grio@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Daniel L. Grillo) (02/06/90)
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IBM TO OFFER NEXTSTEP ON AIX WORKSTATIONS
NEW YORK, February 5, 1990 . . . IBM and NeXT, Inc. today
announced that IBM plans to offer NextStep on AIX. IBM's NextStep
offering will provide AIX users with a major new application environment
for enhanced business and professional productivity.
NextStep is an application software development and user interface
environment, created by NeXT and licensed to IBM in1988. IBM will
support the same applications programming interfaces (APIs) as
NextStep, providing compatibility and consistency so that developers
can offer applications on both machines, resulting in a larger market for
their efforts.
NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings
planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open-
standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3.
Specific product offerings and availability will be made at a future date.
"The innovative NextStep application environment will offer
outstanding ease-of-use and development productivity," said Nick
Donofrio, president of IBM's Advanced Workstation Division. "We're
especially excited about the benefits of the NextStep Interface Builder
and Application Kit, which bring significant value to our customers."
The UNIX operating system offers sophisticated features such as
powerful networking and multitasking, but it may been considered, by
some users, to be too complicated for those who are not UNIX experts.
NextStep, which hides the complexity of the UNIX operating system
under an object-oriented environment, will allow users to take advantage
of the benefits of UNIX.
"We believe IBM's support of NextStep will have profound
implications over time," said Steven P. Jobs. "UNIX is destined to be a
crucial operating system this decade. NextStep tames UNIX so business
users can tap its power. NextStep offerings from both IBM and NeXT will
be a dynamic combination."
*********************************************************************
--
Dan Grillo grio@cs.psu.edu
Penn State NeXT Campus Consultant dgrillo@NeXT.com
(814) 862-5390leo@riki.berkeley.edu (Leo Pereira) (02/07/90)
In article <C2z;gk2@cs.psu.edu> grio@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Daniel L. Grillo) writes: > >IBM TO OFFER NEXTSTEP ON AIX WORKSTATIONS > > NEW YORK, February 5, 1990 . . . IBM and NeXT, Inc. today >announced that IBM plans to offer NextStep on AIX. IBM's NextStep >offering will provide AIX users with a major new application environment >for enhanced business and professional productivity. >can offer applications on both machines, resulting in a larger market for >their efforts. >-- >Dan Grillo grio@cs.psu.edu While I was at Uniforum, I spent some time talking to an IBM systems engineer about Nextstep running under AIX. Some of the conversation was rather amusing: "When will AIX be released?" "Hemm . . . well, we really can't say exactly . . ." and some was quite interesting. He said that the AIX running Nextstep did not use objective C but rather C++. That would lead to difficulties in porting applications from one platform to another. Certainly not the one day that Steve Jobs claimed in his interview. It was kinda bizarre to see Nextstep running on a machine NOT jet black and sleek looking. -Leo Pereira Project: To make stupid people suffer.
sullivan@aqdata.uucp (Michael T. Sullivan) (02/07/90)
From article <C2z;gk2@cs.psu.edu>, by grio@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Daniel L. Grillo): > > NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings > planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open- > standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3. ...as OSF sinks slowly in the sunset... -- Michael Sullivan uunet!jarthur!aqdata!sullivan aQdata, Inc. sullivan@aqdata.uucp San Dimas, CA +1 714 599 9992
jonathan@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice) (02/07/90)
Michael T. Sullivan (sullivan@aqdata.uucp): > > [ Daniel L. Grillo writes: ] > > NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings > > planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open- > > standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3. > > ...as OSF sinks slowly in the sunset... If OSF is sinking -- and the story on this is not entirely in, IMHO -- it is not because of OSF/Motif. Motif is a solid product well supported by the industry leaders. Moreover, several Interface Builder-like programs were shown at the recent UniForum, leading me to belive that NextStep won't for long be the only GUI for which applications can easily be written.
