Running two operating systems concurrently without using virtual machines is feasible.
Running two operating systems concurrently without using virtual machines is feasible.
It's definitely intriguing, though the main issue is that most virtualization tools are either offered to big companies by VMware or available as free software. There are also technical challenges that could arise. Building custom hardware would be much simpler, though I could design a board for you on a contract basis—it would be quite costly.
You can achieve this by partitioning your hard drive, adding as many operating systems as needed, and setting up a bootloader. Once the computer starts, choose the desired OS to boot from. ESXI can manage multiple virtual machines simultaneously and show one machine on a connected monitor or keyboard. You'll need a motherboard with a capable CPU for hardware passthrough. Simply redirect the USB ports and GPU to the VM you want to run. The challenge is that ESXI may lose access to those ports, which could affect performance. Overall, it’s complex and not the most efficient approach. A better method is to configure the VMs to run on the server and access them remotely, as I did using Virtualbox with phpVirtualBox on a Linux host. This avoids licensing issues and standard vdisk limitations.
I understood the need, trying to avoid completely interrupting my workflow when switching between operating systems. It's similar to using alt-tab across different OSes. Impressive idea! However, I was seeking a software option instead of custom hardware, so I wouldn't need someone to build it specifically for me.