Parallels/MacOS + Microsoft VM = Evil

Actually, no, I take that back. Making that association would give evil a bad name. Parallels hijacks media file associations and routes them to Windows VM!

Installed Parallels on my M1 Macbook Air so that I could have a Kali VM when I needed it.

Eventually installed a Windows VM for reasons.

Then I noticed that Parallels had hijacked some of my media file associations so that when I clicked on MP4 or AVI files, default behavior became “Launch Windows VM and play it using Windows Media Player.” On what planet is this desired or acceptable behavior?

Of course, I undid it. Finder/file/Get Info/Open With/make change/for all. But part of me wants to meet the people that thought that would be a good idea and educate them with a hemlock cocktail. Is this simple pseudo-benevolent scope creep, or is this evil payola? I’d like to believe that the number of people desiring media to play inside a VM is less than 1%. It’s the least efficient way possible to play media. The only thing worse would be if, when you click a media file, someone is dispatched to your door to play it on their phone for you.