We’re diving down, down toward the disposable server, the machine that’s cheaper to rip and replace than it is to diagnose and fix. Don’t place your faith in trends, friends. The next cut of x86 virtualization is here. It calls for bigger servers, which I predict you will purchase willingly. As of this week, the two biggest names in microcomputer virtualization — Microsoft and VMware — are giving away their banner server virtualization products. Neither vendor can claim that its work is anywhere near finished, which means that spending will continue on the development of products that, like Web browsers, will either be free or dirt cheap from now on. But that’s how it should be. — Tom Yager. Virtualization free-for-all. Software Development