NeXTSTEP
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.
NeXTSTEP graphical user interface | |
| Developer | NeXT |
|---|---|
| Written in | C, Objective-C |
| OS family | Unix (4.3BSD-Tahoe) |
| Working state | Historic as original code base for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS |
| Source model | Closed source with some open-source components |
| Initial release | September 18, 1989 |
| Final release | 3.3 / 1995 |
| Final preview | 4.2 Pre-release 2 / September 1997 |
| Marketing target | Enterprise, academia |
| Package manager | Installer.app |
| Platforms | Motorola 68030/68040, IA-32, SPARC, PA-RISC |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (Mach, BSD) |
| Userland | BSD |
| Default user interface | Graphical |
| License | Proprietary EULA |
| Succeeded by | OpenStep, Darwin, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, GNUstep |
| Part of a series on |
| macOS |
|---|
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, who needed to release a successor to the classic Mac OS, merged NeXTSTEP and OpenStep with Apple's user environment to create Mac OS X, later renamed macOS. All of Apple's subsequent platforms, including iOS, used this OS as a base.