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{{Short description|Operating system from NeXT Computer}}
]
{{Other uses|Next Step (disambiguation){{!}}Next Step}}
'''NeXTSTEP''' is the original ], ] ] that ], Inc. developed to run on its proprietary NeXT computers (informally known as "black boxes"). NeXTSTEP 1.0 was released in ] after several previews starting in ], and the last release 3.3 in early ]. By that point NeXT had turned to ].
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = NeXTSTEP
| logo = ]
| screenshot = NeXTSTEP desktop.png
| caption = NeXTSTEP ]
| developer = ]
| family = ] (])
| working_state = Historic as original code base for ], which was the base for ], which in turn was the base of ], ], ] and ]
| source_model = ] with some ] components
| released = {{start date and age|1989|09|18}}
| latest_release_version = 3.3
| latest_release_date = {{end date|1995}}
| latest_preview_version = 4.2 Pre-release 2
| latest_preview_date = September 1997
| frequently_updated =
| marketing_target = ], ]
| language =
| prog_language = ], ]
| updatemodel =
| package_manager = Installer.app
| supported_platforms = ], ], ], ]
| kernel_type = ] (], ])
| userland = ]
| ui = ]
| license = ] ]
| preceded_by =
| succeeded_by = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| website =
| discontinued = yes
}}
{{macOS topics}}


'''NeXTSTEP''' is a discontinued ], ] ] based on the ] and the ]-derived ]. It was developed by ], founded by ], in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was initially used for its range of proprietary ] computers such as the ]. It was later ported to several other ]s.
The format of the name had many ] variants, and became NEXTSTEP (all capitals) only at the end of its life. The format most commonly used by "insiders" is NeXTSTEP.


Although relatively unsuccessful at the time, it attracted interest from computer scientists and researchers. It hosted the original development of the Electronic AppWrapper,<ref name="CT-AW3">{{cite web|url=http://www.kevra.org/TheBestOfNext/SWCatalogs/page274/page274.html|title=Electronic AppWrapper|website=Kevra.org|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref> the first commercial electronic software distribution catalog to collectively manage encryption and provide digital rights for ] and ], a forerunner of the modern "]" concept. It is the platform on which ] created the first ], and on which ] developed the video games '']'' and '']''.<ref name="kHz0g">{{Cite web|url=https://rome.ro/news/2016/2/14/apple-next-merger-birthday|title=Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!|date=December 20, 2006|website=rome.ro|language=en|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name="eZXqK">{{Cite web|url=https://rome.ro/news/2015/12/13/gametales-cray-ymp|title=GameTales: Cray 6400|date=January 31, 2010|website=rome.ro|language=en|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref>
The system had originally started in the mid-] as two projects, an effort that would create ], and an effort to build a "toolkit" of programming objects for the education market. When it became clear that the computers and operating systems of the day were not up to the task of running either, the projects were combined, along with a hardware effort, and eventually created the NeXT computers.


In 1996, ] acquired NeXT. Apple needed a successor to the ], and merged NeXTSTEP and ] with the Macintosh user environment to create Mac OS X. All of Apple's subsequent platforms since ] were then based on Mac OS X (later renamed ]).
NeXTSTEP was a combination of several parts:


==Overview==
#a ]-like operating system based on the ], plus source code from UC Berkeley's ] Unix
NeXTSTEP (also stylized as '''NeXTstep''', '''NeXTStep''', and '''NEXTSTEP'''<ref name="kevra">{{cite web|url=http://www.kevra.org/TheBestOfNext/DifferentNeXTSpellings/DifferentNeXTSpellings.html|title=What's with all the NeXT names?|last=Ford|first=Kevin|year=2008| work=www.kevra.org|access-date=September 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name="confusion">{{cite web | title=OpenStep Confusion | date=January 11, 2000 | first=Tomi | last=Engel | url=https://www.objectfarm.org/Activities/Publications/TheMerger/OpenstepConfusion.html | website=Object Farm | access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref>) is a combination of several parts:
#Display PostScript and a windowing engine
* a ] operating system based on the ], plus ]
#the ] language and runtime
* ] and a proprietary windowing engine
#an object-oriented application layer, including several "kits"
* the ] language and runtime
#development tools for the OO layers
* an ] (OO) application layer, including several "kits"
* development tools for the OO layers.


