Gentoo Archives: gentoo-desktop

From: "M. Edward (Ed) Borasky" <znmeb@×××××××.net>
To: gentoo-desktop@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-desktop] VMware Workstation 6.0?
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:59:17
Message-Id: 45C9E89D.2020602@cesmail.net
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-desktop] VMware Workstation 6.0? by Neil Bothwick
1 Neil Bothwick wrote:
2 > On Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:15:07 -0800, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
3 >
4 >
5 >> I am considering buying a Linux host license of VMware Workstation 6.0
6 >> when it is released. However, VMware explicitly does not support Gentoo
7 >> hosts. I noticed that 5.5 is in Portage:
8 >>
9 >
10 > Supported in this context mean they will help you if you have problems
11 > related to your host OS. I've run VMware Workstation from 3.0 to 6.0beta
12 > on Gentoo. 6.0 is the first version to provide a 64 bit version and runs
13 > better on my amd64 system than previous versions.
14 >
15 > I've currently switched back to 5.5 because I don't know what the upgrade
16 > price is and I won't want to be forced into it because I have created too
17 > many 6.0 VMs: so I converted them back to V5 format and am awaiting an
18 > announcement of the release and prices.
19 >
20 >
21 "Unsupported" in this context means "I'm paying the same price for my
22 license as somebody who buys a Workstation license for a Windows or RHEL
23 host and I expect that VMware will give me the same level of support". I
24 know 5.5 "works on Gentoo" and I'm pretty sure 6.0 will too. All I'm
25 saying is that Gentoo is providing some level of support by putting
26 ebuilds in Portage for something with no support from the vendor.
27
28 I downloaded the Beta and tried it. I had some problems getting it to
29 work. I think someone on the forum helped me get going and I was able to
30 get it to run, although it was so slow it was unusable once I did get it
31 running. But just yesterday I got an email from their support folks with
32 the standard "We don't support what you're trying to do. A list of
33 supported hosts can be found ..." disclaimer. All I'm saying is that
34 they don't "support" us -- why should we "support" them by distributing
35 their package and even supplying patches so that it works on Gentoo?
36
37 I think I had this discussion a while back, and the upshot was that a
38 number of the Gentoo developers used VMware Workstation themselves, so
39 they made it work, and as long as VMware didn't forbid them from
40 distributing it, they didn't see anything wrong with distributing it.
41 Gentoo developer resources are finite, though, and if you've got the
42 right hardware in place, Xen beats the doodoo out of VMware for quite a
43 few "interesting" tasks like running a Windows guest. Gentoo developer
44 resources being finite ... :)
45
46 --
47 M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
48 http://borasky-research.blogspot.com/
49
50 If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.
51
52 --
53 gentoo-desktop@g.o mailing list

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-desktop] VMware Workstation 6.0? Neil Bothwick <neil@××××××××××.uk>
Re: [gentoo-desktop] VMware Workstation 6.0? Chris Gianelloni <wolf31o2@g.o>
Re: [gentoo-desktop] VMware Workstation 6.0? "b.n." <brullonulla@×××××.com>