Yesterday, Apple announced that its last incarnation of the Server application hit the end of its road after 30 years. This finale was pretty expected, just not its exact date. Server will still operate for those who want to use it with the latest macOS but any modifications or improvements are no longer happening.
Am I bummed or worried since I’ve supported this product line for the majority of my career? Not really. The last few years have been an evolution away from personal servers hosting files, web sites, mail and a handful of other services. It was pretty cool to offer such a setup to small businesses and schools yet the Internet added a “cloud” ability to store people’s information easily, making it more accessible (and vulnerable) so Server (along with its ancestors AppleShare, AppleShare IP and Mac OS X Server) became an unrealistic solution. My bumming out was worked out over a decade ago when the Xserve got discontinued, what a cool machine.
I find it funny as well. In the beginning, computers were centralized systems. The personal computer revolution during the Seventies through the Nineties was about breaking free from this top-down structure. The goal was to get everybody their own and do as they please. Nobody would be dependent on getting time with the almighty computer stationed in a university, government or major corporation! Now the Internet is pushing everyone back to centralization. Today, it’s just their data and personal information. Tomorrow, I could see it going back to the applications being the same given how the major software companies have adopted a leasing model with the stuff that made computers practical: Office, PhotoShop, etc. Non-computer corporations are trying to pull it off, see all the farmers suing John Deere on the right-to-repair their equipment.
Farewell MacOS X Server. It was a great ride for 20 some years. Glad to know a couple elements of your DNA survived (personal file sharing and Time-Machine-based backup destinations) because those were good ideas.