NeXTSTEP is a preeminent implementation of the last three items. The toolkits are the canonical development system for all of the software on the system.
The key to NeXTSTEP's fame were the last three items. The toolkits offered incredible power, and were used to build all of the software on the machine. Distinctive features of the ] language made the writing of applications with NeXTSTEP far easier than on many competing systems, and the system was often pointed to as a paragon of computer development, even a decade later.


It introduced the idea of the ] (carried through ] and into ]) and the ]. NeXTSTEP originated or innovated a large number of other ] concepts which became common in other operating systems: 3D chiseled widgets, large full-color ]s, system-wide drag and drop of a wide range of objects beyond file icons, system-wide piped ], real-time scrolling and window dragging, properties dialog boxes called "inspectors", and window modification notices (such as the saved status of a file). The system is among the first general-purpose user interfaces to handle publishing color standards, transparency, sophisticated sound and music processing (through a ] ]), advanced ], internationalization, and modern ], in a consistent manner across all applications.
Additional kits were added to the product line to make the system more attractive. This included Portable Distributed Objects (PDO), which allowed easy ], and ], a powerful ] ] system. These kits made the system particularly interesting to custom application programmers, and NeXTSTEP had a long history in the ] community.


Additional kits were added to the product line. These include Portable Distributed Objects (PDO), which allow easy ], and ], an ] ] system. The kits made the system particularly interesting to custom application programmers, and NeXTSTEP had a long history in the financial programming community.<ref name="kevra" />
After the completion of ]'s acquisition of NeXT in early ], Apple took over development of NeXTSTEP and (after several stumbles) it was reborn in ]. Mac OS X's NeXTSTEP heritage can be seen in the ] development environment, where the ] library objects have "NS" prefixes. A ] implementation of the Openstep standard, ], also exists.


==History==
The first ] was developed on the NEXTSTEP platform.
NeXTSTEP was built upon Mach and BSD, initially ]. A preview release of NeXTSTEP (version 0.8) was shown with the launch of the ] on October 12, 1988. The first full release, NeXTSTEP 1.0, shipped on September 18, 1989.<ref name="osxbook">{{cite web|last=Singh|first=Amit|title=What is Mac OS X?|url=http://osxbook.com/book/bonus/ancient/whatismacosx/history.html|work=osxbook.com|access-date=April 18, 2011|date=December 2003|archive-date=May 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514135706/http://osxbook.com/book/bonus/ancient/whatismacosx/history.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was updated to ] in NeXTSTEP 3.0. The last version, 3.3, was released in early 1995, for the ] ] based NeXT computers, ] ], ] ], and ]-based systems.


NeXT separated the underlying operating system from the application frameworks, producing ]. OpenStep and its applications can run on multiple underlying operating systems, including OPENSTEP, ], and ]. In 1997, it was updated to ] while assimilated into Apple's development of ] for x86 and PowerPC. NeXTSTEP's direct descendant is Apple's ], which then yielded ], ], ], ], and ].
''See also:''
*]
*]
*]


==Legacy==
''External links:''
The first ], ], and the first ]<ref name="3W36a">{{Cite web|url=https://appstorey.com/2016/04/11/jesse-tayler-talks-appstore-and-nextstep-with-appstorey/|title=Jesse Tayler talks App Store and NeXTSTEP with AppStorey|date=April 11, 2016|website=AppStorey|language=en|access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref> were all invented on the NeXTSTEP platform.


{{blockquote|1990 CERN: A Joint proposal for a hypertext system is presented to the management. Mike Sendall buys a NeXT cube for evaluation, and gives it to ]. Tim's prototype implementation on NeXTSTEP is made in the space of a few months, thanks to the qualities of the NeXTSTEP software development system. This prototype offers WYSIWYG browsing/authoring! Current Web browsers used in "surfing the Internet" are mere passive windows, depriving the user of the possibility to contribute. During some sessions in the CERN cafeteria, Tim and I try to find a catching name for the system. I was determined that the name should not yet again be taken from Greek mythology. Tim proposes "World-Wide Web". I like this very much, except that it is difficult to pronounce in French...|], 2 November 1995<ref name="Ben">{{cite web|url=http://www.netvalley.com/cgi-bin/intval/net_history.pl?chapter=4|title=Roads and Crossroads of Internet History Chapter 4: Birth of the Web}}</ref>
--------------
}}
''This article (or an earlier version of it) contains material from ], used with ].''

