On Friday , we reported that VMware Fusion 4.1 can run virtual versions of Leopard and Snow Leopard , a characteristic antecedently barred by Apple ’s end - user license understanding . On Monday , the other brake shoe drop off : VMwareposted a web log entrythat seems to back off from that feature film .
“ When the license verification step was summate in VMware Fusion 4.1 the server edition chip was drop , ” the billet say . “ We are preparing an update . ”
What ’s not said in the blog mail is more far-famed . The fellowship does n’t say whether or not the skip was designed . ( There ’s nothing in the post that come across as an apology or an admission fee that an computer error was made . ) There ’s a suggestion that an update is upcoming , but while the post imply that the update will supervene upon the waiter check , it does n’t actually say it .
And the most obvious particular left unverbalised : Apple ’s involvement . An Apple spokesperson toldMacworldlate Friday that the caller ’s licensing terms for Mac OS X have n’t alter . It seems likely that someone from Apple had a conversation with someone from VMware about the new feature in Fusion 4.1 and suggested that something be done about it .
What ’s next for Fusion ? It seems likely that the manner the product handles old version of OS X will change in a forthcoming update . Presumably version 4.1 will go forward working just ok for a while , if you ’re inclined to keep running Leopard and Snow Leopard client variation in a virtual simple machine on your Mac . It ’s unreadable whether any update might break compatibility with existing virtual machine , or just keep users from make new virtual machines .
In the meantime , as of this writing Fusion 4.1.0 isstill available for downloadfrom VMware ’s web site .
[ Update , November 23 : In atech annotation posted Wednesday , VMware says that any Leopard or Snow Leopard client Virtual Machines will check functioning when a extroverted VMware Fusion 4.1.1 update is secrete . ]