chari@nueces.cactus.org (Chris Whatley) (02/07/90)
jonathan@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice) writes: >Michael T. Sullivan (sullivan@aqdata.uucp): >> > [ Daniel L. Grillo writes: ] >> > NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings >> > planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open- >> > standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3. >> >> ...as OSF sinks slowly in the sunset... >If OSF is sinking -- and the story on this is not entirely in, IMHO -- >it is not because of OSF/Motif. Motif is a solid product well >supported by the industry leaders. Moreover, several Interface >Builder-like programs were shown at the recent UniForum, leading me to >belive that NextStep won't for long be the only GUI for which >applications can easily be written. Has anyone noticed that, excluding the bundled applications, there are more applications available for the NeXTStep environment than for OS/2 and Motif put together? I got my info from a "Personal Workstation" article. They said that there were 18 for NextStep, 16 for OS/2 and 1 for motif. This, of course, excludes all of the Unix stuff that runs on the NeXT, the MS-DOS ca-ca that crawls under OS/2 and the regular X and Unix stuff that runs under Motif. My accountant's (me actually) blood pressure just went down a bit. -- Christopher M. Whatley Research Systems Administrator - University of Texas Mathematics Work: chari@math.utexas.edu (preferably not NeXT Mail) (512/471-7711) Home: chari@nueces.cactus.org (NeXT Mail) (512/499-0475)
gsg0384@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (02/07/90)
> /* Written 6:40 pm Feb 5, 1990 by grio@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu in uxa.cso.uiuc.edu:comp.sys.next */ > /* ---------- "IBM to offer NeXTStep on AIX" ---------- */ > ********************************************************* > > IBM TO OFFER NEXTSTEP ON AIX WORKSTATIONS > > support the same applications programming interfaces (APIs) as > NextStep, providing compatibility and consistency so that developers > can offer applications on both machines, resulting in a larger market for > their efforts. > -- How much compatibility can we expect? First of all, is IBM RT's NeXTStep also based on Display Postscript? Hugh
rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) (02/07/90)
In article <1990Feb6.210929.13426@aqdata.uucp> sullivan@aqdata.uucp (Michael T. Sullivan) writes: >From article <C2z;gk2@cs.psu.edu>, by grio@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Daniel L. Grillo): >> NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings >> planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open- >> standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3. > >...as OSF sinks slowly in the sunset... I wouldn't bet the family farm on that... -- >>"Aaiiyeeee! Death from above!"<< | Steve Rehrauer, rehrauer@apollo.hp.com "Flee, lest we be trod upon!" | The Apollo System Division of H.P.
jasmerb@mist.cs.orst.edu (Bryce Jasmer) (02/08/90)
In article <246300088@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> gsg0384@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: >> /* ---------- "IBM to offer NeXTStep on AIX" ---------- */ >> ********************************************************* >How much compatibility can we expect? >First of all, is IBM RT's NeXTStep also based on Display Postscript? Yes. There are some slides that NeXT has been showing since 0.8 detailing the exact hierarchy of the NeXT software (68030 - Mach - 4.3 BSD - Application Kit - etc.) It shows what exactly is licensed to IBM and one of the little squares that is left out is Display Postscript. IBM licenses that directly from Adobe instead of NeXT. Bryce Jasmer jasmerb@cs.orst.edu
aozer@next.com (Ali Ozer) (02/08/90)
In article <1990Feb6.164710.8086@agate.berkeley.edu> Leo Pereira writes: >While I was at Uniforum, I spent some time talking to an IBM systems >engineer ... He said that the AIX running Nextstep >did not use objective C but rather C++. That would lead to difficulties >in porting applications from one platform to another. Certainly not >the one day that Steve Jobs claimed in his interview. AIX NextStep uses Objective-C; examples from /NextDeveloper/Examples (for instance Draw, Yap, CompositeLab, and most others that don't use the Music or SoundKits) compile and run under IBM's NextStep without changing a single line of code. Ali
rock@lighthouse.com (02/08/90)
In article <22156@unix.cis.pitt.edu> jonathan@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice) writes: >If OSF is sinking -- and the story on this is not entirely in, IMHO -- >it is not because of OSF/Motif. Motif is a solid product well >supported by the industry leaders. Moreover, several Interface >Builder-like programs were shown at the recent UniForum, leading me to >belive that NextStep won't for long be the only GUI for which >applications can easily be written. Yes, there are IB look-alikes for Motif (as there are for nearly all GUIs these days). But one should be careful to consider what these programs do. Most generate good old C code, which, to me, is a scarey thought. In losing the integration and object-oriented aspect of NeXT's IB/Obj-C/AppKit world, these tools, while drawing pretty pictures, don't make for anywhere near as nice a development environment. Compare and save. The NeXT leaves a lot to be desired. But you'd be very, very hard pressed to come up with as good a development environment on any other platform at any price. (We tried; we failed.) Roger Rosner Lighthouse Design, Ltd. NeXT Mail: rock@lighthouse.com or ...!uunet!lighthouse!rock
