VMware for the desktop now free - for end users
Broadcom is also restructuring desktop virtualization. End users no longer have to pay for Workstation and Fusion; companies only have a subscription license.
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VMware Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro are now free of charge if the user is an end user. Broadcom continues to provide a commercial license for companies. The software is the hypervisor for the desktop - Workstation for Windows and Linux distributions, Fusion for macOS.
Users can download and use the latest versions after registering on Broadcom's new support portal. There is now only one option for companies to license the desktop products. This can be done via any partner, alternatively Broadcom refers to the new reseller Digital River. A subscription to Fusion or Workstation costs 120 US dollars per year.
In this workshop, you will learn efficient strategies for a migration that is as painless and failure-free as possible and carry out the migration yourself in a laboratory during the training. In addition to this practical part, you will learn how to plan a migration and receive valuable starting points for a successful and smooth migration. The workshop will take place online, further information and tickets are available at heise.de/s/bllwp.
No more player variants
At the same time, Broadcom is discontinuing the VMware Workstation Player and Fusion Player. Support is still available until the license expires. The products were slimmed-down versions of the Pro versions, the purpose of which is now obsolete. Anyone who has been using them up to now can switch directly to the Pro products. Instructions on the license keys used can be found in the announcement.
Since the takeover, Broadcom has not shone with benevolent announcements - for example, the new VMware owner discontinued the free ESXi offer. Today's announcement is unlikely to bring relief to customers affected by the new subscription licenses, as the sticking point is the significant increase in costs for the two remaining packages, VCF and VVF , according to industry associations.
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