So by now most people have read the blog post about the final days of the vSphere Desktop Client, many of us simply refer to as the C# client. As a VMware employee obviously this was not much of a surprise. As a customer previously I can remember all the way back to the original client that really only was there to do vMotion. Like a puppy, I’ve had many years to watch the evolution of this client and ultimately like everyone else will have to cope with its impending death. Sometimes the anticipation of death is worth than death itself.
So What’s the Big Deal?
Here comes the “Personal Opinion” parts of this post. Okay I get it, you are upset, scared, afraid of the web client(s). We’ve all had our ups and downs with trying to make that transition. There is more than enough fodder out there on people’s opinions. Mine is simple……It’s about freaking time! Let me explain….
I used to be a windows guy. I was fine with everything on windows. Windows was awesome. Nothing was better than windows. I know Windows Server like a family member. Then I met Mac. Things changed. I left windows like a bad habit. I started to want more things that did not require windows. For a long time people like me have yearned for web-based, mobile friendly ways to access stuff. To be honest the ONLY reason a Windows Virtual Machine still lives on my Mac’s is to run these applications.
- Quicken
- vSphere Desktop Client
- Wilcom Embroidery Software
- Design File Server (Embroidery Machines for Julie)
My right hand to god…..those are it. If those applications had browser-based or Mac friendly versions, I’d have zero use for windows. Even for Julie’s small business we leverage all cloud based apps like Quickbooks Online instead of the desktop versions. Seriously, I can personally live without Windows applications. So what about the vSphere Client Specifically?
Loads Of Other IT Companies Are Doing It….Web Based?
In recent months I’ve been blogging about Ubiquiti Networks. In some ways because I certainly use it a lot, but in others, because they are doing some cool stuff especially in the way they present their management layer. Everything they do is web-based and becoming more mobile friendly. If you just look at the most recent post about their version 5 sneak peak you can see just how nice it works and looks. Now that being said, they are not dealing with plugins, third parties, etc. I’m just saying…..it’s a good movement.
Change is a fact of life. We are surrounded by it. If you don’t accept change, I’m just going to say you are screwed. This is just a change in the way we will manage vSphere in the future. No big deal, it’s not the end of the world.