VMware Makes VM "Player" App Free

My employer is going to give away a free application for running VMware virtual machines. Here's Slashdot's reaction, which seems broadly positive. I think if you're a user or developer of a minority OS, this has to be an exciting turn of events. VMware virtual machines are a much, much more attractive delivery vehicle for new OS'es than ISO images. If I'm some Swedish grad student with a hobby OS, I probably am hosting a web page with instructions like:

1. Download this ISO image.
2. Burn it to CD-ROM.
3. Blow the mind of some poor computer sitting in the corner.
4. Don't forget to back up! Oh, wait, is it too late for that?

Users are much more likely to give it a shot if you just download and double-click a VM image: no rebooting, no burning, no fuss, no muss. I certainly would never have tried Ubuntu, or Solaris 10 were it not for the hygienic nature of VM-based installs.