As you might be aware, there is a long list of devices (and even spreadsheets) that have been made to run the popular first-person shooter “Doom.” now we can add the circa-1990s Apple Network Server to that list.
The Apple Network Server was only available for a short time, from 1996 to 1997. The $10,000+ machines ran IBM’s AIX operating system, not an Apple operating systems, making them the last non-Mac computers that the Cupertino firm offered.
Blogger Cameron Kaiser recently shared a blog post listing what he needed to do to get the game running on his Apple Network Server. He wanted to do it as natively as possible, without “cheating” by using NetBSD, Linux, or NCommander AIX
What the Heck is Doom?
I assume everyone reading this knows what Doom is, but for the select few who are unaware of the popular game, here’s a short description. Doom was a shareware games that first appeared on the IBM PC and then turned into a literal media franchise. The game and its sequels features a lone space marine that must fight the evil hoardes of demons and the undead to save Earth. It’s first-person perspective led to hundreds if not thousands of imitators and sequels.
More than ten million copies of Doom and its sequels have been sold and the game has spawned sequels, a film adaptation starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, comic books, and more.
How Was Doom Ported to Apple Network Server?
To Apple Network Server in question was a 500/132 model , powered by a 200MHz PowerPC 604e, 512MB of parity RAM, and 1MB of DRAM for video. Kaiser started off with Doom Generic.
He first installed AIXPDSLIB as the compiler, then created a version of Doom Generic using a Makefile to run over remote X. After a bit of work, the game could be played using Apple Remote Desktop. He eventually had a working version running on the Apple Network Server’s CRT, although that was later switched out for an LCD panel.
The source code and precompiled builds for 24-bit and 8-bit color have been made available on GitHub, so if you have access to an Apple Network Server laying around, give it a try.
What Else Can Run Doom?
The game has been officially ported to several computing platforms, including Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, and game consoles, including the Sega 32X, the SNES, and the Atari Jaguar. Even 8-bit computers from the 80s, like the Commodore VIC-20 and the Commodore 64 have a version, although they do require expanded memory.
While personal computers and game consoles running a game like Doom isn’t all that unusual, it has also been ported to devices and other places you wouldn’t expect. Versions of the game have been made for the Kindle Touch, an air fryer, a digital photo frame, and many other devices. One genius even created a version that runs in Google Sheets. Another version runs on the MacBook Pro’s much-maligned Touch Bar, the Apple Watch, and even an Apple Lightning to HDMI adapter.
For more information about all of the devices that have been made to successfully run Doom can be found at the Can It Run Doom website.
