14 DAY TRIAL // Those interested in testing out Apple’s latest desktop operating system can do so in a virtual machine. By creating a separate environment in which Lion can run alongside your operating system of choice (i.e. OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard), you can easily test Mac OS X 10.7 Lion without having to upgrade to the beta OS, or try various gimmicks to avoid messing up your current set up.
According to OS X Daily, the requirements to Install and run Mac OS X 10.7 Lion using a popular virtualization solution from the folks at VMWare include first and foremost a copy of Mac OS X 10.7 Developer Preview.
Only registered developers have access to the preview build from Apple’s Mac App Store, but the bits have already been leaked on various file sharing websites.
Though not necessarily regarded as piracy (since the software is still not available in its final form) Apple only intends to have developers using the OS for testing purposes.
A copy of VMware Fusion for Mac OS X is also required. A free 30-day trial version will do, if you’re only going to test the features to make an idea of what Lion is all about.
If you decide that Fusion is a keeper and / or that you want to continue testing Lion on your Intel machine, you can buy a license to use the virtualization program indefinitely.
Virtual machines usually require that users pack a lot of RAM, therefore a minimum of 4GB is recommended for good performance.
A walkthrough on how to get Lion up and running on your Mac is available from ObviousLogic.
Steps involve creating a blank disk image, copying the base system and installation packages, flagging the system as a server installation, creating the actual virtual machine, replacing the NVRAM with one created by the authors of the guide, and finally installing Lion and forcing the VM to boot from CD.
Note that some old machines, like the Late 2006 Intel iMac, are not supported by this developer preview of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.