Application virtualization encapsulates application from the underlying operating system on which it is executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed in the traditional sense, although it is still executed as if it were. The application behaves at runtime like it is directly interfacing with the original operating system and all the resources managed by it, but can be isolated or sandboxed to varying degrees.
In this context, the term “virtualization” refers to the artifact being encapsulated (application), which is quite different from its meaning in hardware virtualization, where it refers to the artifact being abstracted (physical hardware. Modern operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Linux can include limited application virtualization. For example, Windows 7 provides Windows XP Mode that enables older Windows XP application to run unmodified on Windows 7.