This page is a wiki. Please login or create an account to begin editing.
Architecture: x86 (Intel)
OPENSTEP 4.2
This is OPENSTEP 4.2 for Intel x86. This was the last OS that NeXT, Inc. would release, making use of the OpenStep API that was developed with Sun Microsystems. The OpenStep API was initially made to allow NeXTSTEP object layers to run on Sun's Solaris operating system. The end result was a number of implementations of OPENSTEP that supported Intel x86, Sun SPARC, and NeXT 68K hardware (support for HP PA-RISC hardware that was present in NeXTSTEP was dropped). In addition to these implementations, NeXT and Sun released an implementation of OpenStep for Solaris. However, Sun would soon turn its attention to Java. For the most part, OPENSTEP 4.0 - 4.2 are essentially NeXTSTEP with the OpenStep API placed on top.
The OpenStep API and OPENSTEP would go on to be incorporated into Rhapsody, and later, Mac OS X, where the OpenStep API would be morphed into Cocoa, a mainstay in Mac OS X development. However, Mac OS X is not compliant with the OpenStep API specification. To find an environment that is compliant with this specification, one must turn to GNUstep, which is based off of OPENSTEP, which in turn is NeXT's implementation of the OpenStep API. Got it?
* Note * OPENSTEP essentially refers to the OS developed by NeXT, Inc. OpenStep refers to the framework and standard developed by NeXT and Sun.
User(Install) CD.
http://i.minus.com/1327572076/S19LrCkyIOmotIQagkwSTQ/dbrjhMnuxwSDYR.zip
Developer CD
http://i.minus.com/1327568667/pPW8v3OdOc1PmlWiaIAtIA/dUZeJQ9n73s37.zip
You'll need the install boot floppy's.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA45687?viewlocale=en_US
http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates...
Check www.nextcomputers.org. It has a lot of information and a great forum for support.
CompatibilityArchitecture: x86 (Intel)
x86. Will run in VMWare or Virtualbox with some work
Comments
Oh, nice – the links indeed seem to work again. Maybe it was a glitch on the hoster's site (I got an error that the site min.us does not exist and the really seem to redirect to minus.com).
The min.us links seem to be working for me.
Edit: If you are interested in such OS, you might also google for osvirtual to find a VMWare image for NextStep3.3 with drivers for VMWare included.
Unfortunately, the CD images no longer appear to be available...
Just in case anyone stumbles on this:
The floppy images are still (!) online. Just change
ftp://ftp.info.apple.comtohttp://download.info.apple.com.There also is a GNUStep live CD for PPC:
http://mirror.noone.org/gnustep/
and
http://io.debian.net/~tar/gnustep/
Well, I got it running on my AthlonXP box, 1.2GB RAM, 8GB partition. It runs without sound or network in 4bit grayscale. I didn't figure out the dual-IDE problem in time, and therefore did not get the Y2K/update4 patch installed (which would have given me HD VESA modes). Still, the lack of sound and network made it fairly useless for my purposes. Also, the machine did not power down, which was a bummer.
I had trouble installing under VirtualBox 3.12, which is meant to still be compatible. The only issue was my USB mouse and keyboard not working (requiring a hard reset each time)
I will try a full floppy/CD install once I get some blank CD-Rs later today. I have some unused 10/100 NIC PCI cards, and I believe the sound card supports SoundBlaster emulation.
UPDATE: didn't find any CD-Rs today, but I may have User/Developer CDs left over from last time. I haven't heard of AthlonXP native success with OS4.2, but I am hoping it will still work.
EDIT: Yes, it was not a P4 like I first thought
More news as it comes to hand...
Does anyone know if Intel software will run unchanged on OpenStep Enterprise (NT)?
Does anyone know if you can still obtain OpenStep Enterprise? The hardware would be much better supported I would think (NT/2000 drivers?)
Thanks MikeTomTom for the pointer, the two last images are obligate for installation.
For Virtual Box 3.1.4 for Windows a guide is there at NeXT forums.
Installation is not too uncomfortable. It is important to set the atapi IDE controllers correctly.
Has someone been using virtual machines successfully with sound and color recently?
I have tried this on an old PIII, and it worked great (albeit in grayscale). Sound worked, and I believe networking was supported by my machine (but not tested).
I have a new fast P4 here, with plenty of RAM etc, and a 40GB+60GB HDDs, so I might give it another try (4GB HDD limit sucks!). I might also just emulate it under VirtualBox, as it would positively fly... in COLOUR!
@24bit:
Not sure if this is what you're after, but try here as it looks promising. Click the "Parent Directory" links there, too, for other interesting stuff.
Thanks for the upload! The sreenshots of the link xy pointed to, look pretty cool.
Is anybody aware, how to aquire the needed driver floppy image?
The server ftp://ftp.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area gives me "source file not found" error for the link to the disk. