These Things Matter to Me
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Some VMware Server 2.0 Beta screenshots
...wanted to upload a couple of screenshots from VMware Server 2.0. As I mentioned yesterday, VMware Server 2.0 beta update 1 only has a web-gui.
As you can see below, in a "read-only" way, this doesn't interfere too much. When you actually start to interact with the page, it gets a little more annoying, and you can feel the chug of the thinking and the rendering. I'll repeat that I appreciate that it isn't a draining Java applet doing all of this on the client side. But it's still pretty slow and painful. Aside from performance, the interface and navigation is inconsistent and confusing. I'll try to post about that tomorrow.
Now below you can see the web-ui get even more inconvenient when you want "console." By default, when you select a console view of a guest, you get only a partial view of it, ensconced in scrolly bars. You do have a fullscreen option, but nothing in between, let alone the "fit to screen" option available in the VMWare Server 1.x console client.
To be continued!
As you can see below, in a "read-only" way, this doesn't interfere too much. When you actually start to interact with the page, it gets a little more annoying, and you can feel the chug of the thinking and the rendering. I'll repeat that I appreciate that it isn't a draining Java applet doing all of this on the client side. But it's still pretty slow and painful. Aside from performance, the interface and navigation is inconsistent and confusing. I'll try to post about that tomorrow.
Now below you can see the web-ui get even more inconvenient when you want "console." By default, when you select a console view of a guest, you get only a partial view of it, ensconced in scrolly bars. You do have a fullscreen option, but nothing in between, let alone the "fit to screen" option available in the VMWare Server 1.x console client.
To be continued!
Labels: beta, interface, screengrab, screenshot, software, tool, virtualization, vmware, vmware server 2, vmware server 2.0, web app
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
1 night with VMware Server 2.0 beta: It sure is web-based.
VMware Server 2.0 beta came out today, and I've had a couple of hours to play with it tonight. As suggested at VMworld, this is a really different product from VMware Server 1.x. Some changes good, some bad. I don't have the same opinion that virtualization.info, that VMware Server is becoming a less relevant product, but I do agree that there's something lackluster here.
VMware Server 1.x felt whole, right off the bat. With VMware Server 2.0, I have this "well, this is just the beta, surely there will be radical improvements" vibe.
While there are a million good and bad features here, what will save us both a lot of time is for you to know that as of now, VMware Server 2.x administration is totally web-based, and that is almost all you can think about or notice when you're working with this tool. I will give to credit to VMware, they've enabled a lot of functionality (rebooting, creating VM's, etc) on a web-client that somehow doesn't involve a giant, slow Java applet. That said, there are many situations when you feel the web pain. The web page has to "think" and rebuild itself a lot. Console access requires a plugin in your browser (which kinda kills the whole "all-you-need-is-a-web-browser" spirit). People in the forums are missing the fit-to-screen feature you got with the "regular" console in VMware Server 1.x, as am I.
VMware is taking a big risk here. The next version of the (regular) VI client will be able to manage VMware Server guests, somewhat softening the blow of not otherwise having one. But this will only help people who have the (not free) VI. I see the "strategy" here... entice VMware Server users to jump up to VI. However I don't believe it will work, and will actually turn people off of VMware.
Despite supporting more OS's and architectures, I feel VMware Server 2.0 is "less" of a product than VMware Server 1.x.
To be continued.
VMware Server 1.x felt whole, right off the bat. With VMware Server 2.0, I have this "well, this is just the beta, surely there will be radical improvements" vibe.
While there are a million good and bad features here, what will save us both a lot of time is for you to know that as of now, VMware Server 2.x administration is totally web-based, and that is almost all you can think about or notice when you're working with this tool. I will give to credit to VMware, they've enabled a lot of functionality (rebooting, creating VM's, etc) on a web-client that somehow doesn't involve a giant, slow Java applet. That said, there are many situations when you feel the web pain. The web page has to "think" and rebuild itself a lot. Console access requires a plugin in your browser (which kinda kills the whole "all-you-need-is-a-web-browser" spirit). People in the forums are missing the fit-to-screen feature you got with the "regular" console in VMware Server 1.x, as am I.
VMware is taking a big risk here. The next version of the (regular) VI client will be able to manage VMware Server guests, somewhat softening the blow of not otherwise having one. But this will only help people who have the (not free) VI. I see the "strategy" here... entice VMware Server users to jump up to VI. However I don't believe it will work, and will actually turn people off of VMware.
Despite supporting more OS's and architectures, I feel VMware Server 2.0 is "less" of a product than VMware Server 1.x.
To be continued.
Labels: 2.0, application, beta, social software, sysadmin, testing, virtualization, vmware, vmware server, web-based
Monday, October 01, 2007
The Gutsy Gibbon and I: Almost together.
Gutsy's so close I can feel it.
This weekend I installed the beta of Ubuntu Linux 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon.
A few notes to myself, and just one bug:
Gutsy's so close I can feel it.
This weekend I installed the beta of Ubuntu Linux 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon.
A few notes to myself, and just one bug:
- Bug: no matter how many Firefox windows I have open, they never begin to "stack up," instead spreading infinitely across the bottom GNOME panel. I never realized this before, but the act of stacking Windows up after a certain point keeps the the title of each window legible. I'm sorry I never appreciated you before, mister/miss Firefox-stacking-window situation.
You don't know what you got, 'till it's gone. - after install via upgrade, sound comes back muted. Not a big deal, but after you install Linux, you're paranoid about hardware not working, so for a minute I thought sound support got worse with Gutsy. You really had me going there, Gutsy Gibbon! But you merely muted me. Not funny, Gutsy. This isn't Punk'd.
- gnome-setup has crashed a couple of times. I don't know. I can't reproduce it at will, but it happens.
- (not a bug) but I still have to install a special driver to get graphics to work right on a Dell 700m.
