It is being reported that Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, will feature an “XP mode” that Mimics the look and feel of Windows XP. The feature will allow applications designed specifically for XP to run inside a virtual “box” in Windows 7. Appearance wise, it will simply look like the program is running on Windows XP, but behind-the-scenes there’s actually a lot going on.

There are plenty of applications that are not expected to run satisfactorily on Windows 7, so including a virtual XP feature is a pretty smart move on Microsoft’s part. That way, users will still have the capability of running their old XP only applications, inside the more flashy and feature-rich Windows 7. Best of all, it’s a free feature, so you certainly can’t beat the price.

The fact is Windows 7 takes advantage of what is coming to be known as “desktop virtualization.” This allows the operating system to mimic other operating systems (not just Windows XP) and run programs designed for other operating systems. So far, critics have been moderately impressed with the feature, though several have pointed out that it also has shortcomings.

For example in order to run the desktop virtualization feature, you need a PC that supports hardware virtualization. Even in PCs that already support hardware virtualization, often this is an extra feature located in the BIOS of the computer which must be switched on manually (virtually no home workstations or laptops are shipped with this feature active).

Besides a potential change in your computer BIOS, Microsoft also specifies a minimum of 2 GB of RAM to use the feature, along with at least 15 gigs of free hard drive for each “virtual box” you open. So on top of having to tinker around with the BIOS, you also need a fairly robust computer to take advantage of the desktop virtualization.

Some have compared Windows 7’s virtual desktop to Intel Mac’s ability to run Windows, but the experts say that when it comes to running other operating systems, Apple has a huge advantage over Windows 7. Namely, that the Mac “world” is a smaller and better connected group than the massive army of Windows users. This means that developers for Mac software also tend to be a small and tightly knit group, which is certainly advantageous when it comes to making sure an operating system will run any software designed for it.

Windows, on the other hand, is a bit of a free-for-all where development is concerned, and there is much less communication about what “the other guy” is doing when it comes to developing for Windows PCs. For this reason, the Windows 7 virtual desktop feature could potentially run into all sorts of “hiccups” trying to run different software designed for XP. If history is any judge, it will likely take several years to work out all the kinks.

Still, the inclusion of the virtual desktop feature shows that Windows is moving in the right direction, toward greater inclusion, and away from the exclusionary tactics the company has been accused of using in the past.