VMware Workstation blocked by Windows 10
Just found out that VMware Workstation versions below the most recent one are blocked, following the most recent Windows 10 update:
https://communities.vmware.com/thread/619878
It just amazes me that people who purchased an expensive piece of software less than a year ago are now unable to use it. Sure, you could uninstall the update that blocks it. But what happens when Windows 10 "upgrades" the whole OS again in 6 months? That update will likely reinstall and you may not be able to remove it. This is bad news, in my opinion. Very bad news. Microsoft is now deciding what software you can and cannot run on your system, whether it could work or not. Add this to the list of reasons I am not upgrading to Windows 10.
Comments
Once again, Windows likes to break shit. No surprise really.
Once again, M$ copies the worst attributes of macOS.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2019/10/22/libreoffice-and-macos-catalina/
I think they're trying to cover for any stability issues that may arise if any major changes are made that break those older releases, like how running VPC 2007 on 10 x64 results in a BSOD. Whilst forcing users to buy upgrades to their $500 software.
And also a move to force people off x86 as v15 is the last x86-32 version.
At least from that link, there is a way to bypass the blocking. I know that Apple have become more stringent when it comes to opening apps. Also, for VMWare's case, I'm assuming that there's a bug somewhere in those updates that caused it. It's not as if Microsoft would intentionally wreck the program for others, is it?
Well, Microsoft does have their own virtualization software in Windows 10 (Hyper-V). If they break other software in the name of "compatibility", they may convince some people to switch...
Some of the versions blocked were just released this year. Surely they couldn't work that much different that they would need to be blocked, could they?
Ah, that I did not know. I'm still on version 12.
VMware has issued an updated release of v14 for Windows 10 1903 and later:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/14/rn/VMware-Workstation-1418-Pro-Release-Notes.html
At least they are working around Microsoft's incompetence.
It's just like how Microsoft created a major security risk on Server 2012R1 systems by not bringing IE11. And then requiring IE (11) for Azure.
And that's not factoring blocking 2012R2 updates on Broadwell+ xeon servers, forcing purchases of (insert expletives) Server 2016 licenses when 2012R2 still had years of support left.
It's Microsoft (particularly "expletive" Nadella) pushing their agendas breaking things along the way like a bulldozer plowing through mainstreet. Yeah sure you're changing things alright, but are those changes any good?
Especially semi-random subsystem changes nobody knew about and not letting anyone know until customers report problems giving hardware manufacturers and software publishers negative publicity.
I'm going through that with an HP printer. A few weeks ago I discovered that the win10 driver no longer worked after some Windows updates.
And now my father has run into the same roadblock and doesn't understand how it suddenly stopped working on his laptop but continues to work on his phone.
They hit rock-bottom then just kept ploughing below that point. When I search for "windows update breaks drivers" most of the hits concern various printer drivers under Windows 10.
If people put up with 9x for over 5 years I guess they could put up with anything.
To me it's Microsoft trying to "whip" users and developers alike into their image. They want users to run the only the newest "approved" stuff corporate pushes over, even if it is complete and total (insert chain of expletives) while wanting developers to follow Microsoft's rules and keep up with rapid changes.
No, it doesn't work that way. Real software developers (hopefully) have rigorous software testing systems to make sure the software works as expected before release. This takes time.
Unlike Nadella who believes patching the dam as it leaks is better than designing and building a dam with ways to anticipate and mitigate the leaks.
On the lines of driver problems, I have a Soundblaster AE-9. Yes, I purchased a 350€ soundcard, specifically for usage in sound synthesis.
I see so many people having problems getting Soundblaster cards to work because the drivers are messed up. Wait a second, those users are all running some sort of Win10 derivative. And wait, it's because Microsoft keeps changing the fucking audio subsystem every other build and expecting Creative and other sound-related Hardware+Software companies to be able to keep up with these rapid, constant and quiet changes while having a mystic crystal ball to tell them the subtle API function change that isn't mentioned anywhere except a slightly modified header in 8gb worth of DDK.
I, on the other hand, spent hours coaxing Server 2012R2 onto my Z390 build. And guess what? My reward was a working computer. I have yet to experience any issues that countless other users of similar hardware as I posses have experienced with 10.
Surprised they haven't killed off native support (win32 etc).
Windows is great in a box (VM) lol