legal use of vmware on FreeBSD _not possible_ (informational)

[Dan Nelson]

In the last episode (Dec 17), Ensel Sharon said:
> This post is simply an effort to get information archived on the net so
> that it is searchable, etc.
> 
> Summary:  Circa 2006, FreeBSD 6.1/6.2, it is not possible to legally run
> vmware on FreeBSD, and has not been for at least two years.
> 
> For reasons difficult to discern, FreeBSD has not put any priority at all
> on support for vmware, and for continuing the working, usable support for
> vmware3 running in linux binary compat mode.  This method worked well
> several years ago, and was (reasonably) up to date with a modern vmware
> release.

Why not point the "blame" at the other party and say "For reasons
difficult to discern, VMWare has not put any priority at all on support
for FreeBSD" :) I'd say there are less than 2 dozen different operating
systems (all Linux distros count as 1) on the planet they would have to
support, whereas the FreeBSD community has over 16000 ports to keep
track of.  Why blame FreeBSD when VMware releases a new product not
compatible with their previous version?

> At this time no modern version of vmware can be run on FreeBSD.  Further,
> vmware has discontinued all support and sales of vmware3 and it is
> _impossible_ to purchase a license for this product.  It is also
> (essentially) impossible to find vmware3 for sale as a used software
> product.
> 
> The only possibility of running vmware of any kind on FreeBSD is to run a
> very old version, and EVEN THEN, it is not a possibility unless you are
> holding in your hands, right now, a physical copy of the software.
> 
> Your only other option is to break the law and run a pirated/stolen
> (old) version of vmware.
> 
> Again, the decision to completely dismiss and abandon vmware support and
> the needs of FreeBSD users everywhere that increasingly need to emulate
> linux, solaris, etc., is a baffling one.  Whatever the reasons behind it,
> the results are clear: no vmware for FreeBSD unless you are a lucky one
> that bought the software 4-5 years ago, or you steal it.

Implying a willful decision by FreeBSD developers to "abandon vmware
support" is the wrong conclusion, I think.  A more likely conclusion is
that the person that maintained the vmware3 port has not submitted a
vmware4 port, for reasons unknown to anyone but him.  Ports are kept
up-to-date by that port's maintainer, and any other interested people. 
That no vmware4 port has appeared is either an indication of the lack
of interest in running vmware (possibly due to other virtualization
software like qemu), or the difficulty of porting vmware4.

Have you tried the partial vmware 4 patches on the web page of the
vmware3 port maintainer?  http://www.break.net/orlando/freebsd.html

-- 
	Dan Nelson
	dnelson at allantgroup.com