4 ms·

> I think we are more likely to see Apple enter this market than Meta Not a chance. They're allergic to other OSes and have discontinued MacOS server.

samwillis 4y ago
Apple discontinued OSX Server because almost no one used it and it had very little value add. But also because they had discontinued any server hardware with the end of the XServe line. XServe was discontinued because they could not compete in a crowded market selling commodity Intel based servers. All of that has changed with Apple silicone, they are in a unique situation where they can compete by producing world class hardware no one else has access too with silicone processes that they have exclusive rights too.
- Mikeb85 4y ago
  Amazon already has ARM servers in production. Plus, as we've all just mentioned, Apple has no server offering.
  - maxbond 4y ago
    Presumably they have a server distribution for their own use though, presumably they're doing lots of automated testing. And then there's iCloud, I don't know if that's just a bunch of Linux boxes but it might be MacOS boxes.
maxbond 4y ago
But everyone would pay (does pay) to run CI against MacOS, and they'd be in a far better position than other service providers (as they don't provide VM images but could provide them to themselves).
- ethbr0 4y ago
  Good point. But my guess is that by Apple's strategic reasoning they'd rather have devs buying (and hopefully using) Apple hardware.
ellisv 4y ago
On the other hand, if Apple wanted to encourage server-side Swift this would be a way to do it. I just had a shower thought the other day that with the growth of WASM, Apple could target the web as well. But ultimately I think Apple is still more focused on building consumer products rather than developer services. I'm not sure how they'd retain their identity with such a shift in focus.
- ianai 4y ago
  Actually they could work on marrying design (their traditional client base) with some lighter development tools-cross platform. This could be marketed as a moat from AI. Possibly some good demand growth potential there. Edit-the goal would be to offer a product that makes a suitably skilled designer in the tools roughly equal to a minimally viable UI developer.
- Mikeb85 4y ago
  > I just had a shower thought the other day that with the growth of WASM, Apple could target the web as well Lol you don't remember how Apple's been specifically trying to hold back web technologies to encourage native apps? Embracing WASM is completely against everything they've been doing for the last decade.
- JackFr 4y ago
  > if Apple wanted to encourage server-side Swift this would be a way to do it. Apple wants money. Encouraging/discouraging server-side Swift (by itself) is orthogonal/irrelevant to making money.

samwillis 4y ago

Apple discontinued OSX Server because almost no one used it and it had very little value add. But also because they had discontinued any server hardware with the end of the XServe line. XServe was discontinued because they could not compete in a crowded market selling commodity Intel based servers. All of that has changed with Apple silicone, they are in a unique situation where they can compete by producing world class hardware no one else has access too with silicone processes that they have exclusive rights too.

Mikeb85 4y ago
Amazon already has ARM servers in production. Plus, as we've all just mentioned, Apple has no server offering.
- maxbond 4y ago
  Presumably they have a server distribution for their own use though, presumably they're doing lots of automated testing. And then there's iCloud, I don't know if that's just a bunch of Linux boxes but it might be MacOS boxes.

maxbond 4y ago

But everyone would pay (does pay) to run CI against MacOS, and they'd be in a far better position than other service providers (as they don't provide VM images but could provide them to themselves).

ethbr0 4y ago
Good point. But my guess is that by Apple's strategic reasoning they'd rather have devs buying (and hopefully using) Apple hardware.

ellisv 4y ago

On the other hand, if Apple wanted to encourage server-side Swift this would be a way to do it. I just had a shower thought the other day that with the growth of WASM, Apple could target the web as well. But ultimately I think Apple is still more focused on building consumer products rather than developer services. I'm not sure how they'd retain their identity with such a shift in focus.

ianai 4y ago
Actually they could work on marrying design (their traditional client base) with some lighter development tools-cross platform. This could be marketed as a moat from AI. Possibly some good demand growth potential there. Edit-the goal would be to offer a product that makes a suitably skilled designer in the tools roughly equal to a minimally viable UI developer.
Mikeb85 4y ago
> I just had a shower thought the other day that with the growth of WASM, Apple could target the web as well Lol you don't remember how Apple's been specifically trying to hold back web technologies to encourage native apps? Embracing WASM is completely against everything they've been doing for the last decade.
JackFr 4y ago
> if Apple wanted to encourage server-side Swift this would be a way to do it. Apple wants money. Encouraging/discouraging server-side Swift (by itself) is orthogonal/irrelevant to making money.