Free and Open-Source Machine Visualizer and Emulator

QEMU is an advanced software package intended to emulate the functions of an operating system. The main reasons that this platform is chosen normally revolve around software development or testing the functions of an operating system. As this is an open-source program, its coding is constantly being updated as technical needs evolve. There is no charge to install this package.

Features and Uses

One of the main benefits of QEMU is that it will not run within an existing operating system. It will simply function as another task. It can be used as a native virtual machine or as a pure emulator depending upon the needs of the developer. It is supported by all x86 operating systems such as Linux, Windows and some versions of UNIX. Although it is primarily intended to be used by those with developmental experience, there are several built-in features ideal for beginners such as hard drive image creation.

Other Tools

QEMU is beneficial due to its open-source nature and ease of use. Developers can modify specific codes to suit their needs. It is also quite user friendly when compared to the average machine emulator. The fact that it is able to achieve near-native performance levels during operation is another advantage to be mentioned here.