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

stevenjgarner 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

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...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem

https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/en/2024/10/19/chyby-v-macos...

▲

awakeasleep 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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

▲

kergonath 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

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.

▲

5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

[deleted]

▲

saagarjha 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Builds

▲

kergonath 6 hours ago | parent [-]

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 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		A network connected to what

▲

Jtsummers 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> 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 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		In fact the number of unique apps available on IOS has declined since the 2010s

▲

dijit 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

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 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		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)