OpenStep facts for kids
 |
|
| Developer(s) | NeXT, Sun Microsystems |
|---|---|
| Initial release | October 19, 1994 |
| Written in | Objective-C |
| Operating system | Solaris; Windows NT; Unix-like operating systems with the Mach kernel |
| Platform | IA-32, PA-RISC, SPARC |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Application programming interface |
OpenStep was a special set of rules and tools for making computer programs. It's called an application programming interface (API). Think of it like a blueprint that helps software developers build apps.
This blueprint was created by a company called NeXT. It helped people create programs with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). GUIs are the visual parts of a program you click on, like buttons and menus.
OpenStep was designed to work on many different computers. This meant developers could write code once and use it on systems like NeXTSTEP, Windows NT, and other Unix-based systems. It was a big step towards making software more flexible.
OpenStep also had a huge impact on how other software tools were made. For example, it influenced Cocoa, which is used to build apps for Apple's macOS. It also inspired GNUstep, a similar open-source project.
NeXT and Sun Microsystems worked together to create OpenStep. NeXT even made its own version of OpenStep for its Mach-based Unix operating system. This version was called OPENSTEP (all capital letters).
Contents
How OpenStep Started
Computers from Sun Microsystems used to be programmed in a very basic way. This made it hard to create new programs, even simple ones. Sun tried to make things easier with a system called NeWS, but it was too complicated.
Sun then looked for other ways to improve software development. They partnered with NeXT in 1993. This partnership was seen as a big positive step for NeXT.
The main idea was to take parts of NeXTSTEP, NeXT's operating system, and make them work on Sun's Solaris system. They removed parts of NeXTSTEP that only worked on NeXT's special hardware.
What was left was a smaller system. It included tools for drawing graphics on screen, the Objective-C programming language, and many of NeXTSTEP's software libraries. This made it easier to build advanced apps.
OpenStep's Journey and Impact
The first version of the OpenStep rules was released in mid-1994. Later that year, NeXT released a version of its NeXTSTEP operating system that followed these rules. They called it OPENSTEP.
OPENSTEP became NeXT's main operating system. This continued until Apple Computer bought NeXT in 1997. After the purchase, OPENSTEP's technology was combined with parts of the classic Mac OS. This led to the creation of Mac OS X.
Today, the operating systems for iPhone and iPad, called iOS, are also based on OPENSTEP. This shows how important OpenStep's ideas were for modern technology.
Sun also tried to use OpenStep with its own software. They wanted to add a user-friendly interface to their CORBA-based system. Sun released a test version of OpenStep for Solaris in 1996. However, Sun later focused more on Java, which competed with OpenStep.
What Made OpenStep Different?
OpenStep was different from NeXTSTEP in a few key ways:
- NeXTSTEP was a full operating system. OpenStep was just a set of rules and tools (an API).
- OpenStep didn't need the special Mach kernel that NeXTSTEP used.
- NeXTSTEP had specific ways of storing data depending on the computer. OpenStep was designed to work on any computer, no matter how it stored data.
- OpenStep also added new ways to organize code and manage computer memory.
The OpenStep API had three main parts:
- Foundation Kit: This was the basic set of tools for building apps.
- Application Kit: This part handled the visual GUI and graphics.
- Display PostScript: This system was used for drawing windows and other graphics on the screen.
Building New Tools with OpenStep
Because OpenStep became a standard, new software tools could be built on top of it. These tools could run on many different operating systems. The idea was to create apps that could work across different computer networks.
One important tool was Portable Distributed Objects (PDO). PDO was a simpler version of OpenStep. It allowed programs to talk to each other across a network. PDO apps were often smaller than similar programs built with other systems.
Another tool was D'OLE. This allowed OpenStep programs to work with Microsoft Windows applications. For example, you could use D'OLE to connect a powerful financial program to Microsoft Excel. This was a big deal because it allowed different programs to communicate even before Microsoft had its own solution for this.
Enterprise Objects Framework (EOF) was another useful tool built on OpenStep. It helped connect programs to databases.
Where OpenStep Was Used
OPENSTEP for Mach
NeXT's first operating system was NeXTSTEP. It ran on NeXT's own computers and was later adapted for Intel x86 computers, Hewlett-Packard workstations, and Sun Microsystems workstations.
NeXT made an OpenStep-ready version of NeXTSTEP called OPENSTEP for Mach. This version kept all the great features of NeXTSTEP, like its unique user interface with the Dock and Shelf. It also had much better support for different hardware.
OPENSTEP for Mach worked on Intel PCs, Sun's SPARC computers, and NeXT's older computers. It became NeXT's main operating system from 1995 onwards. It also included older NeXTSTEP tools, so older programs could still run.
Solaris OpenStep
Sun and NeXT also created an OpenStep system for Sun's Solaris operating system. However, Sun later lost interest in OpenStep and focused on Java. Java was a new programming language that competed with OpenStep.
OPENSTEP Enterprise
NeXT also made a version that ran on Windows NT 4.0. This was called OPENSTEP Enterprise (OSE). It showed how easily programs made with OpenStep could be moved to different systems. This allowed NeXT's customers to keep using their apps even if they switched to Windows.
Rhapsody and Mac OS X Server
After Apple bought NeXT, they planned to release a new operating system called Rhapsody. Rhapsody was an updated version of OPENSTEP for Mach. It had a new look and supported Java and Apple's own technologies.
Mac OS X Server 1.0 was the first official release of this new operating system. It was made for Apple's PowerPC computers.
macOS and iOS Today
Later, Apple changed the graphics system and added better support for older Mac programs. This led to the release of Mac OS X (now called macOS).
The main way to program for macOS is now called Cocoa. Cocoa is essentially the modern version of OpenStep, with some new features.
macOS has become one of the most popular Unix-like operating systems in the world. Even though macOS is no longer fully OpenStep-compliant, its roots are clearly in OpenStep. The operating system for iPhones and iPads, iOS, also shares this heritage.
GNUstep
GNUstep is a free and open-source project. It started around the same time as NeXTSTEP. While Apple bought OpenStep, GNUstep continues to develop a portable version of the Cocoa/OPENSTEP libraries.
GNUstep also has its own tools for making software. It even includes some newer features from macOS's Cocoa framework.
See also
- NeXT character set
- Multi-architecture binary
