Rhapsody Support/Development Site

#1 Rhapsody · #1 February 4th, 2009, 05:36 PM

If people would contribute I could set up a Rhapsody support site just like was mentioned in this forum. I would do most of the work but I need people that could help with support and give ideas. It would be a site similar to RacerX's site but it would have a forum and we could possibly write software too (I am a programer).

Tell me what you think,
#1 Rhapsody

RacerX · #2 February 5th, 2009, 05:21 AM

I'd be happy to help, but I should point out that back when that thread was active Apple had only just announced that they were discontinuing sales of Mac OS X Server 1.2v3 and accepting pre-orders for Mac OS X Server v10.0.3. So that was sort of the height of Rhapsody usership.

And the decline may have already started by that point as I recall Apple distributing a special version of the developers tools CD at WWDC 2001 with a (time limited) copy of WebObjects designed to run on 10.0.x systems.

So yeah... I'd be interested. But this also isn't the first time that such an undertaking as been attempted... There was a Rhapsody Project site and forum (formerly at www.rhapsody-project.tk) which morphed into the NeXT Information Archive site and forum (at www.nextarchive.net), and I watch for questions posted at the forums at NeXT Computers (which has a Rhapsody section which hasn't had any activity since last November). So because these things tend to pop up on the net from time to time and then disappear shortly after, I'd rather take a passive role.

My site has been semi self-sustaining, with articles I've written on the subject totaling over 50,000 words at last count as I recall. Additionally I've archived all of Apple's tech articles and manuals on the subject. But the main thing that drove my writing of articles was questions that I had been asked that hadn't been addressed yet or needed a little more exposition than what had been said before.

I'd say that in my experience the main reason why Rhapsody has been relegated to a looky-loo status as a platform is that people have no idea that software existed (mainly because it wasn't the titles they were familiar with). Mac OS X Public Beta and 10.0.x had similar issues (and similar software titles). But even taking the time to show what can be done in Rhapsody with the right software, most people seem incline to simply install a downloaded copy, take screenshots of it running and then go onto their next installation conquest. Helping those types of users has gotten tiring after 8 years.

I have been checking in on this site and on the NeXT Computers site every week or so, and I'd be happy to add another site to check in on, but if I were you I wouldn't expect a lot of traffic to a dedicated Rhapsody forum.

**fryke** · #3 February 5th, 2009, 06:27 AM

Back in the day I was using Rhapsody DR2 on both a PowerMacintosh 9500 and some AMD K6 machine, mainly for trying out stuff, "looking into the future" of Mac OS and, well, chatting and MUDding on the 'net.

Publicly available were only some versions of Mac OS X Server, but even at that time, the appeal to the public was very, very limited. If you needed a server for your Mac OS 8/9 computers, AppleShare was still more viable for most Mac administrators. Investing in "that new beast" just didn't seem that appropriate, since Apple themselves were talking about big steps that were still to come. Mac OS X DPs then showed that the whole OS was going into a different direction. It certainly didn't help adoption of Rhapsody (Mac OS X Server) then.

Nowadays, I don't see much interest in Rhapsody. Like Racer X says: It's hobbyists that want to install the system, take screenshots, "feel" the system for a couple of days (if not hours) and then move on. I mean: If someone comes around with a _new_ system, it's very important to get an active user and developer base so the project can gain momentum. Rhapsody had that chance when DR1 and DR2 were around, but the access to those versions was limited, of course, to official ADC members (and illegal copies). When OS X Server 1.x came about, it was an expensive system - not for the weak of money.

In a way, Apple did things right, btw.: They got the highend developers (I'm not talking big bucks like Adobe and Microsoft, though) on board with Rhapsody and OS X Server and got the momentum going with Mac OS X DP4 and Public Beta. That's when macosx.com came to be, btw. That's when hobbyists started to adopt Mac OS X. Mac OS X _is_ what Rhapsody and Mac OS 9 were combined into, and it's a success story. Rhapsody was a very interesting milestone, but nowadays it really _is_ a nostalgic hobby for most. I'd say Racer X clearly _is_ an exception, still using machines running those systems for work purposes. There may be others, but I've rarely heard about any such projects.

#1 Rhapsody · #4 February 5th, 2009, 07:36 AM

The Rhapsody Project is what I'm aiming for. I am going to try to get as many of their files using the Internet Archive. I want to get people here and at Insanely Mac Forums to get back into Rhapsody. I would like to write some code to make Rhapsody a more usable OS, just like the Rhapsody Project.

**fryke** · #5 February 5th, 2009, 11:26 AM

what and who for?

#1 Rhapsody · #6 February 5th, 2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fryke

what and who for?

What do you mean???

**fryke** · #7 February 5th, 2009, 02:00 PM

I mean: Who would be the target for a more useable Rhapsody? In a way, Mac OS X 10.5 is quite a useable Rhapsody.

RacerX · #8 February 5th, 2009, 03:15 PM

I'd point out that almost all of the app titles that I use in Rhapsody I also use in Mac OS X and OPENSTEP... it is that correspondence that has let me continue to use all three nearly seamlessly over the years. And the fact that Rhapsody 5.6 has a better version of Mac OS 8.6 than Mac OS 8.6 makes it a great platform for me to run many of my older Mac apps as well.

But I bought all my software years ago when developers were still selling it. Andrew Stone will still sell a license for Create 5.x that works in Rhapsody, but he can no longer produce licenses for Create 10.0 for Rhapsody... which is a truly great application. I mean these shots of it in action (here, here, here and here) give you an idea why I can continue to use this platform effectively when most people who see it say you can't do anything with it.

I'm not sure how people are going to get to that level of efficiency with Rhapsody without applications (which was the main problem with the Rhapsody Project). I can point people at demo versions of most, but unlike with NEXTSTEP/OPENSTEP, I haven't been given the permission to share Rhapsody licenses of apps yet. There are some really nice apps that are just lost now (like Glyphix, Marlowe, WriteUp and PasteUp).

The one great thing to come out of the Rhapsody Project was a working version of ToyViewer for Rhapsody for Intel. Otherwise they spent a lot of time spinning their wheels. By contrast, my site's main goal is to be a repository of information on Rhapsody in all it's forms to help people get up to speed on it faster than if they were left to figure it all out on their own.

I've said it before and it is worth saying again... the best OS in the world is worthless without applications.