The Apple Network Server MacOS ROMs have resurfaced
a day ago
- The Apple Network Server (ANS) was heavily based on the Power Macintosh 9500 and initially ran MacOS, but production units shipped with AIX due to customer preference for Unix.
- At Comdex 1996, Apple CTO Ellen Hancock announced that the ANS could be made to run MacOS or Windows NT via a ROM swap, but the line was cancelled by Steve Jobs in 1997.
- A former Apple employee recently revealed that development ROMs for both MacOS and Windows NT exist; the MacOS ROM has been dumped and works, while the NT ROMs are confirmed but not yet available.
- The MacOS ROM allows the ANS to boot Mac OS up to version 9, and there is potential to run the long-lost Cyberpunk OS on early prototypes.
- The discovery has sparked hope for future exploration of the ANS, including possibly developing custom NT drivers or porting ARC firmware to run Windows NT without the special ROM.