Multiple Architectures

Last update - Monday, 01-May-95 00:12:06 MET

Status: This Document is under construction!

What it's all about

Using applications should be as transparent for the user as possible. But the variety of hardware platforms and operating systems makes that a 'vapor' wish.

NeXT has introduced FAT binaries to allow one app to execute on all the kind of hardware NeXTSTEP runs on...which works automagically.
With Openstep applications should even be able to run on different operating systems.

Futher on you will find a description of all NeXTSTEP related systems. We will use those icons to refer to operating systems (or system extensions) that are necessary to run a certain program.

NeXTSTEP

Back in 1989 NeXT released its first version of NeXTSTEP. It was an operating system desiged from the beginning to benefit from system wide class libraries...called kits.
The system is based on Mach and a UNIX wrapper on top of that. All the graphics are handled by Display Postscript and (Quick) RenderMan.
In general users don't have to deal with those low-level details. Almost everything can be handled by applications which are based on one of the best graphical user interfaces currently around...NeXTSTEPs look & feel.

This is the original release which runs on NeXT hardware. Those are the legendary black cubes and stations powered by a Motorola 68030 or 68040.
This type of hardware does not get produced anymore. NeXT left the unprofitable hardware business back on black Wednesday (10.Feb. 1993) to focus on the software only. (The hardware devision still exists but is a separate company now...called FirePOWER.)

To address the mass market and to find a nitch where NeXT could survive as a software only company, they proted NeXTSTEP onto Intel plattforms.
The frist release was NeXTSTEP 3.1 and it evolved quickly so that it now supports a wide varity of different hardware configurations.

The first venture with a real big company was back in June 1993. NeXT and HP formed the Object-Enterprise initiative which led to a PA-RISC hardware port of NeXTSTEP after becoming a software-only company.

Together with the Openstep announcement NeXT decided to port NeXTSTEP on SPARC machines.

This hasn't been announced by anyone...but having NeXTSTEP on the PUMA (CHRP) complient machines would be so cool that I spent the time to donate an icon.
Lets hope that the market demands NeXTSTEP on PowerPC bad enough.

Openstep

To create an object standard for the computer industry NeXT and Sun came together on Jan. 1994 and defined a certain subset of NeXTSTEP object kits to be named as Openstep.
It is a freely available API specification that can be implementented on top of a number of operating systems. Almost all current Openstep efforts are based on NeXTs source code (execpt for GNUstep).
Openstep is intended to give a 90% system abstraction for the application. The remaining 10% must either be covered by different object kits or they will be system dependant.

Up from system release 4.0, NeXTSTEP will be NeXTs own Openstep compliant operating system. The introduction of the FoundationKit was the major reason why earlier versions of NeXTSTEP are not Openstep conform.

The first 'foreign' vendor implementation will be available from Sun for their whole series on Solaris plattforms. This includes Sparc, Intel and PowerPC hardware. It was announce with the birth of the Openstep idea.

Digital joined the Openstep bandwagon in June 1994. Its version will have OSF/1 underneath. Being a Mach offspring, like NeXTSTEP is, should not introduce too many problems.

To once again target the masses NeXT announced in Feb. 1995 the port of Openstep on top of Windows 95 and NT.

GNUstep is being worked on too. Currently there is only a library (libobjcX) which allows to port NeXTSTEP code more easily.
It is not clear on what kind of operating systems this will be available. At the moment UNIX/X-Windows and OS/2 are the targeted ones.

Use the Source Luke...

Now if the app does not run on the architecture you need it it for...and you see this icon...you might be able to port it yourself.

This means that full source code is available.
Most of the time the responsible developer just doesn't have access to a certain platform which is the reason why there is no compiled version around. After all it might be just a simple recompile.

In some cases developer don't wnat to make their public in general. But if you contact them they might be willing to send you the source as long as you don't.
It is kind of locked away from the crowds but still available without having to spend big dollars.

Got the money ? Then you are able to buy the source code.
You will see this note only where selling source is quite common (commercial object kits, customizable apps etc.). NeXT sells their code too...money can buy almost everything in this world...but that doesn't count here.