NeXT Computer: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Workstation computer}} | {{Short description|Workstation computer}} | ||
{{About|the desktop computer|the company|NeXT}} | {{About|the desktop computer|the company|NeXT}} | ||
{{Infobox | {{Infobox personal computer | ||
| logo = | | logo = | ||
| image = | | image = | ||
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| type = [[Workstation]] | | type = [[Workstation]] | ||
| generation = | | generation = | ||
| | | release_date = {{start date and age|1988|10|12}} | ||
| lifespan = | | lifespan = | ||
| price = {{USD|6500|1988||round=-2|link=yes}}<!-- this is price at initial release, not the current price. --> | | price = {{USD|6500|1988||round=-2|link=yes}}<!-- this is price at initial release, not the current price. --> | ||
| discontinued = {{end date|1991}} | | discontinued = {{end date|1991}} | ||
| | | units_sold = | ||
| | | units_shipped = | ||
| media = | | media = | ||
| os = [[NeXTSTEP]], [[OpenStep|OPENSTEP]]<!-- operating system --> | | os = [[NeXTSTEP]], [[OpenStep|OPENSTEP]]<!-- operating system --> | ||
| Line 33: | Line 32: | ||
| touchpad = | | touchpad = | ||
| connectivity = [[Ethernet]] | | connectivity = [[Ethernet]] | ||
| | | online_services = <!-- online service/s offered --> | ||
| dimensions = 1-foot (305 mm) [[die-casting|die-cast]] [[magnesium]] cube-shaped case | | dimensions = 1-foot (305 mm) [[die-casting|die-cast]] [[magnesium]] cube-shaped case | ||
| weight = | | weight = | ||
| | | top_game = | ||
| compatibility = | | compatibility = | ||
| predecessor = | | predecessor = | ||
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==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
{{expand section|da=July 2014|date=July 2025}} | {{expand section|da=July 2014|date=July 2025}} | ||
In 1989, ''[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]]'' magazine listed the NeXT Computer among the "Excellence" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that it showed "what can be done when a personal computer is designed as a system, and not a collection of hardware elements". Citing as "truly innovative" the optical drive, DSP and object-oriented programming environment, it concluded that "the NeXT Computer is worth every penny of its $6,500 market price".<ref name="byte198901">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1989 |title=The BYTE Awards |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1989-01/1989_01_BYTE_14-01_PC_Communications_and_Annual_Awards_and_Digitizing_Tablets#page/n371/mode/2up |magazine=BYTE |page=327}}</ref> The [[workstation]] was not a significant commercial success, failing to reach the high-volume sales of the [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], or [[IBM PC compatible]]s. This was mainly blamed on the computer's substantial price, and the fact that there was not a great demand for the system outside of the higher-education market. Next Computers were mainly sold to universities, financial institutions, and government agencies.<ref name="smgc" /> | In 1989, ''[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]]'' magazine listed the NeXT Computer among the "Excellence" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that it showed "what can be done when a personal computer is designed as a system, and not a collection of hardware elements". Citing as "truly innovative" the optical drive, DSP and object-oriented programming environment, it concluded that "the NeXT Computer is worth every penny of its $6,500 market price".<ref name="byte198901">{{Cite magazine |date=January 1989 |title=The BYTE Awards |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1989-01/1989_01_BYTE_14-01_PC_Communications_and_Annual_Awards_and_Digitizing_Tablets#page/n371/mode/2up |magazine=BYTE |page=327}}</ref> The [[workstation]] was not a significant commercial success, failing to reach the high-volume sales of the [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], or [[IBM PC compatible]]s. This was mainly blamed on the computer's substantial price, and the fact that there was not a great demand for the system outside of the higher-education market. Next Computers were mainly sold to universities, financial institutions, and government agencies.<ref name="smgc" /> | ||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
[[Image:First Web Server.jpg|thumb|This [[NeXTcube]] was used by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] as the first server on the [[World Wide Web]].]] | [[Image:First Web Server.jpg|thumb|This [[NeXTcube]] was used by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] as the first server on the [[World Wide Web]].]] | ||
A NeXT Computer and its [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] development tools and libraries were used by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] and [[Robert Cailliau]] at [[CERN]] to develop the world's first [[web server]] ([[CERN httpd]]) and [[web browser]] ([[WorldWideWeb]]). | A NeXT Computer and its [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] development tools and libraries were used by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] and [[Robert Cailliau]] at [[CERN]] to develop the world's first [[web server]] ([[CERN httpd]]) and [[web browser]] ([[WorldWideWeb]]).{{cn|date=June 2026}} | ||
