Technically known as a hypervisor, VirtualBox allows users to create virtualized instances of operating systems running on top of their existing OS. There are versions of VirtualBox available for Windows, Intel Mac, Linux, and Solaris, and it's possible to virtualize those operating systems too, although only the Server edition of OS X is supported.
This time around there are big changes to VirtualBox's licensing system, although arguably for the better. Previously users could choose between the Open Source Edition (OSE), which was available as source code and which needed to be compiled before use, and the main VirtualBox release, which was covered by the Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL) and which was
available as a standard, ready-to-go installer.
Only the main release had full USB functionality, beyond simple mouse support. It also featured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to allow remote access of virtual machines.
With version 4, the OSE has gone. Instead, the base VirtualBox release is available in both source code and standard installer formats, and USB 2.0 and RDP support have been shifted to an "extension pack", released under the PUEL.
Full 1.1 USB support is now a feature of the base release. Everything but the extension pack is open source, released under the GPLv2.
None of this means anything for end users, who will notice no difference; both the base release and extension pack remain free of charge and freely available, although users will have to ensure they download and install the extension pack in addition to the main program if their existing virtual machines have USB 2.0 drivers.
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