NeXT Computer

NeXT Computer

NeXT Computer used by Berners-Lee at CERN
Manufacturer	NeXT, Fremont, California, plant
Type	Workstation
Release date	October 12, 1988
Introductory price	US$6500
Discontinued	1990
Operating system	NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP
CPU	Motorola 68030 @ 25 MHz, 68882 FPU @ 25 MHz, 56001 digital signal processor (DSP) @ 25 MHz
Memory	shipped with 8 MiB, expandable to 16 MiB using 1 MiB Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs)
Storage	256 MiB magneto-optical drive, optional hard disk
Display	MegaPixel 17" monitor
Graphics	1120×832 pixel resolution, four-level grayscale
Sound	built-in speakers
Input	85-key keyboard, 2-button mouse
Connectivity	Ethernet
Power	300 Watts, 3 Amperes
Dimensions	1-foot (305 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped case
Successor	NeXTcube

The NeXT Computer (also called the NeXT Computer System) is a workstation computer developed, marketed, and sold by NeXT Inc., a company founded by Steve Jobs and several other veterans of the Macintosh and Lisa teams, from 1988 until 1990. It ran the Mach- and BSD-derived, Unix-based NeXTSTEP operating system, with a unique GUI using a Display PostScript-based back end. The motherboard is square and fit into one of four identical slots in the enclosure. The NeXT Computer enclosure consisted of a 1-foot (305 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped, black case, which led to the machine being informally referred to as "The Cube". It cost US$6,500.

The NeXT Computer was succeeded by the NeXTcube, an upgraded model, in 1990.

Reception

The NeXT Computer was not a great commercial success at the level of high volume personal computers such as the Apple II, the Macintosh, or Microsoft Windows PCs; some of the workstations were sold to universities, financial institutions, and government agencies however.

Launch

The NeXT Computer was revealed at a lavish (invitation only) gala launch event "NeXT Introduction - the Introduction to the NeXT Generation of Computers for Education" at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California on Wednesday October 12 1988. The following day, selected educators and software developers were invited (for $100 registration fee) to attend the first public technical overview of the NeXT computer at an event called "The NeXT Day" held at the San Francisco Hilton. This event gave developers interested in developing NeXT software an insight into the software architecture, object-oriented programming and developing for the NeXT Computer. The luncheon speaker was Steven P. Jobs.

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 software, CERN HTTPd, and also used to write the first web browser, WorldWideWeb.

See also

• Previous, emulator of NeXT hardware

External links

• The Best of NeXT Collection
• NeXT Computer brochure (page 7 contains a full size image of the circuit board)
• old-computers.com — NeXTcube