Apple Takes First Steps Towards OS X Virtualization

Leopard has received quite a lot of press, the vast majority of it overwhelmingly positive, but while most people take the new operating system at face value, some of the more interesting tidbits are hidden. Between all the reviews and comparisons with Vista, one can lose track of small things that point to larger ones on the horizon.

Alongside the client version of Leopard, Apple also released the Server version, with just as many improvements and features. Like with all versions of OS X before it, Leopard Server has next to no mindshare, and while people may know it exists, they never really think of it at all. As such, the small change in the software's license agreement might not seem like much, if anything at a first glance, but it is quite big.

This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Mac OS X Server software (the "Mac OS X Server Software") on a single Apple-labeled computer. You may also install and use other copies of Mac OS X Server Software on the same Apple-labeled computer, provided that you acquire an individual and valid license from Apple for each of these other copies of Mac OS X Server Software.

Apple has taken a first step in allowing virtualization of the Mac OS and while it may be a baby-step, it is nevertheless huge. The company has so far had a zero tolerance policy for virtualizing OS X and while rogue copies of it have been made to work, this approach lacked both the proper support of features and the legal framework that the new licensing agreement now provides.
Since this new license is only good for the server version, it will not have any effect on the vast majority of people, but it does set a precedent and makes it far more likely for Apple to also allow the same for the Client version in the future.