What does the term VM stand for in computing?

The term "VM" in computing stands for "Virtual Machine." A virtual machine is an emulation of a computer system that provides the functionality of a physical computer. It runs an operating system and applications just like a physical machine would, but it does so within a software environment created by a hypervisor. This allows multiple virtual machines to operate on a single physical host, enabling efficient resource utilization and isolation between different applications and users.

Virtual machines are widely used for various purposes, including software development, testing, server consolidation, and running applications that require different operating systems on the same hardware. They are fundamental to technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization, where resources can be dynamically allocated and managed for optimal performance and flexibility.