Maybe VMware Needs a Quality Oversight Department…
I was doing some research for session I am presenting at an upcoming PAVMUG session about vSphere remote management when I came across an apology by one of the PowerGUI guys. Essentially, he was apologizing for something that VMware changed in the functionality of PowerCLI that affects how the PowerGUI Virtualization Powerpack interacts with it.
It potentially affects EVERY SCRIPT that you may be using!
I am not going to rehash the changes, because Poshoholic does a better job than I ever could do. So now we have to go back and check or test every script made prior to 4.1 or maintain two versions of scripts. Worse still, a PowersHell novice like me has lost a valuable tool for taking GUI actions and converting them into reusable code. The Project ONYX helps, but there is no functionality like the healthcheck queries that come with the VMware and Communities PowerPacks.
What I don’t understand is why does anyone from the PowerGUI team needs to apologize for a lack of quality oversight at VMware. I have written about this before. VMware knew about the concerns from the PowerGUI team for six months and never fixed them with the 4.1.1 release. These issues don’t just affect PowerGUI, but potentially any script made prior to June. PowerCLI is one product that allows a Winders admin to manage vSphere without needing to learn a new language. It is the bridge between winders and a Linux or BusyBox console. I am just wondering if VMware should start considering some sort of Quality Oversight function within the development process that considers how things affect the people that are paying for their products (And the people selling them!).