QEMU vs XRoar

QEMU is a free, open-source machine emulator and virtualizer. System emulation models an entire machine, including its CPU, memory and devices, so it can run a guest operating system. User-mode emulation runs processes built for one CPU architecture on another. The package also includes qemu-img, a command-line utility for creating, converting and modifying disk images. QEMU can work with KVM, Xen and Hypervisor.Framework so guests can run directly on the host CPU. Supported build platforms include Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Windows. Windows support is limited to 64-bit, while macOS requires the newest version currently available; support for the prior version is eventually dropped. For complex networking and storage configurations, the project recommends management tools such as virt-manager. Its security guidance distinguishes virtualization with an accelerator and listed machine type from TCG non-virtualization use, which does not provide guest-isolation or security guarantees. QEMU is released under GNU GPL version 2, with some components under specific licenses.

XRoar is a free emulator for Dragon, Tandy Colour Computer, Tandy MC-10, and related 8-bit systems. Supported machines include Dragon 32/64/200-E, Tandy CoCo 1/2/3, MC-10, and Matra & Hachette Alice 4K. It runs on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows, with XRoar Online available in a browser. The emulator reads and writes cassette, floppy disk, and block-device images, and supports machine snapshots. Emulated hardware includes floppy controllers, sound cartridges, Glenside IDE, and several RAM expansions. Video options include PAL or NTSC emulation and composite video simulation, with multiple sound drivers. A GDB remote target supports interactive debugging, though 6803 debugging is not implemented. The Becker port can communicate with pyDriveWire or Drivewire 4. In the browser version, users can fetch cassette, floppy, and hard disk images from the web or upload local files, but its sandbox keeps accessed files temporarily in memory rather than working transparently with local files. Firmware ROM images are required for useful emulation, and floppy write-back is enabled by default. XRoar is GPL version 3 or later software and comes without warranty.