CloudReady adds virtualbox support!

CloudReady, the free open source OS based Chrome OS has now added VirtualBox support for CloudReady Home edition (free edition) starting in version 66.

VirtualBox is included on CloudReady v66+ as a general utility to facilitate use cases which aren't possible by the more secure, locked-down CloudReady OS. Inside a Linux or Windows VM spun up, users can open insecure or dangerous files without risking their system, or install and use applications that aren't possible on CloudReady like alternative browsers.

Neverware does not certify VirtualBox for any specific use case and does not official support any functionality by VirtualBox. We encourage you to use it for any and all purposes you can think of, but it is provided as-is for now.

We also cannot provide you any pre-made virtual machine images, but encourage you to share your experience and any tips on using VMs in CloudReady in our forums.
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Read the press release.

What this means is that you can download the free version of CloudReady OS and install it on an old (or new) PC or laptop and be able to launch virtualbox and spin up a copy of Windows or linux for whatever testing purposes you are doing. CloudReady is basically a clone of Chrome OS but does not have android support at this time.

 

Seeing that CloudReady is based on Chromium OS which in turn is Linux-based, it's not that surprising.

Since CloudReady isn't gonna add Android apps support anytime soon, it can be quite handy. Hey you can even make an Android-x86 VM and run Android apps inside it, should make up for its lack of Android apps support.