> VMWare itself still requires an underlying operating system
VMware is a company, not a product - the product you're [probably?] referring to is ESX[1], which does not require an underlying OS - it's a Type 1 hypervisor (it runs on bare metal).
I was actually referring to 'VMWare Workstation'. This company apparently has a habit of putting the company name inside all of its product names. That doesn't preclude one from referring to each its product offerings by short name.
VMware is a company, not a product - the product you're [probably?] referring to is ESX[1], which does not require an underlying OS - it's a Type 1 hypervisor (it runs on bare metal).
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware_ESX