The NeXT platform was used by Jesse Tayler at Paget Press to develop the first electronic [[app store]], called the Electronic AppWrapper, in the early 1990s. Issue #3 was first demonstrated to [[Steve Jobs]] at NeXTWorld Expo 1993.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndZnF555USI |title=Electronic App Wrapper Sept 93 NeXT CD 1st App Store Jesse Tayler, Yes Black Holes Exist Rob Blessin |date=2024-05-19 |last=Rob Blessin |access-date=2025-04-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref> | The NeXT platform was used by Jesse Tayler at Paget Press to develop the first electronic [[app store]], called the Electronic AppWrapper, in the early 1990s. Issue #3 was first demonstrated to [[Steve Jobs]] at NeXTWorld Expo 1993.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndZnF555USI |title=Electronic App Wrapper Sept 93 NeXT CD 1st App Store Jesse Tayler, Yes Black Holes Exist Rob Blessin |date=2024-05-19 |last=Rob Blessin |access-date=2025-04-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref> | ||
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NeXT technology provisioned the first online food delivery system called [[CyberSlice]], using GIS based geolocation, on which Steve Jobs performed the first online order of pizza with tomato and basil.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} CyberSlice was curated into the Inventions of the 20th Century, Computer Science<ref>{{cite web | title=CyberSlice, Incorporated | url=http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=Cyberslice | website=Smithsonian Institution | access-date=2019-06-21 | archive-date=2021-03-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325162012/https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=Cyberslice | url-status=live }}</ref> at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://appstorey.com/2019/06/06/appstorey-talks-with-steve-green/|title=AppStorey talks with Steve Green about Steve Jobs, The Smithsonian and how a pizza with basil became the first food delivered via the web|date=June 6, 2019|website=AppStorey|language=en|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=June 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607195248/https://appstorey.com/2019/06/06/appstorey-talks-with-steve-green/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=PMQ Pizza Magazine|title=How Steve Jobs Made Pizza History|date=June 3, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxR6I-KRAug |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/oxR6I-KRAug| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=June 7, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | NeXT technology provisioned the first online food delivery system called [[CyberSlice]], using GIS based geolocation, on which Steve Jobs performed the first online order of pizza with tomato and basil.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} CyberSlice was curated into the Inventions of the 20th Century, Computer Science<ref>{{cite web | title=CyberSlice, Incorporated | url=http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=Cyberslice | website=Smithsonian Institution | access-date=2019-06-21 | archive-date=2021-03-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325162012/https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=Cyberslice | url-status=live }}</ref> at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://appstorey.com/2019/06/06/appstorey-talks-with-steve-green/|title=AppStorey talks with Steve Green about Steve Jobs, The Smithsonian and how a pizza with basil became the first food delivered via the web|date=June 6, 2019|website=AppStorey|language=en|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=June 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607195248/https://appstorey.com/2019/06/06/appstorey-talks-with-steve-green/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=PMQ Pizza Magazine|title=How Steve Jobs Made Pizza History|date=June 3, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxR6I-KRAug |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/oxR6I-KRAug| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=June 7, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | ||
== Architecture == | |||
The NeXT Computer features three [[Motorola]]-manufactured chips: the [[Motorola 68030]] CPU, a Motorola 68882 Floating Point Unit, and a Motorola 56001 digital signal processor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeXT Computers - Company - Computing History |url=https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/927/next-computers/ |access-date=2026-01-27 |website=www.computinghistory.org.uk}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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{{Commons category|NeXT}} | {{Commons category|NeXT}} | ||
* Byte Magazine, November 1988: The NeXT Computer [https://archive.org/details/byte-1988-11-next Facsimile], [https://archive.org/details/byte-1988-11-next Full text] | * Byte Magazine, November 1988: The NeXT Computer [https://archive.org/details/byte-1988-11-next Facsimile], [https://archive.org/details/byte-1988-11-next Full text] | ||
* [https://simson.net/ref/NeXT/index.html Simson Garfinkel's NeXT pages] including [ | * [https://simson.net/ref/NeXT/index.html Simson Garfinkel's NeXT pages] including [https://simson.net/ref/NeXT/nextworld/ NeXTWorld Magazine] | ||
