A self-proclaimed computer enthusiast has uncovered a hidden “easter egg” image file within the ROM code of the 27-year-old Power Macintosh G3. This discovery unveils the team responsible for the project, offering a glimpse into Apple’s past. Doug Brown, who shares his research on older computers through his blog, stumbled upon the easter egg while delving into the Power Mac G3’s ROM resources during a leisurely Sunday using tools named ROM Fiend and Hex Fiend.
The Power Mac G3, produced between November 1997 and August 1999, utilized the same ROM across various models, including the minitower, all-in-one, and beige desktop variants. While investigating, Brown identified two undocumented features: an HPOE resource containing a JPEG image and a nitt resource labeled “Native 4.3,” which referred to SCSI Manager code. Although the JPEG had been previously noted by another ROM researcher, it remained a mystery as to what the image actually depicted.
Curiously, Brown found Pascal strings that referenced “.Edisk,” “secret ROM image,” and “The Team,” suggesting a connection to the earlier undocumented JPEG file. However, attempts to retrieve the hidden image using traditional methods were unsuccessful. Brown then utilized Ghidra, a software reverse engineering tool, to analyze the extracted file.
With some assistance from a collaborator using an emulator tool called Infinite Mac, the solution emerged. By creating and formatting a RAM disk named “secret ROM image,” Brown managed to extract a text file titled “The Team.” This revealed the hidden image linking back to the Apple team that developed the G3.
Following the discovery, Bill Saperstein, who appeared in the newly uncovered image, shared insights about the team’s decision to include a secret photo in the ROM, noting that this practice ended after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997.
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