Some features and ] now common to web browsers originated in NeXTSTEP conventions. The basic layout options of ] 1.0 and 2.0 are attributable to those features of NeXT's Text class.<ref name="EA2Zg">{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/WorldWideWeb.html|title=Tim Berners-Lee: WorldWideWeb, the first Web client}}</ref>

]. developed ''Diagram!'', a drawing tool, originally called BLT (for Box-and-Line Tool) in which objects (boxes) are connected together using "smart links" (lines) to construct diagrams such a ]s. This basic design can be enhanced by the simple addition of new links and new documents, located anywhere in the local area network, that foreshadowed Tim Berners-Lee's initial prototype that was written on NeXTSTEP in October–December 1990.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In the 1990s, the pioneering PC games '']'', '']'', '']'', and their respective level editors were ] by ] on NeXT machines. Other games based on the ] such as '']'' and its sequel '']'' by ], and '']'' by ] were developed on NeXT hardware using id's tools.<ref name="iQQWn">{{cite web|url=http://rome.ro/2006/12/apple-next-merger-birthday.html|title=Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070305165006/http://rome.ro/2006/12/apple-next-merger-birthday.html|archive-date=March 5, 2007}}</ref>

] made the NeXTSTEP application Virtuoso, version 2 of which was ported to Mac OS and Windows to become ] version 4. The modern "Notebook" interface for ], and the advanced spreadsheet ], were developed using NeXTSTEP. The software that controlled ]'s Friends and Family calling plan program was developed using NeXTSTEP.<ref name="rnZlL">{{cite web|url=http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/141B0B5A-C8DE-49D2-BFDF-DB75E44A3285.html|title=Why OS X is on the iPhone, but not the PC|date= January 24, 2007|website=Roughly Drafted|quote=MCI used NeXT software to power its revolutionary Friends and Family networking referral campaign, which other rivals couldn't match for years.}}</ref><ref name="mJqf8">{{cite web|url=http://www.stepwise.com/Articles/Business/NextOrderOfBusiness.html|title=Water Utility Consultants {{!}} Water Utility Consulting by StepWise|website=Stepwise.com|date=September 12, 2012|access-date=July 17, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060407085233/http://www.stepwise.com/Articles/Business/NextOrderOfBusiness.html|archive-date=April 7, 2006}}</ref>

About the time of the release of NeXTSTEP 3.2, NeXT partnered with ] to develop ]. It is the product of an effort to separate the underlying operating system from the higher-level object libraries to create a cross-platform object-oriented API standard derived from NeXTSTEP. ] was released for Sun's ], ], and NeXT's ]-based operating system. NeXT's implementation is called "OPENSTEP for Mach" and its first release (4.0) superseded NeXTSTEP 3.3 on NeXT, Sun, and Intel ] systems.

Following an announcement on December 20, 1996,<ref name="6Wesm">{{cite press release|title=Apple Computer, Inc. Agrees to Acquire NeXT Software Inc.|publisher=Apple Computer, Inc.|date=December 20, 1996|url=http://live.apple.com/next/961220.pr.rel.next.html | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970301172356/http://live.apple.com/next/961220.pr.rel.next.html | archive-date=March 1, 1997 | access-date=April 12, 2013}}</ref> ] acquired NeXT on February 4, 1997, for $429 million. Based upon the "] for Mach" operating system, and developing the OpenStep API to become ], Apple created the basis of ],<ref name="EVcL5">{{cite book| title=Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc| url=https://archive.org/details/appleconfidentia00linz| url-access=registration|last=Linzmayer|first=Owen W.|year= 1999| publisher=No Starch Press| isbn=9781886411289}}</ref> and eventually of ], ], ], and ].

