JPC is a pure Java emulation of an x86 PC with fully virtual peripherals. It runs anywhere you have a JVM, whether x86, RISC, mobile phone, set-top box, possibly even your refrigerator! All this on top of security and stability of Java technology and cross-platform capability.

JPC creates a virtual computer upon which you can install operating systems (DOS, Linux, in a safe, flexible and powerful way. It aims to give you complete control over your favorite PC software's execution environment, whatever your real hardware or operating system, and JPC's multi-layered security makes it the safest solution for running the most dangerous software in quarantine - ideal for archiving viruses, hosting honey pots, and protecting your machine from malicious or unstable software.

JPC works seamlessly across all major computing platforms, including Windows, Linux and MacOS. JPC even works on non-x86 based hardware like ARM and SPARC. JPC runs upto 20% of native speed.

Emulation versus Virtualization

Emulation is complete simulation of the computer hardware in software whereas virtualization involves simulating only parts of a computer's hardware, enough for a guest operating system to run unmodified. In virtualization most operations still occur on the real hardware for efficiency reasons. This makes virtualization technology like VMWare faster. However VMWare, for example, cannot run on any hardware other than a real x86 PC.

JPC is the effort of Interdisciplinary Grid Development team at Oxford University. It is open source and available for download. You can run it as an applet or a standalone application.