something like Portable VirtualBox vbox.me (VirtualBox inside a single folder for use on USB)

[adrelanos]

Portable VirtualBox vbox.me is something that users like a lot. VirtualBox forums are full of it. Google search terms:

site:virtalbox.org vbox.me

site:virtalbox.org portable virtualbox

site:portableapps.com virtualbox

• upstream vs re-implement:
  • Maybe ​vbox.me can be upstreamed. Perhaps it cannot for some reason. However, it's a great source of inspiration. By "something like Portable VirtualBox vbox.me" I mean, either upstream or re-implement.
• not "really" portable:
  • Again, please see Portable VirtualBox vbox.me mainly as source of inspiration.
  • Indeed, Portable VirtualBox provided from virtualbox.org could maybe not be perfectly portable under the strict definition of "portable software" due to kernel modules and services. Many users are and would be OK with that.
  • What users are looking for is:
    • "Mostly portable."
    • All files in one folder (that contains sub folders). I.e. VirtualBox binaries, .virtualbox settings folder and VirtualBox_VMs all inside one handy folder.
    • Ability to copy/paste that folder for the purpose of backups.
    • Ability to run that folder from external USB disk so it can be easily used on different computers when traveling.
    • Encapsulation of VirtualBox binaries, .virtualbox settings folder and VirtualBox_VMs into one easy to manage thing: a folder.
  • What seems not important for users:
    • Complete removal of kernel modules and services after use.
    • Complete absence of forensics (such as in Windows registry) that VirtualBox has been used.
• Why not just use vbox.me?
  • Because it's not downloadable from, developed and supported by virtualbox.org.
  • Because it's a fork and not allowed to be discussed in VirtualBox forums.
  • Might introduce its own issues.

[adrelanos]

Forgot to add link to source code: ​https://github.com/vboxme/Portable-VirtualBox

[janitor]

Thank you for your suggestion but we don't have resources or justification to take on additional maintenance burden for what is an extremely niche setup. We are happy that people can use the opensource VirtualBox repository to customize it to suit their needs.