Apparently I don’t. *heh* Sharing folders between my Linux Mint VM and the Windows 7 it was running on wasn’t really all that straightforward and I “needed” (OK, wanted) access to some files while in Mint–and to “drop some files off” in appropriate places from Mint to Win7. So, rather than sit down and just make file sharing between the physical computer and the virtual one work “right” I just used the Opera Unite feature I’d already enabled on the Opera 10.10 beta I was running on the Win 7 “side”.
Yeh, yeh, that meant I had to download and install the same Unite-enabled beta for Linux, too. Big deal. A few seconds’ download and install. Seriously. Mind you, this is really only so I can designate shared folders on the virtual machine as well.
And there I was: able to log onto folders I’d already shared using Opera Unite on the Windows 7 physical computer and drop in files I’d downloaded on the Linux “side” as well as access some media files and a pdf I wanted to read on the Linux side.
Nice. Now, if I just pack up the Opera Unite (XXXX computer, whatever :-)) url and password onto a flash drive, I can easily and securely access files on my physical machine (and even the VM, if I keep it “on”) when I’m out and away. Yes, I can do a similar thing using Logmein, but this is easier, more lightweight and just plain more elegant. Fun.
Of course I didn’t need any of those files saved in the different OSes swapped out between them. After all, all I had to do was Alt+Tab (or Windows Key+Tab) between the physical and the virtual machines to access them, but I wanted to access them across that notional barrier.
Oh, complete rabbit trail: I skin Opera differently in the two OSes, because I usually run a copy in each of them and it’s a handy reminder as to which OS I’m operating in. And that just emphasizes the fact that, apart from a very few lil inconsequential differences, most things work pretty much the same whether I’m in Win7 or in a Linux VM (or physical machine running a Linux desktop).
I skin Opera differently in the two OSes, because I usually run a copy in each of them and it’s a handy reminder as to which OS I’m operating in.
Heh. I keep telling myself to color my terminal windows to indicate what machine its logged into, but I never seem to get around to it. Damned frustrating trying to find a file you know is there only to realize you’re looking on the wrong machine.
*heh* So true. After setting up shares using Opera Unite, I expect that problem to snowball. “Which ‘Unite machine’ is that file on?” Oh, well, if it were always easy it wouldn’t be any fun, and if I always did things the “right” way, I’d never break things badly enough by doing stupid things to be able to help other folks who do stupid things. It’s a kissin’ cousin to Pournelle’s, “I do these stupid things so you won’t have to” line. 😉
When I was running up to six VMs (some Windows VMs, some other Linux distros and a PCBSD VM) in Ubuntu, skinning Opera became a really big help. 🙂