] is a ] implementation of the OpenStep standard.<ref name="GNUStep: Introduction">{{cite web | title=GNUStep: Introduction | publisher=GNUStep.org | url=http://gnustep.org/information/aboutGNUstep.html | access-date=May 2, 2013}}</ref>

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!|Version
!|Date
!|Distribution medium
!Architecture
!Basis
!|Notes
|-
||0.8
||October 12, 1988
||]
|]
| rowspan="9" |4.3BSD-Tahoe
||NeXTStep ], ] of William Shakespeare, ], ]
|-
||0.8a
||1988
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||0.9
||1988
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||1.0
||1989
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||1.0a
||1989
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||2.0
||September 18, 1990
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the ], ] (]). Support for ], ], ]s, and ]. Workspace Manager now has the Shelf, copies performed in background, black hole is replaced by recycler icon. Terminal.app. Dynamic loading of drivers.<ref name="info taken from">{{cite web| url = http://www.levenez.com/NeXTSTEP/Logiciels.html| title = Logiciels NeXT| language = French| trans-title = NeXT software}}</ref><ref name="lDX0O">{{cite web| url = http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/NeXT/NeXTSTEP%202.0%20Release%20Notes.pdf| title = NeXTSTEP 2.0 Release Notes (User)}}</ref>
|-
||2.1
||March 25, 1991
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the ] board. ], internationalization improvements. New machines with 2.1 include ].<ref name="info taken from" />
|-
||2.1a
||
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||
|-
||2.2
||
||CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the ] Turbo
|-
||3.0
||September 8, 1992<ref name="lTNnb">{{cite web |url = http://www.skytel.co.cr/bsd/research/1992/0908.htm |title = NeXT Ships NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, Third Generation of the Complete Object-Oriented Environment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162529/http://www.skytel.co.cr/bsd/research/1992/0908.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
||CD-ROM
|m68k
| rowspan="8" |4.3BSD-Reno
||], ] support with ], ], ], ], ], ] Kit, ] Kit, ], ], ], ], and ].
|-
||3.1
||May 25, 1993
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386
||First release for the ] architecture, introducing ].
|-
||3.2
||October 1993
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386
||
|-
||3.3
||February 1995
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC
||Support for the ] and ] architectures added, introducing Quad-fat Binaries. Last and most popular version released under the name NEXTSTEP. Referred to as NEXTSTEP/m68k, NEXTSTEP/Intel, NEXTSTEP/SPARC. NEXTSTEP/PA-RISC
Delivered on 2 CDs: NeXTSTEP ] and NeXTSTEP ]. The Developer CD includes libraries for all ], so that programs can be ] on any architecture for all architectures.
|-
||4.0 beta
|| 1996
|| CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC
||Very different user interface.<ref name="jjuNf">{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxByfhT1F0| title = NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 1| website = ]}}</ref><ref name="bbXWx">{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrC1rPY1PkI| title = NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 2| website = ]}}</ref> Notable as being a precursor of many ideas later introduced in the ].

Allegedly dropped due to complaints of having to re-teach users but not for technical reasons (the new UI worked well in the beta).
|-
||4.0
||July 1996
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Support for the ] architecture dropped. Support for ], ], and ] architectures. Initial Release of ] for ].
|-
||4.1
||January 1997
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Support for m68k, i486, and SPARC architectures, and OpenStep for Windows, under OPENSTEP Enterprise (NT only).
|-
||4.2 Pre-release 2
||September 1997
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Pre-release 2 circulated to limited number of developers before ] and Apple acquisition.
|-
|]
||August 31, 1997{{dash}}October 27, 2000
||CD-ROM
|i386, PowerPC
|4.4BSD
||Released after the ], these are arguably closer to NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP than to ]. For example, they can still be used as remote display via NXHost.<ref name="AIhBb">{{cite web| url = https://www.stone.com/Run_NeXTSTEP_Now/Andrew_s_Guide_to_Running_NeXSTEP_on_MACOSXS.html| title = Andrew's Simple Guide to running NeXTSTEP/OpenStep Apps on Mac OS X Server}}</ref>
|}

Versions up to 4.1 are general releases. OPENSTEP 4.2 pre-release 2 is a bug-fix release published by Apple and supported for five years after its September 1997 release.

