A: For one thing, Chrome is currently an unsupported beta. Mozilla Firefox for HP Virtual Solutions is a released product supported directly by HP.

Q: Can anyone just download this?

A: There will be a Softpaq (if not already posted) for HP customers to download and install on eligible desktop models -⬠basically every business desktop shipped from Sept. '08 onward. So if you want the complete package we built for HP, with the localization and some other bells and whistles, you need to buy an HP business desktop. However, Symantec has been providing a basic Firefox installation in a virtual layer as a sample application since SVS first came out in beta. Anyone can get that package from our Juice Web community site. You'll need to have SVS, of course. Download and purchase options are on that same Web site.

Q: Altiris used to give SVS away free for personal use. Is Symantec still doing that?

A: Yes. You can get a free, agent-only download under a restricted license that lets you put SVS on your personal machine. It's available from several sources. They're listed on the Juice site as well.

Q: On those "other interesting things" you mentioned â¬- now that SVS is on their boxes, I have to believe HP will be using it for more than just Firefox. Can you share any specific plans?

A: No specifics yet. Stay tuned. But there are so many things that come to mind that could benefit HP, its resellers, the customers' IT staffs, and the end users.

HP and their resellers sell a lot of software. Their customers buy and use a lot of software. Virtualized software requires less testing and less support. It "just works." And when it's streamed as well, license compliance is guaranteed.

I look at it this way. Both the software vendors and the end customers have an inherent interest in assuring the following for a given application:

1. That the software is readily available to authorized end users when they need it.
2. That the latest version of the software is being used.
3. That it functions correctly.
4. That license compliance is maintained.

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