| Part of a series on |
| macOS |
|---|
NeXTSTEP is a discontinued object-oriented, multitasking operating system developed by NeXT, the technology company founded by Steve Jobs. Based on the Mach kernel and the UNIX-derived BSD, it was introduced in 1989 for the company's computers before being ported to several other computer architectures. Following NeXT's transition away from hardware, version 4 was released as OPENSTEP for Mach, named after the company's OpenStep application programming interface (API).
Although relatively unsuccessful at the time, NeXTSTEP is notable for its influence on software development and computing history. Tim Berners-Lee developed the first web browser and web server on a NeXTSTEP workstation, while id Software used the operating system during development of Doom and Quake.[1][2]
In 1996, Apple Computer acquired NeXT and used NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP as the foundation for Mac OS X (later macOS). Its technologies continue to form the basis of Darwin, the core operating system underlying macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
Overview
NeXTSTEP (also stylized as NeXTstep, NeXTStep, and NEXTSTEP)[3][4] is a combination of several parts:
- a Unix operating system based on the Mach kernel, plus BSD
- Display PostScript and a proprietary windowing engine
- the Objective-C language and runtime
- an object-oriented (OO) application layer, including several "kits"
- development tools for the OO layers.
NeXTSTEP is an implementation of the latter three components. Its toolkits serve as the primary development system for software on the platform.
It introduced the idea of the Dock (carried through OpenStep and into macOS) and the Shelf. NeXTSTEP originated or innovated many 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, consistently 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 domain.[3]
History
NeXTSTEP was built on the Mach kernel and the Unix-derived BSD, initially 4.3BSD-Tahoe. A preview release (version 0.8) was shipped with the NeXT Computer on October 12, 1988, and the first commercial release, NeXTSTEP 1.0, was made available on September 18, 1989.[5] Later releases incorporated newer BSD code, including 4.3BSD-Reno in NeXTSTEP 3.0.
NeXTSTEP was initially released for NeXT's Motorola 68000-based workstations. As the company transitioned away from hardware, NeXTSTEP 3.3, released in early 1995, was ported to x86, SPARC, and PA-RISC.
As part of this transition, NeXT partnered with Sun Microsystems to develop the OpenStep specification, separating the application frameworks from the underlying operating system so they could be implemented on multiple platforms.
With the introduction of the OpenStep specification, NeXT rebranded NeXTSTEP as OPENSTEP for Mach, its implementation of the specification that retained the existing Mach-based operating system and compatibility with NeXTSTEP applications. Versions 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2 were released between 1996 and 1997.
Following Apple's acquisition of NeXT in 1996, OPENSTEP for Mach became the basis for Rhapsody, which evolved into Mac OS X (later macOS). Its technologies continue to underpin Darwin, the foundation of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
Legacy
The first web browser, WorldWideWeb, and the first app store[6] were all invented on the NeXTSTEP platform.
Release history
| Version | Date | Distribution medium | Architecture | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | October 12, 1988 | MO disc | m68k | 4.3BSD-Tahoe | First public preview, released with the NeXT Computer. |
| 0.8a | 1988 | MO disc | m68k | Bugfix release. | |
| 0.9 | May 1, 1989 | MO disc | m68k | Introduced the Preferences application, interface improvements, and bundled FrameMaker, Mathematica, and additional software.[17] | |
| 1.0 | September 11, 1989 | MO disc | m68k | Added application termination from Workspace Manager, updated Preferences application, and interface refinements. | |
| 1.0a | December 21, 1989 | MO disc | m68k | Bugfix release. | |
| 2.0 | September 18, 1990 | MO disc, CD-ROM | m68k | Added support for the NeXTstation, NeXTcube and associated new hardware (floppy disk, CD-ROM, Fax modem, and color graphics), along with a redesigned Workspace Manager and dynamic driver loading.[18][19] | |
| 2.1 | March 25, 1991 | MO disc, CD-ROM | m68k | Added support for NeXTdimension, TeX, improved internationalization, and bundled Lotus Improv with new systems.[18] | |
| 2.1a | MO disc, CD-ROM | m68k | Bugfix release. | ||
| 2.2 | March 25, 1992 | CD-ROM | m68k | Added support for the NeXTstation Turbo. | |
| 3.0 | September 8, 1992[20] | CD-ROM | m68k | 4.3BSD-Reno | Introduced Distributed Objects, Project Builder and additional development kits; improved networking and file system compatibility. |
| 3.1 | May 25, 1993 | CD-ROM | m68k, i386 | Added support for i386 architecture, introduced Multiple Architecture Binaries. | |
| 3.2 | October 18, 1993 | CD-ROM | m68k, i386 | Improved i386 support with SoftPC for emulating MS-DOS and Windows applications.[21] | |
| 3.3 | December 7, 1994 (m68k, i386)[22] | CD-ROM | m68k, i386 | Final release under the NeXTSTEP name. Added support for PA‑RISC and SPARC architectures. | |
| April 4, 1995 (SPARC, PA‑RISC)[23] | PA‑RISC, SPARC | ||||