==See also==
* ], from NeXTSTEP to macOS
* ], the method of directory browsing that NeXTSTEP's File Viewer uses
* ]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*
* {{YouTube|j02b8Fuz73A|Video of Steve Jobs Demoing NeXTSTEP Release 3}}
* BYTE Magazine 14–03, Object Oriented Programming with NextStep

{{NeXT Computer}}
{{unix-like}}
{{Apple Inc. operating systems}}
{{Darwin derivations}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nextstep}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 08:46, 30 November 2024

Operating system from NeXT Computer For other uses, see Next Step.

Operating system
NeXTSTEP
NeXTSTEP graphical user interface
DeveloperNeXT
Written inC, Objective-C
OS familyUnix (4.3BSD-Tahoe)
Working stateHistoric as original code base for Darwin, which was the base for macOS, which in turn was the base of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS
Source modelClosed source with some open-source components
Initial releaseSeptember 18, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-09-18)
Final release3.3 / 1995 (1995)
Final preview4.2 Pre-release 2 / September 1997
Marketing targetEnterprise, academia
Package managerInstaller.app
PlatformsMotorola 68030/68040, IA-32, SPARC, PA-RISC
Kernel typeHybrid (Mach, BSD)
UserlandBSD
Default
user interface		Graphical
LicenseProprietary EULA
Succeeded byOpenStep, Darwin, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, GNUstep
Part of a series on
macOS
Features
Versions
Applications
Utilities
Related

NeXTSTEP is a discontinued object-oriented, multitasking operating system based on the Mach kernel and the UNIX-derived BSD. It was developed by NeXT Computer, founded by Steve Jobs, in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was initially used for its range of proprietary workstation computers such as the NeXTcube. It was later ported to several other computer architectures.

Although relatively unsuccessful at the time, it attracted interest from computer scientists and researchers. It hosted the original development of the Electronic AppWrapper, the first commercial electronic software distribution catalog to collectively manage encryption and provide digital rights for application software and digital media, a forerunner of the modern "app store" concept. It is the platform on which Tim Berners-Lee created the first web browser, and on which id Software developed the video games Doom and Quake.

In 1996, Apple Computer acquired NeXT. Apple needed a successor to the classic Mac OS, and merged NeXTSTEP and OpenStep with the Macintosh user environment to create Mac OS X. All of Apple's subsequent platforms since iPhone OS 1 were then based on Mac OS X (later renamed macOS).

Overview

NeXTSTEP (also stylized as NeXTstep, NeXTStep, and NEXTSTEP) is a combination of several parts:

NeXTSTEP is a preeminent implementation of the last three items. The toolkits are the canonical development system for all of the software on the system.

It introduced the idea of the Dock (carried through OpenStep and into macOS) and the Shelf. NeXTSTEP originated or innovated a large number of other GUI concepts which became common in other operating systems: 3D chiseled widgets, large full-color icons, system-wide drag and drop of a wide range of objects beyond file icons, system-wide piped services, real-time scrolling and window dragging, properties dialog boxes called "inspectors", and window modification notices (such as the saved status of a file). The system is among the first general-purpose user interfaces to handle publishing color standards, transparency, sophisticated sound and music processing (through a Motorola 56000 DSP), advanced graphics primitives, internationalization, and modern typography, in a consistent manner across all applications.

Additional kits were added to the product line. These include Portable Distributed Objects (PDO), which allow easy remote invocation, and Enterprise Objects Framework, an object-relational database system. The kits made the system particularly interesting to custom application programmers, and NeXTSTEP had a long history in the financial programming community.

History

NeXTSTEP was built upon Mach and BSD, initially 4.3BSD-Tahoe. A preview release of NeXTSTEP (version 0.8) was shown with the launch of the NeXT Computer on October 12, 1988. The first full release, NeXTSTEP 1.0, shipped on September 18, 1989. It was updated to 4.3BSD-Reno in NeXTSTEP 3.0. The last version, 3.3, was released in early 1995, for the Motorola 68000 family based NeXT computers, Intel x86, Sun SPARC, and HP PA-RISC-based systems.