nazgul@alphalpha.com (Kee Hinckley) (02/09/90)
In article <1990Feb7.050640.19017@nueces.cactus.org> chari@nueces.cactus.org (Chris Whatley) writes: >Has anyone noticed that, excluding the bundled applications, there are >more applications available for the NeXTStep environment than for OS/2 >and Motif put together? I got my info from a "Personal Workstation" >article. They said that there were 18 for NextStep, 16 for OS/2 and 1 >for motif. This, of course, excludes all of the Unix stuff that runs They're either on drugs or have a long lead time. There were more than 18 at Uniforum and (to my suprise) NeXT wasn't there at all. Off hand I remember the XBuild, Builder Xcessory IDTs, plus one IDT from ICO? and a beta version from DEC. There were two desktops (IXI and Looking Glass), a really nice multi-user calendar/scheduling program (Synchronize from CrossWind) and a bunch of other stuff. Motif is by no means perfect, but it exists on more Unix machines than anything else, so by default it's the best thing to write to if you're an application developer. -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Alphalpha Software, Inc. | Voice/Fax: 617/646-7703 | Home: 617/641-3805 | | 148 Scituate St. | Smart fax, dial number. | BBS: 617/641-3722 | | Arlington, MA 02174 | Dumb fax, dial number, | | | nazgul@alphalpha.com | wait for ring, press 3. | BBS line is still dead | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
mdeale@sargas.acs.calpoly.edu (Myron Deale) (02/09/90)
In article <22156@unix.cis.pitt.edu> jonathan@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice) writes: >Michael T. Sullivan (sullivan@aqdata.uucp): >> > [ Daniel L. Grillo writes: ] >> > NextStep will join OSF/Motif as graphical user interface offerings >> > planned for the IBM PS/2 and RISC computers running AIX, IBM's open- >> > standard UNIX operating system based on AT&T System V and BSD 4.3. >> >> ...as OSF sinks slowly in the sunset... > >If OSF is sinking -- and the story on this is not entirely in, IMHO -- >it is not because of OSF/Motif. Motif is a solid product well >supported by the industry leaders. Key phrase: supported by the industry leaders. I realize I'm being a stick in the mud, but whatever IBM supports ... I get suspicious. Same with the rooskies denouncing communism :) I hope OSF, NextStep and NeXT do well. OSF though, is supposed to be a group effort and not a forum for 'em, er IBM. I am confident OSF will make it, but I'd rather see it die now than become the puppet of one company, a large company. -Myron // mdeale@cosmos.acs.calpoly.edu
edwardm@hpcuhc.HP.COM (Edward McClanahan) (02/10/90)
Myron Deale writes: > ... > Key phrase: supported by the industry leaders. I realize I'm being > a stick in the mud, but whatever IBM supports ... I get suspicious. Same > with the rooskies denouncing communism :) > I hope OSF, NextStep and NeXT do well. OSF though, is supposed to be > a group effort and not a forum for 'em, er IBM. I am confident OSF > will make it, but I'd rather see it die now than become the puppet of > one company, a large company. Well, judging by recent happenings in OSF, I'd say they are not in danger of becoming a puppet of IBM. First of all, I believe OSF originally planned to base their OS on AIX, but now they have decided to go with MACH. I understand that this is an Apples vs. Oranges switch, i.e. OSF will need more than MACH alone and may get much from IBM's AIX and elsewhere. Secondly, as evidenced by past decisions like Motif, the tendency is for OSF to "combine" features of several competing products which are submitted to them. Expect more of these "collaborations"... Not speaking for HP, I do recall some concern that HP had too much influence in OSF since both HP and APOLLO were original members of OSF. I guess for a short time, HP got/gets two votes (to IBM's one, etc...). Incidently, Myron's reference to "rooskies denouncing communism" is interesting. While some Soviet's are definately expousing other views, the most notable change in the USSR is the abolishment of their One Party System. Don't feel too smug. Here in the US, we have a media enforced Two Party System (a small improvement over one). So, maybe Myron wasn't assuming that the one company pulling the strings would necessarily be IBM... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Edward McClanahan Hewlett Packard Company Mail Stop 47UE -or- edwardm%hpda@hplabs.hp.com 19447 Pruneridge Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 Phone: (408)447-5651