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> NeXT never made their own hardware so they designed it that way from the start When I think NeXT, I think the NeXTcube (1990-1993) [0], which apparently also

> NeXT never made their own hardware so they designed it that way from the start When I think NeXT, I think the NeXTcube (1990-1993) [0], which apparently also had a predecessor in the NeXT Computer (1988-1991) [1]. NeXT made their own hardware for a solid chunk (nearly half) of their lifespan, and NeXTSTEP was originally released with the NeXT Computer [2]. It didn't even support CPU architectures other than the Motorola 68k series until 1993, around the demise of the NeXTcube! I think its ultimate portability probably has more to do with being a UNIX at its core (so a battle-tested design written in somewhat portable C) plus a user environment written in a higher-level, easier to port language (Objective-C). [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTcube https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTcube [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT_Computer [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTSTEP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTSTEP

bluedino 4y ago
I meant their own CPU
icedchai 4y ago
The "NeXT Cube" was essentially the same thing as the "NeXT Computer" with an updated CPU. Basically, they renamed it after they released the "NeXTstation"[0] to avoid confusion. Otherwise, they'd have had two NeXT "Computers." Heh. Though fine in 1988, NeXT's own hardware was rather under-powered for the early 90's. Their main competitor, Sun, was transitioning to their own RISC architecture (SPARC) after originally being on 68K. DEC was coming out with the Alpha. HP had moved to PA RISC. Though I digress, it's too bad NeXT never ran on the Alpha! That would've been a killer 90's setup. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTstation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTstation