Linuxcnc simulatior

Sorry if this has been posted before and if it's in the wrong place, iv found some information but not what I want am answer to.

I'm hoping it's possible to run a linuxcnc simulator,
just so I can start working on hal stuff and explor the software more.

My main concern is my cnc will be running off a parallel port but the laptop I plan on using doesn't have a parallel port, is it possible to make linuxcnc think there is a parallel port, and I'm going to be using 2 x parallel ports.

Then would it be OK to transfer the hal file to the actual file to the PC I'll be using?

Also is it possible to run this in virtual machine or would I have to dual boot into a Linux os?

Thanks

You can run simulations and use everything regarding Linux and LinuxCNC by booting from a USB stick without installing anything, you can even run machines from a USB if you already have a saved config.
So there is no need for dual boot or virtual machine, just beware that you will have to save you stuff on the hard drive or another USB, or even better make another partition on that same USB AFTER burning the ISO image.

Thanks for the quick response
I'll have a look

You are welcomed, always.