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Apple Deprecates More Services In OS X Server (apple.com)
Long-time Slashdot reader HEMI426 writes: Long ago, Apple used to produce rack servers, and a special flavor of OS X for that hardware with extra, server-friendly features. After Apple got out of the rack server game, OS X Server soldiered on, with the occasional change in cost or distribution method.
The next stop on the long, slow death march of OS X Server is here. With a recent post to their knowledgebase, Apple states that almost all of the services not necessary for the management of networked Macs and other iDevices are being deprecated. These services will be hidden for new installs, and dropped in the future.
Apple writes that "those depending on them should consider alternatives, including hosted services."
The next stop on the long, slow death march of OS X Server is here. With a recent post to their knowledgebase, Apple states that almost all of the services not necessary for the management of networked Macs and other iDevices are being deprecated. These services will be hidden for new installs, and dropped in the future.
Apple writes that "those depending on them should consider alternatives, including hosted services."
It takes an awful lot of courage to remove DNS and DHCP services from a...server. Way to go, apple!
People complain about the iPad commercial where the kid asks "What's a computer", but could it be that Apple is genuinely asking what one is since it is looking more and more like they themselves don't know.
Please tell me they manage all their people with a Windows AD + Exchange! ;).
They use an in-house version of iCloud, or so an insider friends tells me.
Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
A week?
Iâ(TM)ve been a Linux user on and off (sometimes on for 6 years ina stretch) for 25 or so years. I started using it quite a bit around the 0.9 days.
That said, Linux config hell doesnâ(TM)t take a week for all those services. It takes years. Consider running secure services like mail, messaging and contact services. You can maybe get a Linux box running those in a few hours with a lot of cut and paste. But the configuration file declare configuration of the current version.
Appleâ(TM)s method was to define intent or policy. You would click a few check boxes to enable the services. You would create some user accounts and activate som features and the config files would be generated from the intent or policy.
Then when a new version came out, the âoeexpertsâ at Apple would include scripts that would hash out the details of the configs.
The benefit of this is that Apple would define the security policies and you would define functionality. This would be merged into something theoretically secure and functional.
Linux software typically is not like that. FreeRadius seems to be moving this direction, but is still way off from that. Most other Linux software requires editing the files distributed as part of the packages to simply get functionality.
What this means is that where Apple is sending out security patches and updates that happen in the background, Linux software requires active reconfiguration by someone actively following the updates and security notes at all times.
Want a good example? I did some testing a while back. I configured OpenVPN using the current best practices. Then I ran the server for over a year with automatic updates. After a year, 20% of all security exploits reported on OpenSSL, OpenVPN and a few others worked without a problem. The remaining 20% required manual reconfiguration of the VPN. In fact, more than a few required complete reconfiguration. Insecure ciphers and hashes has remained active, certificate exploits were still there, etc...
By comparison, Appleâ(TM)s approach makes it so I configure features and they handle the ciphers, keys, etc...
Of course, since Apppe doesnâ(TM)t care about server or security anymore, I wouldnâ(TM)t expect much from them on this anymore. :(
I don't think that at the time of his death Jobs thought his 'digital hub' concept would lead to Apple's becoming a huge, overfunded cell phone company that would let its computer business die a horrible death. But I think that's exactly what's happening.