NeXT separated the underlying operating system from the application frameworks, producing OpenStep. OpenStep and its applications can run on multiple underlying operating systems, including OPENSTEP, Windows NT, and Solaris. In 1997, it was updated to 4.4BSD while assimilated into Apple's development of Rhapsody for x86 and PowerPC. NeXTSTEP's direct descendant is Apple's macOS, which then yielded iPhone OS 1, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

Legacy

The first web browser, WorldWideWeb, and the first app store were all invented on the NeXTSTEP platform.

1990 CERN: A Joint proposal for a hypertext system is presented to the management. Mike Sendall buys a NeXT cube for evaluation, and gives it to Tim Berners-Lee. Tim's prototype implementation on NeXTSTEP is made in the space of a few months, thanks to the qualities of the NeXTSTEP software development system. This prototype offers WYSIWYG browsing/authoring! Current Web browsers used in "surfing the Internet" are mere passive windows, depriving the user of the possibility to contribute. During some sessions in the CERN cafeteria, Tim and I try to find a catching name for the system. I was determined that the name should not yet again be taken from Greek mythology. Tim proposes "World-Wide Web". I like this very much, except that it is difficult to pronounce in French...

— Robert Cailliau, 2 November 1995

Some features and keyboard shortcuts now common to web browsers originated in NeXTSTEP conventions. The basic layout options of HTML 1.0 and 2.0 are attributable to those features of NeXT's Text class.

Lighthouse Design Ltd. developed Diagram!, a drawing tool, originally called BLT (for Box-and-Line Tool) in which objects (boxes) are connected together using "smart links" (lines) to construct diagrams such a flow charts. This basic design can be enhanced by the simple addition of new links and new documents, located anywhere in the local area network, that foreshadowed Tim Berners-Lee's initial prototype that was written on NeXTSTEP in October–December 1990.

In the 1990s, the pioneering PC games Doom, Doom II, Quake, and their respective level editors were developed by id Software on NeXT machines. Other games based on the Doom engine such as Heretic and its sequel Hexen by Raven Software, and Strife by Rogue Entertainment were developed on NeXT hardware using id's tools.

Altsys made the NeXTSTEP application Virtuoso, version 2 of which was ported to Mac OS and Windows to become Macromedia FreeHand version 4. The modern "Notebook" interface for Mathematica, and the advanced spreadsheet Lotus Improv, were developed using NeXTSTEP. The software that controlled MCI's Friends and Family calling plan program was developed using NeXTSTEP.

About the time of the release of NeXTSTEP 3.2, NeXT partnered with Sun Microsystems to develop OpenStep. It is the product of an effort to separate the underlying operating system from the higher-level object libraries to create a cross-platform object-oriented API standard derived from NeXTSTEP. OpenStep was released for Sun's Solaris, Windows NT, and NeXT's Mach kernel-based operating system. NeXT's implementation is called "OPENSTEP for Mach" and its first release (4.0) superseded NeXTSTEP 3.3 on NeXT, Sun, and Intel IA-32 systems.

Following an announcement on December 20, 1996, Apple Computer acquired NeXT on February 4, 1997, for $429 million. Based upon the "OPENSTEP for Mach" operating system, and developing the OpenStep API to become Cocoa, Apple created the basis of Mac OS X, and eventually of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

GNUstep is a free software implementation of the OpenStep standard.

Release history

Version Date Distribution medium Architecture Basis Notes
0.8 October 12, 1988 MO disc m68k 4.3BSD-Tahoe NeXTStep Digital Webster, Complete Works of William Shakespeare, netboot, NFS
0.8a 1988 MO disc m68k
0.9 1988 MO disc m68k NeXT 0.9/1.0 Release Description
1.0 1989 MO disc m68k
1.0a 1989 MO disc m68k Photo of NeXTSTEP 1.0a MO disc
2.0 September 18, 1990 MO disc, CD-ROM m68k Support for the NeXTstation, NeXTcube (68040). Support for floppy disk, CD-ROM, Fax modems, and color graphics. Workspace Manager now has the Shelf, copies performed in background, black hole is replaced by recycler icon. Terminal.app. Dynamic loading of drivers.
2.1 March 25, 1991 MO disc, CD-ROM m68k Support for the NeXTdimension board. TeX, internationalization improvements. New machines with 2.1 include Lotus Improv.
2.1a MO disc, CD-ROM m68k
2.2 CD-ROM m68k Support for the NeXTstation Turbo
3.0 September 8, 1992 CD-ROM m68k 4.3BSD-Reno Project Builder, 3D support with Interactive RenderMan, Pantone colors, PostScript Level 2, Object Linking and Embedding, Distributed Objects, Database Kit, Phone Kit, Indexing Kit, precompiled headers, HFS, AppleTalk, and Novell NetWare.
3.1 May 25, 1993 CD-ROM m68k, i386 First release for the i386 architecture, introducing fat binaries.
3.2 October 1993 CD-ROM m68k, i386
3.3 February 1995 CD-ROM m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC Support for the PA-RISC and SPARC architectures added, introducing Quad-fat Binaries. Last and most popular version released under the name NEXTSTEP. Referred to as NEXTSTEP/m68k, NEXTSTEP/Intel, NEXTSTEP/SPARC. NEXTSTEP/PA-RISC

