5 ms·

They did provide OS X Server at one time, but the market just wasn't there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_

by mfro 9mo ago

They did provide OS X Server at one time, but the market just wasn't there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Server

awakeasleep 9mo ago
Not very useful context considering that was before iOS development took off
- Jtsummers 9mo ago
  > that was before iOS development took off It was offered through the 2010s, iOS development had taken off by then, and the last release was in 2021.
  - daedrdev 9mo ago
    In fact the number of unique apps available on IOS has declined since the 2010s
- kergonath 9mo ago
  I am not sure iOS popularity would justify macOS as a server. What would be the use case? It's not app development; that is done just fine on the standard desktop macOS. It's not backend; that is done just fine on Linux servers, even in Swift if that's your thing.
  - saagarjha 9mo ago
    Builds
    - kergonath 9mo ago
      You don't need any feature from the old server OS for this, though. You just need your workstation to be on a network.
      - saagarjha 9mo ago
        A network connected to what
      - yjftsjthsd-h 9mo ago
        My workstation is ill-suited to be a CI runner, even if it is networked
        kergonath 9mo ago
        Right. A way to rephrase this would be: what feature from the old Mac Os X Server is missing from the current macOS desktop to make it possible?
    - pjmlp 9mo ago
      Which Apple gladly sells their own Xcode Cloud infrastructure instead.
      - saagarjha 9mo ago
        Yes. Somehow it’s actually even worse
  - deleted 9mo ago
    [deleted]
dijit 9mo ago
Mac OS X Server was.. .. macOS but with a utility to install apache/ldap/smtp/carddav and caldav. very useful for a home server. absolutely no benefit over Linux for the majority of the workloads it was designed to simplify. It wouldn't really give you much unfortunately, certainly didn't run noticeably leaner. (I think at some point "server" just became an .app that was available via the app store).
- mfro 9mo ago
  Right, but I could see an alternate timeline where OS X Server took off, and within a decade took a path similar to Windows Server (pared down services, headless flavor, etc)
- carlosjobim 9mo ago
  > very useful for a home server. That sounds like a giant customer base, if paired with the right software for personal / small organization web publishing, blogging, and e-mail. It's a shame that things turned out differently.
stevenjgarner 9mo ago
It wasn't an absence of a market. Those of us that had to manage OSX Server soon found out the software was marked by several high-profile bugs, technical debt, and a perceived decline in reliability. I migrated a large number of Macs to Ubuntu Server software. The hardware was great. I fear the quality of macOS is deteriorating today in the same manner than befell OSX Server. https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/apple-blasts-mac-os-x-bugs https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/apple-blasts-mac-os-x... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/en/2024/10/19/chyby-v-macos/ https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/en/2024/10/19/chyby-v-macos...

by mfro 9mo ago

They did provide OS X Server at one time, but the market just wasn't there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Server

awakeasleep 9mo ago

Not very useful context considering that was before iOS development took off

Jtsummers 9mo ago
> that was before iOS development took off It was offered through the 2010s, iOS development had taken off by then, and the last release was in 2021.
- daedrdev 9mo ago
  In fact the number of unique apps available on IOS has declined since the 2010s
kergonath 9mo ago
I am not sure iOS popularity would justify macOS as a server. What would be the use case? It's not app development; that is done just fine on the standard desktop macOS. It's not backend; that is done just fine on Linux servers, even in Swift if that's your thing.
- saagarjha 9mo ago
  Builds
  - kergonath 9mo ago
    You don't need any feature from the old server OS for this, though. You just need your workstation to be on a network.
    - saagarjha 9mo ago
      A network connected to what
    - yjftsjthsd-h 9mo ago
      My workstation is ill-suited to be a CI runner, even if it is networked
      - kergonath 9mo ago
        Right. A way to rephrase this would be: what feature from the old Mac Os X Server is missing from the current macOS desktop to make it possible?
  - pjmlp 9mo ago
    Which Apple gladly sells their own Xcode Cloud infrastructure instead.
    - saagarjha 9mo ago
      Yes. Somehow it’s actually even worse
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]

dijit 9mo ago

Mac OS X Server was.. .. macOS but with a utility to install apache/ldap/smtp/carddav and caldav. very useful for a home server. absolutely no benefit over Linux for the majority of the workloads it was designed to simplify. It wouldn't really give you much unfortunately, certainly didn't run noticeably leaner. (I think at some point "server" just became an .app that was available via the app store).

mfro 9mo ago
Right, but I could see an alternate timeline where OS X Server took off, and within a decade took a path similar to Windows Server (pared down services, headless flavor, etc)
carlosjobim 9mo ago
> very useful for a home server. That sounds like a giant customer base, if paired with the right software for personal / small organization web publishing, blogging, and e-mail. It's a shame that things turned out differently.

stevenjgarner 9mo ago

It wasn't an absence of a market. Those of us that had to manage OSX Server soon found out the software was marked by several high-profile bugs, technical debt, and a perceived decline in reliability. I migrated a large number of Macs to Ubuntu Server software. The hardware was great. I fear the quality of macOS is deteriorating today in the same manner than befell OSX Server. https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/apple-blasts-mac-os-x-bugs https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/apple-blasts-mac-os-x... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/en/2024/10/19/chyby-v-macos/ https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/en/2024/10/19/chyby-v-macos...