VMware is launching the first release of a product that comes from its January acquisition of the application virtualization company Thinstall. VMware said their Thinstall 4.0 product will let customers run multiple versions of virtually any application on any Windows operating system without conflict. A common example of this technology shows a user running two applications that won't normally install or play w VMware is launching the first release of a product that comes from its January acquisition of the application virtualization company Thinstall. VMware said their Thinstall 4.0 product will let customers run multiple versions of virtually any application on any Windows operating system without conflict.A common example of this technology shows a user running two applications that won’t normally install or play well on the same machine because of registry and DLL conflicts. Two examples that demonstrate this technology – running Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and 7 on the same machine or operating two different versions of Microsoft Office at the same time.VMware says this new technology requires no pre-installed software on physical or virtual PCs and no new deployment infrastructure or management tools. ThinApp improves application packaging and delivery, as well as management by enabling plug-and-play applications using an enterprise’s existing systems and management tools. Its engine packages applications into familiar formats such as .MSI or .EXE which plugs into existing infrastructure for software license management, deployment, audit and compliance. The package can then run in its own sandbox. And because the application has its operating system dependencies included in the package, it can avoid any changes or updates that get made to the host operating system that could cause potential conflicts.In version 4.0, VMware says it is introducing two new “revolutionary” features – Application Link and Application Sync. For example, Link allows interdependent applications to communicate with one another (such as Java, .Net, IE, Office) to eliminate conflicts, reduce application size, and maintain continuity and tracking of software licenses. Sync on the other hand streams byte-level updates to users’ critical applications inside and outside the enterprise using HTTP/HTTPS, and on managed and non-managed PCs running virtualized applications. “Application packaging, testing and delivery continues to be one of the biggest drivers of desktop management costs and a barrier to compliance and security,” said Jeff Jennings, vice president of desktop products and solutions for VMware. “With VMware ThinApp, customers can decouple applications from the underlying OS, which makes their application environments more agile and flexible while maintaining control over their desktops.” The VMware ThinApp offering, which includes a copy of VMware Workstation and 50 client licenses, is priced at $5,000. The client licenses are priced at $39 per endpoint and the ThinApp licenses are perpetual. ThinApp is expected to be available for purchase within 30 days through VMware’s network of distributors, resellers and OEMs. Software Development