| 4.0 PR1 | September 7, 1995 | CD-ROM | m68k, i386, PA‑RISC, SPARC | Preview of NeXTSTEP 4.0 featuring a redesigned user interface,[24][25] introducing concepts later incorporated into the macOS Dock. Development discontinued in favor of OPENSTEP 4.0, which reverted to the NeXTSTEP 3.3 interface. | |
| 4.0 | June 25, 1996[26] | CD-ROM | m68k, i386, SPARC | First release under the OPENSTEP name. Implements the OpenStep specification. Dropped support for the PA-RISC architecture. | |
| 4.1 | October 23, 1996 | CD-ROM | m68k, i386, SPARC | Bugfix release. | |
| 4.2 | January 24, 1997 | CD-ROM | m68k, i386, SPARC | Final OPENSTEP release, primarily consisting of bug fixes. | |
| Rhapsody | October 13, 1997 | CD-ROM | i386, PPC | 4.4BSD | Released following Apple's acquisition of NeXT, serving as the transitional operating system between OPENSTEP and Mac OS X.[27] |
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
- Bundle (macOS), from NeXTSTEP to macOS
- Miller columns, the method of directory browsing that NeXTSTEP's File Viewer uses
- NeXT character set
References
- ↑ "Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!". rome.ro. December 20, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ↑ "GameTales: Cray 6400". rome.ro. January 31, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- 1 2 Ford, Kevin (2008). "What's with all the NeXT names?". www.kevra.org. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
- ↑ Engel, Tomi (January 11, 2000). "OpenStep Confusion". Object Farm. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ↑ Singh, Amit (December 2003). "What is Mac OS X?". osxbook.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
- ↑ "Jesse Tayler talks App Store and NeXTSTEP with AppStorey". AppStorey. April 11, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ↑ "Roads and Crossroads of Internet History Chapter 4: Birth of the Web". netvalley.com.
- ↑ Berners-Lee, Tim. "The WorldWideWeb browser". w3.org. World Wide Web Consortium.
- ↑ "Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!". rome.ro. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007.
- ↑ "Electronic AppWrapper". Kevra.org. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- ↑ Tayler, Jesse (June 30, 2024). "Episode 416: Inventor of the App Store - Jesse Tayler How to be a Disruptor". Brave Bold Brilliant. Interviewed by Jeannette Linfoot. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Apple Computer, Inc. Agrees to Acquire NeXT Software Inc". apple.com (Press release). Apple Computer, Inc. December 20, 1996. Archived from the original on March 1, 1997. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ↑ Linzmayer, Owen W. (1999). Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc. No Starch Press. ISBN 9781886411289.
- ↑ "GNUStep: Introduction". GNUStep.org. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ↑ "NeXT 0.9/1.0 Release Description" (PDF). NeXT. March 1989. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
- 1 2 "Logiciels NeXT" [NeXT software] (in French).
- ↑ "NeXTSTEP 2.0 Release Notes (User)" (PDF).
- ↑ "NeXT Ships NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, Third Generation of the Complete Object-Oriented Environment". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.
- ↑ "SOFTPC INCLUDED IN NEXTSTEP 3.2". Tech Monitor. October 28, 1993. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
new version of its NeXTstep object-oriented operating system for Intel Corp hardware will support Insignia Solutions Ltd's SoftPC with Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 5.0 pre-installed.… users will be able to use legacy Microsoft Corp MS-DOS and Windows applications these will run as separate tasks in their own right and sit in a separate window. Customers will be able to cut and paste between the two environments.
- ↑ "NeXT SHIPS RELEASE 3.3 FOR INTEL AND ANNOUNCES BETA FOR NEXTSTEP DEVELOPER 3.3" (Press release). Redwood City, Calif.: NeXT Software. December 7, 1994. Archived from the original on June 16, 1997. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ↑ "NeXT SHIPS NEXTSTEP 3.3 FOR SUN AND HP WORKSTATIONS AND NEXTSTEP DEVELOPER 3.3" (Press release). Redwood City, Calif.: NeXT Software. April 4, 1995. Archived from the original on June 16, 1997. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ↑ "NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 1". YouTube. February 25, 2010.
- ↑ "NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 2". YouTube. February 26, 2010.
- ↑ "NeXT SOFTWARE COMPLETES TRANSITION FROM NEXTSTEP TO OPENSTEP" (Press release). Redwood City, Calif.: NeXT Software. June 25, 1996. Archived from the original on June 16, 1997. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Andrew's Simple Guide to running NeXTSTEP/OpenStep Apps on Mac OS X Server".
External links
- NeXTSTEP Installation Guide
- NeXTComputers.org
- Video of Steve Jobs Demoing NeXTSTEP Release 3 on YouTube
- The Next Step BYTE Magazine 14–03, Object Oriented Programming with NextStep
| Corporate directors |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Team members | ||
| Hardware products | ||
| Software products | ||
Operating systems by Apple | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple II, III, Lisa | |||||||
| Mac |
| ||||||
| iOS derivatives |
| ||||||
| Others | |||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
