August 1, 2026
Server glow-up, comment-section chaos
MkLinux and the pimped-out Apple Workgroup Server 9150
Apple’s giant old server got a wild makeover — and the comments stole the show
TLDR: An old Apple office server was rebuilt into a souped-up machine that can run both classic Mac software and an early Linux system. Commenters turned it into a nostalgia party, roasting Apple’s one-button mouse and joking about the startup sound like it was the real main event.
A retro-computing rebuild should have been a quiet nerd project. Instead, it turned into a full-blown memory lane meltdown. The article follows one enthusiast rescuing an aging Apple Workgroup Server 9150 — basically a chunky 1990s Apple office machine — then loading it up with extra memory, a faster processor, and enough upgrades to juggle old-school Mac software and an early version of Linux at the same time. There’s even bonus chaos from the machine’s crumbling plastic shell, which sounds less like restoration and more like a reality show challenge.
But the real fireworks came from the community, where the comments instantly became a reunion for people who survived Apple’s weird server era. One reader flexed that their first Linux computer was a Power Mac in 1996, then dropped the deliciously petty detail that Apple’s one-button mouse made everyday tasks weirdly miserable. That sparked the unspoken hot take hanging over the thread: Apple made stylish machines, but sometimes in the most stubbornly Apple way possible.
Then came the comedy relief. Another commenter celebrated the startup sound like it was a pop culture event, joking that these machines don’t do the famous Mac “bong” and calling the chime “totally not A Hard Day’s Night.” That tiny audio nerd fight somehow says everything: this isn’t just about old hardware. It’s about nostalgia, brand quirks, and people lovingly roasting Apple for choices that still feel absurd decades later.
Key Points
- •The article focuses on rebuilding and upgrading an Apple Workgroup Server 9150 to run MkLinux alongside classic Mac OS.
- •Apple’s Workgroup Servers were Macintosh-based systems sold specifically as servers, with enhanced hardware options and server software.
- •Apple initially promoted A/UX on early Workgroup Servers, but A/UX did not continue through the transition from 68K processors to PowerPC.
- •The article traces Apple’s server ambitions back to the 1985 Macintosh Office initiative, which included AppleTalk networking, the LaserWriter, and the Macintosh XL.
- •A planned Unix-oriented centerpiece for Macintosh Office, called Big Mac and later 3M, was envisioned as a high-end server or workstation built around the Motorola 68020.