NeXTSTEP

NeXTSTEP

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 Darwin, which was the base for macOS, which in turn was the base of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS
Source model	Closed source with some open-source components
Initial release	September 18, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-09-18)
Final release	3.3 / 1995 (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

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,^[1] 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.^[2][3]

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).