Software development virtual machine OS
Software development virtual machine OS
Hey there! I’m looking to set up a virtual machine for my software development needs. It’s just a personal project, not something serious. I need all the tools I use—like IDEs, compilers, and other utilities. I’m thinking about using Windows 7 or 8.1, but I’m open to Linux with Mono Develop too. Since most of my work is console apps for Windows, I’m not sure which OS fits best. Any advice or suggestions would be great!
I currently run Arch Linux alongside Windows 7 for gaming on my desktop. I’m preparing to make Arch my main dev setup while moving away from OSX, which I use for backend web work and Android projects. I’d advise against Arch if you’re new to Linux—it’s very minimal. It’s powerful, but it can be tough if you’re not comfortable with the basics. If you prefer a lighter option, Debian is a solid choice. A hackintosh could also work well. The Windows command line is terrible for CLI tools and installing dev packages. If you stick to a VM, Xubuntu (Ubuntu stripped) is a good pick, though development remains challenging without extra software.
Windows works well for the tasks you referred to. I suggest version 7 as it offers the top performance among the options I checked.