Delivered on 2 CDs: NeXTSTEP CISC and NeXTSTEP RISC. The Developer CD includes libraries for all architectures, so that programs can be cross-compiled on any architecture for all architectures.

4.0 beta 1996 CD-ROM m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC Very different user interface. Notable as being a precursor of many ideas later introduced in the macOS Dock.

Allegedly dropped due to complaints of having to re-teach users but not for technical reasons (the new UI worked well in the beta).

4.0 July 1996 CD-ROM m68k, i386, SPARC Support for the PA-RISC architecture dropped. Support for m68k, i486, and SPARC architectures. Initial Release of OpenStep for Windows.
4.1 January 1997 CD-ROM m68k, i386, SPARC Support for m68k, i486, and SPARC architectures, and OpenStep for Windows, under OPENSTEP Enterprise (NT only).
4.2 Pre-release 2 September 1997 CD-ROM m68k, i386, SPARC Pre-release 2 circulated to limited number of developers before OpenStep and Apple acquisition.
Rhapsody August 31, 1997 – October 27, 2000 CD-ROM i386, PowerPC 4.4BSD Released after the Apple acquisition, these are arguably closer to NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP than to Mac OS X. For example, they can still be used as remote display via NXHost.

Versions up to 4.1 are general releases. OPENSTEP 4.2 pre-release 2 is a bug-fix release published by Apple and supported for five years after its September 1997 release.

See also

References

  1. "Electronic AppWrapper". Kevra.org. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  2. "Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!". rome.ro. December 20, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  3. "GameTales: Cray 6400". rome.ro. January 31, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Ford, Kevin (2008). "What's with all the NeXT names?". www.kevra.org. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  5. Engel, Tomi (January 11, 2000). "OpenStep Confusion". Object Farm. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  6. Singh, Amit (December 2003). "What is Mac OS X?". osxbook.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  7. "Jesse Tayler talks App Store and NeXTSTEP with AppStorey". AppStorey. April 11, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  8. "Roads and Crossroads of Internet History Chapter 4: Birth of the Web".
  9. "Tim Berners-Lee: WorldWideWeb, the first Web client".
  10. "Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!". Archived from the original on March 5, 2007.
  11. "Why OS X is on the iPhone, but not the PC". Roughly Drafted. January 24, 2007. MCI used NeXT software to power its revolutionary Friends and Family networking referral campaign, which other rivals couldn't match for years.
  12. "Water Utility Consultants | Water Utility Consulting by StepWise". Stepwise.com. September 12, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  13. "Apple Computer, Inc. Agrees to Acquire NeXT Software Inc" (Press release). Apple Computer, Inc. December 20, 1996. Archived from the original on March 1, 1997. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  14. Linzmayer, Owen W. (1999). Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc. No Starch Press. ISBN 9781886411289.
  15. "GNUStep: Introduction". GNUStep.org. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  16. ^ "Logiciels NeXT" [NeXT software] (in French).
  17. "NeXTSTEP 2.0 Release Notes (User)" (PDF).
  18. "NeXT Ships NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, Third Generation of the Complete Object-Oriented Environment". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.
  19. "NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 1". YouTube.
  20. "NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 2". YouTube.
  21. "Andrew's Simple Guide to running NeXTSTEP/OpenStep Apps on Mac OS X Server".

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