* [http://www.kevra.org/TheBestOfNext/index.html The Best of NeXT Collection] | * [http://www.kevra.org/TheBestOfNext/index.html The Best of NeXT Collection] | ||
* [https://www.simson.net/ref/NeXT/brochure_index.htm NeXT Computer brochure (page 7 contains a full size image of the circuit board)] | * [https://www.simson.net/ref/NeXT/brochure_index.htm NeXT Computer brochure (page 7 contains a full size image of the circuit board)] | ||
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[[Category:68k-based computers]] | [[Category:68k-based computers]] | ||
[[Category:32-bit computers]] | [[Category:32-bit computers]] | ||
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1988]] | |||
Latest revision as of 07:38, 28 June 2026
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Infobox personal computer
NeXT Computer (also called the NeXT Computer System) is a workstation computer that was developed, marketed, and sold by NeXT Inc. It was introduced in October 1988 as the company's first and flagship product, at a price of US$Template:ReplaceExpression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "["., aimed at the higher-education market.[1] It was designed around the Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 floating-point coprocessor,[1] with a clock speed of 25 MHz. Its NeXTSTEP operating system is based on the Mach microkernel and BSD-derived Unix, with a proprietary GUI using a Display PostScript-based back end. According to the Science Museum Group, "The enclosure consists of a 1-foot (304.8 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped black case, which led to the machine being informally referred to as 'The Cube'."[1]
The NeXT Computer was renamed NeXTcube in a later upgrade. The NeXTstation, a more affordable version of the NeXTcube, was released in 1990.
Launch
Template:Main article The NeXT Computer was launched in October 1988 at a lavish invitation-only event, "NeXT Introduction – the Introduction to the NeXT Generation of Computers for Education" at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, California. The next day, selected educators and software developers were invited to attend—for a $100 registration fee—the first public technical overview of the NeXT computer at an event called "The NeXT Day" at the San Francisco Hilton. It gave those interested in developing NeXT software an insight into the system's software architecture and object-oriented programming. Steve Jobs was the luncheon's speaker.
Reception
Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 1989, BYTE magazine listed the NeXT Computer among the "Excellence" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that it showed "what can be done when a personal computer is designed as a system, and not a collection of hardware elements". Citing as "truly innovative" the optical drive, DSP and object-oriented programming environment, it concluded that "the NeXT Computer is worth every penny of its $6,500 market price".[2] The workstation was not a significant commercial success, failing to reach the high-volume sales of the Apple II, Commodore 64, Mac, or IBM PC compatibles. This was mainly blamed on the computer's substantial price, and the fact that there was not a great demand for the system outside of the higher-education market. Next Computers were mainly sold to universities, financial institutions, and government agencies.[1]
Legacy
A NeXT Computer and its object-oriented development tools and libraries were used by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau at CERN to develop the world's first web server (CERN httpd) and web browser (WorldWideWeb).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The NeXT platform was used by Jesse Tayler at Paget Press to develop the first electronic app store, called the Electronic AppWrapper, in the early 1990s. Issue #3 was first demonstrated to Steve Jobs at NeXTWorld Expo 1993.[3]
Pioneering PC games Doom, Doom II, and Quake (with respective level editors) were developed by id Software on NeXT machines. Doom engine games such as Heretic, Hexen, and Strife were also developed on NeXT hardware using id's tools.[4]
NeXT technology provisioned the first online food delivery system called CyberSlice, using GIS based geolocation, on which Steve Jobs performed the first online order of pizza with tomato and basil.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". CyberSlice was curated into the Inventions of the 20th Century, Computer Science[5] at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.[6][7]
Architecture
The NeXT Computer features three Motorola-manufactured chips: the Motorola 68030 CPU, a Motorola 68882 Floating Point Unit, and a Motorola 56001 digital signal processor.[8]
See also
- Previous, emulator of NeXT hardware
- NeXTstation
- NeXTcube
- NeXTcube Turbo
- NeXT character set
- Power Mac G4 Cube
References
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External links
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- Byte Magazine, November 1988: The NeXT Computer Facsimile, Full text
- Simson Garfinkel's NeXT pages including NeXTWorld Magazine
- The Best of NeXT Collection
- NeXT Computer brochure (page 7 contains a full size image of the circuit board)
- old-computers.com — NeXTcube Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- Photos of black hardware
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