That is very interesting news indeed. And thanks for bringing it to our attention.
I had to check today"s date to make sure it's not April Fool's Day.
Given this new information, it will be interesting to see how Broadcom implements it. Are new versions of Fusion going to be released to reflect this? (Usually the lawyers make you change the click-through license agreement in the product when license terms change.) Or are they going to say to just download and install for personal use even if you're going to use them for commercial use.
I do see that they seem to have removed the “personal use” download category from the download site. That was redundant anyway since the downloads were exactly the same. I also hope they’ve cleaned up some of the issues that prevented folks from downloading the product.
My concerns are
the support model (Broadcom has got to do a better job of monitoring this forum and responding to problems posted here if this is going to be the sole method of getting product support.
Update frequency. I'd like to hope that Broadcom keeps the promise to fix problems and add features. I wonder how these products are going to get funded and prioritized given there is no revenue stream for them.
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- Paul (technogeezer)
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Original Message:
Sent: Nov 14, 2024 04:57 AM
From: Sebastian Klisch
Subject: How to use free (commercial) version of Fusion 13?
Hi Paul, this is fresh announcement:
VMware Fusion and Workstation are Now Free for All Users - Effective immediately, both VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation will transition away from the paid subscription model, meaning you can now utilize these tools without any cost. The paid versions of these offerings – Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro – are no longer available for purchase.
https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2024/11/11/vmware-fusion-and-workstation-are-now-free-for-all-users/#09
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 13, 2024 06:04 PM
From: Technogeezer
Subject: How to use free (commercial) version of Fusion 13?
Just a note: there is no "free (commercial)" version of Fusion 13. Fusion 13.5.2 Pro and later are free for personal (that is, non-commercial) use. You'll need a VMware Desktop Virtualization subscription if you're using them for commercial purposes (for example: for your job). Fusion Pro 13.5.1 and earlier are not free for personal use.
Also note that Fusion 12 and 13 Player (which also had a personal use license that you had to register for) are discontinued. Broadcom is no longer providing free personal use licenses for Fusion Player. Because of this, new Fusion installs can be run for free on Monterey (can only run 13.5.2), Ventura, Sonoma (both can run 13.5.2 and later), and Sequoia (can only run 13.6 and later).
What version of Fusion are you trying to install?
Fusion 13.5.2 and later already have the product modifications for the new free personal use option. Older versions pre-date the new licensing model and Broadcom is not going back and changing those older Fusion Pro versions with the new licensing model.
There is one known situation where the personal use license may not be offered when installing Fusion Pro. The personal use license option may not be offered if the installer detects you are installing over an existing licensed Fusion application. To fix this, follow the instructions found on https://www.mikeroysoft.com/post/convert-player-to-pro/ to delete the license for the existing installation. Then re-run the Fusion installation process. You should now get the option to install Fusion for personal use.
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- Paul (technogeezer)
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 13, 2024 05:27 AM
From: Sebastian Klisch
Subject: How to use free (commercial) version of Fusion 13?
How to use free (commercial) version of Fusion 13?
It is now free for all users (personal and commercial) but installer only allows me to enter serial number or chose personal use? Will the installer being update to reflect the new licensing model?