If, for some reason, you opt not to use VMware Server, you can still create your own virutal machines.
VMware Player does not provide functionality to create a VM, only the ability to run one. The other day I came across EasyVMX , a site offering free VM creation for use in VMware player.
Once you download and install VMware player (click here to go to downloads ). Create a VMX at EasyVMX, then open that with VMware player. It really is that easy. If for example you want to create an Ubuntu VM, you would obviously still need an Ubuntu install disk, or .iso. (Get Ubuntu!)
A little about VMware Player (From VMware.com):
Run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC
Get more out of your existing computer hardware. Use the free VMware Player application to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC.
With VMware Player, you can use any virtual machine created by VMware Workstation, VMware Server or VMware ESX Server, as well as Microsoft virtual machines and Symantec LiveState Recovery disks. Use 32- and 64-bit Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris x86 operating systems side-by-side, without rebooting or partitioning your hard drive.
Evaluate virtual appliances with ease
VMware Player makes it simple to quickly evaluate one of the many virtual appliances available through the VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace. A virtual appliance is a pre-built, pre-configured and ready-to-use enterprise software application on a virtual machine. With VMware Player, anyone can quickly and easily experience the benefits of preconfigured products without any installation or configuration hassles.
