When I first started in I.T. at a help desk job back in 1998 (hard to believe it's been 25 years), some of my teammates and I were expressing our surprise at how much compensation levels were rising in the tech industry, particularly for people who had their certifications like CNE, CCIE, or MCSE. The actual numbers aren't that important; the point is that they seemed huge to us at the time, so much so that we wondered how much longer they could continue. I'll never forget how my teammate Alan commented, "If it comes to an end, I'll just tell myself it was fun while it lasted".
Looking back now, as the story of VMware appears to be nearing its final chapter, I can't help but hear Alan's words in my head. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but it was fun while it lasted.