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NeXTSTEP
EntityQ831367· pop 27· linked from 520 articles

Also known as OPENSTEP

NeXTSTEP is a discontinued object-oriented, multitasking operating system based on the Mach kernel and the UNIX-derived BSD. It was developed by NeXT, 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 NeXT Computer. It was later ported to several other computer architectures and was later bought by Apple Inc. to replace the older Classic Mac OS with macOS.

Key facts

OS.name
NeXTSTEP
OS.logo
frameless|upright=0.5
OS.screenshot
NeXTSTEP desktop.png
OS.caption
NeXTSTEP graphical user interface
OS.developer
NeXT
OS.family
Unix (4.3BSD-Tahoe)
OS.working_state
Historic as original code base for Darwin, which was the base for macOS, which in turn was the base of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS
OS.source_model
Closed source with some open-source components
OS.latest_release_version
3.3
OS.latest_preview_version
4.2 Pre-release 2
OS.latest_preview_date
September 1997
OS.marketing_target
Enterprise, academia
OS.prog_language
C, Objective-C
OS.package_manager
Installer.app
OS.supported_platforms
Motorola 68030/68040, IA-32, SPARC, PA-RISC
OS.kernel_type
Hybrid (Mach, BSD)
OS.userland
BSD
OS.ui
Graphical

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
WorldWideWeb.png
Show 3 more facts
software version identifier
3.3
inception
1989-09-18
dissolved, abolished or demolished date
1997-00-00
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via Wikidata · CC0

~10 min read

Article

7 sections
Contents
  • Overview
  • History
  • Legacy
  • Release history
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

NeXTSTEP is a discontinued object-oriented, multitasking operating system based on the Mach kernel and the UNIX-derived BSD. It was developed by NeXT, 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 NeXT Computer. It was later ported to several other computer architectures and was later bought by Apple Inc. to replace the older Classic Mac OS with 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.

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