As someone that uses Zoom to produce events for the past 2 years, I've never had an issue switching audio sources from microphones to camera mics, to virtual inputs...on multiple types of computer. What you're experiencing there is likely an issue specific to your setup. When the pandemic hit and Zoom was suddenly faced with millions of new users and lots of new needs for product features, they had to prioritize. I get why having a basic whiteboard already built in wasn't enough for you, but for most it likely was, and that's why they didn't prioritize improving to the level that an engineer would find suitable. There's a big leap from basic whiteboard to what you're talking about. I'm glad they chose to focus on features for the masses first.

Would Zoom still just be Zoom if there was team chat kind of like Slack available, and maybe if they added email and calendar integrations? Maybe if they allowed developers to make apps that integrate into zoom and expand its possibilities? What exactly do you expect Zoom to be?

Zoom only requires you to update if you try to join a meeting and your version is 6 months old, or if the meeting/webinar is using newer features and those features require the attendees be up to date. It's really not difficult. And if installing an update allows the host of the meeting to have a more secure, or accessible, or feature rich meeting, then isn't it worth it?

How is configuring an audio device a rough edge? You pick the device as a speaker or microphone and you're done...it's two clicks. A better looking/functioning drawing component is so low on most people's lists, I'm fine with them not improving that ever. Not sure what even is "ultra-realistic video conferencing"...that's so vague it could mean any number of things. You act like the only updates Zoom did was for filters and avatars. I'm guessing you're aren't even aware of 90% of the functions already built into Zoom. Have you enabled original audio or know what it does? Live streamed from a zoom call to a third party service? Recorded a meeting with smart jump points? Enabled live transcription with auto captioning? Used a live captioning person to type the captions? Zoom adds features more or less every two weeks. Miss me with this ignorant take about them not adding useful features.

There are MANY factors that dictate whether video coming to you in Zoom is 1080 vs 720, and a lot more variables than it's worth getting into. As someone that produces virtual events over Zoom I'm well aware of the quality that Zoom is capable of. But you can't boil it down to a "webex is this and zoom is that" statement without properly providing all the details...because it's completely situational. It depends on your hardware, your connection, the connection of others in the meeting or webinar, the back end flags that are turned on, the account settings, the meeting/webinar settings, the IN MEETING settings....the list goes on. Just the fact that a drive by statement claims one thing, doesn't mean that A) that thing is always true, and that B) the person doing the claiming has all the knowledge to be able to make that claim.

Sounds like you were slow walked by a crappy sales person and had to jump through hoops to downgrade. Not the experience you want at all as a customer. But to say the Zoom product has eroded in quality is just blatently false. They have added features and new products faster than any tech company I've seen. A few posts up from yours someone is complaining about how they're having to update too often...does that sound like a company that has let their product erode? I'm willing to bet you know nothing of 75% of the features offered by Zoom. Don't let your poor sales rep experience bias you about the product. Sales reps are one of the more useless and over-rewarded jobs that exist.

Soil color can be immensly helpful too when there are no language marking present. Red soil = Africa or Australia. Also note the architecture...is the writing Cyrillic but the roofs are red clay tile? Probably somewhere near Croatia. Can't find writing? Look for flags. The tough ones are where there a vast expanses of nothing that could literally be either Peru or Russia.

And even when someone would enable waiting room, they started not only sharing codes, but classmate names to fool the meeting host!

Its not only people creating meetings with no security...even the ones with a passcode were compromised as soon as kids thought it was funny to start sharing the credentials

Specifically it was idiot kids sharing the links, IDs, and passcodes for the explicit purpose of invite people to disrupt the meetings. There is no way I can conceive of Zoom being able to prevent that. Authentication is a start, but even then you only need to create a free zoom account. The only thing that works is limiting users to a specific domain credential, but I seriously doubt any school districts or other orgs `have implemented that feature.

absolutely correct, glad someone gets it.

That's unfortunate that it happened. The underlying problem isn't a security issue, its a social issue. One of your classmates shared the link, probably with the intention of inviting in the bomber.

Did it initially have security holes? Yes. Did those security holes have anything whatsoever to do with "zoom bombing"? Nope. Zoom bombing was (and still is!) taking place when someone shares their meeting ID and password, a link which has both. Usually its teens wanting others to bomb their classes. They will post instruction on twitter, discord, etc on when and where to go. The bad actors look for the right tags and find the posts, then go disrupt the meeting. It's a social issue, not a technology one. I'm surprised an audience like Slashdot doesn't realize what is actually happening. Considering the issue of zoom bombing lies with immature or even malicious users, do you really think Zoom deserves to pay more here? To put it into some hyperbole, are you really going insist on a big payday from Tide when dumb kids start eating tide pods? Personal accountability has to happen at some point.

Did it initially have security holes? Yes. Did those security holes have anything whatsoever to do with "zoom bombing"? Nope. Zoom bombing was (and still is!) taking place when someone shares their meeting ID and password, a link which has both. Usually its teens wanting others to bomb their classes. They will post instruction on twitter, discord, etc on when and where to go. The bad actors look for the right tags and find the posts, then go disrupt the meeting. It's a social issue, not a technology one. I'm surprised an audience like Slashdot doesn't realize what is actually happening.