.

People using MX Linux in any professional capacity who trust the content of MXPI to have vetted their legal liability are one click away from owing Oracle a lot of money.

[davidy]

Ivan/HC on github just made a completely portable working appimage of Bottles (like vbox). I ran it yesterday from my laptop and it couldn't get any easier even though I have vbox installed.
https://github.com/ivan-hc/Bottles-appimage

Interesting, I will give it a try.

Quote from his github:

"The biggest obstacle in the Bottles project are some collaborators who, in order to support Flatpak as the only packaging format, give a firm NO to every request or proposal to use an alternative packaging format. Having met some of these arrogant people has served as an incentive to continue doing the opposite of what they said."

Bottles is an appimage and is basically a virtualbox alternative, only a portable one that requires no addons or guest iso's-whatever. Appimages are not comparable to flatpaks per se. What he refers to is the fact he does ONLY appimages and that is all. Some software developers simply don't want to consider anything BUT flatpaks as an alternative to the installer, as if appimages should not exist. Yet they do, and they take up less space (and thus time), and are easier to move around by the actual users. Appimages are simply containers and flatpaks are (like containers but not really) like an ecosystem that imo is bloated and more complicated all around.

For someone like me who has limited resources I'll take the appimage every time.

[Buck Fankers]

Bottles is an appimage and is basically a virtualbox alternative, only a portable one that requires no addons or guest iso's-whatever.

Appimages are simply containers and flatpaks are (like containers but not really) like an ecosystem that imo is bloated and more complicated all around. For someone like me who has limited resources I'll take the appimage every time.

I hear you about flatpacks. I have never used one, nor I plan to do in the future, because of: 1- bloateness and 2 - corporate showing down our throats. I quoted that guy, because I liked it :)

Bottles, perfect, portable virtualbox alternative and free. It is definitely on my to-do list. Virtualbox is already deleted from you system, looks like I don't need it. Thanks for bringing the bottles idea forward!