I missed the whole NeXT timeline while it was happening, as I'm pretty late to the computer world... but a lot of this stuff is really interesting. Was NeXT really as influential as it sounds?
I believe NeXTStep also pioneered the concept of display postscript, long before PDF’s and Quartz (OS X’s PDF based display API):
Quote:
Display PostScript at NeXT
The developers of NeXT wrote a completely new windowing engine to take full advantage of NeXT's object-oriented operating system. A number of commands were added to DPS to actually create the windows and to react to events, similar to but simpler than NeWS. The single API made programming at higher levels much easier and made NeXT one of the few systems to extensively use DPS. The user-space windowing system library Nextstep used PostScript to draw items like titlebars and scrollers. This, in turn, made extensive use of pswraps, which were in turn wrapped in objects and presented to the programmer in object form.
[edit]Modern Derivatives
Apple's Mac OS X operating system uses a central window server (created entirely by Apple) that caches window graphics as PDF, instead of storing and executing PostScript code. A graphics library called Quartz 2D provides PostScript-style imaging using the PDF rendering model (a subset, plus tweaks, of the PostScript model), but this is used by application frameworks—there is no PostScript present in the Mac OS X window server. Apple chose to use this model for a variety of reasons, including the avoidance of high Adobe-imposed licensing fees for DPS, and more efficient support of legacy Carbon and Classic code; QuickDraw-based applications use bitmapped drawing exclusively. Adobe's copyright stipulations for the PDF standard are much less restrictive, granting conditional copyright permission to anyone to use the format in software applications, free of charge.
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NEXT might have been influential but it was a flop of a company if it wasnt for Xerox or Canon or whoever who bought them.
You mean Apple.
And yes, as a business venture, NeXT was a terrible failure. I can’t remember which Jobs bio its in, but they talk about a fully automated NeXT assembly plant capable of producing tens of thousands of units a month, producing a few hundred at peak demand.
^I'm going to ignore the NeXT debate above and respond to the OP if that's OK^
It's about time! Windows 7 is pretty close to Snow Leopard in terms of ease-of-use and feature quality, time for Apple to take a leap forward on the desktop.
I'm hoping for features that make it a better hub for your digital life extending outwards to iPhone, iPod, iPad, and TV.
I believe NeXTStep also pioneered the concept of display postscript, long before PDF’s and Quartz (OS X’s PDF based display API):
That's interesting too.
On a bit of a side note, I remember reading something somewhere about Apple's early days of working closely with Adobe to found some of their base technologies. I don't really know any specifics, though.
Kind of doubt this will be announced, but you gotta think iOS and OS X are working towards some sort of convergence (techcrunch suggested replacing the dashboard with an iOS board which would be interesting.)
Either way, Apple has to leverage their strength in the mobile and touch field on their desktops. Maybe not in this iteration, but definitely the next.
You mean when they were bought by Apple in order to bring Steve Jobs back into the fold?
Of course. With the NeXT tech and people as well. Apple had many failed attempts at creating a modern OS post System 7 like Copland. Mac OS 8 used some of Copland's features like a multithreaded Finder and HFS + but it didn't deserve a full version bump. Jobs did it to get out of having to license to clone makers who were killing Apple at the time. OS 9 was a stop gap and allowed the next new modern OS to use the nice round number 10 or X. All OS 9 added was a kind of multi user environment. Hardly worth a full version bump.
Rhapsody was one of their attempts and was based on OpenStep, developed by NeXT. They ended up just buying NeXT and Rhapsody became OS X.
Of course. With the NeXT tech and people as well. Apple had many failed attempts at creating a modern OS post System 7 like Copland. Mac OS 8 used some of Copland's features like a multithreaded Finder and HFS + but it didn't deserve a full version bump. Jobs did it to get out of having to license to clone makers who were killing Apple at the time. OS 9 was a stop gap and allowed the next new modern OS to use the nice round number 10 or X. All OS 9 added was a kind of multi user environment. Hardly worth a full version bump.
Rhapsody was one of their attempts and was based on OpenStep, developed by NeXT. They ended up just buying NeXT and Rhapsody became OS X.
There were a lot of rumours at the time that Apple was considering buying up Be Inc. and that BeOS would evolve into the next big iteration of the Mac OS. Apple was offering $125 million, but the Be CEO was holding out for $200 million, and Apple moved their attention to acquiring NeXT. (Be Inc was bought by Palm for $11 million about five years later.)
So was the purchase of NeXT focused on buying their technologies, or was the focus on bringing Steve Jobs back?
I always thought they wanted Jobs to come back, and the only way was to buy his current company at the time (NeXT). Was it the other way around, though (where they wanted NeXTStep and the only way Jobs would sell is if they let him come back to Apple)?
Edit: A quick Wiki lookup provides this paragragh, but it's kind of vague in terms of which was more important to Apple...
Quote:
In 1996, Michael Spindler was replaced by Gil Amelio as CEO. Gil Amelio made many changes at Apple, including massive layoffs. After multiple failed attempts to improve Mac OS, first with the Taligent project, then later with Copland and Gershwin, Amelio chose to purchase NeXT and its NeXTSTEP operating system, bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple as an advisor. On July 9, 1997, Gil Amelio was ousted by the board of directors after overseeing a three-year record-low stock price and crippling financial losses. Jobs became the interim CEO and began restructuring the company's product line.
Has anyone heard rumours about the MacBook Pro's being refreshed? I'm planning to make a purchase before the end of November, so an upgrade would be perfect. I would probably log onto my internet.
Has anyone heard rumours about the MacBook Pro's being refreshed? I'm planning to make a purchase before the end of November, so an upgrade would be perfect. I would probably log onto my internet.
Wouldn't be surprised if the 13" gets a refresh but the 15 and 17 recently got one to the iChips. The 13" is still on Core 2 Duo, so that might get bumped to i3 or i5. According to the buyer's guide those aren't due- but the 13" is.
My guess is iLife 11 is announced though! (and 10.7 details, and release of 10.6.5)
I'd like to see some integration with the iOS devices, new iWork is welcome. I'd also like to see quicktime get back some of it's glory. What Apple did to quicktime reminds me of that time george lucas molested indiana jones.
That's pretty damn sweet, good find Fanin80. You can see why he's such a great keynote speaker...he's logged his 10k hours.
Have you read Crossing the Chasm? I haven't done enough research, but based on the marketing strategy he talks about near the end of part 2 I think I can guess where NeXT stumbled.
They should have dominated, to use an example he mentioned, Boston financial services and expanded outward instead of going gangbusters on marketing expenditures to "get ppl who call Sun to call us as well"
I think you'd really like it.
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? (would be pretty awesome)
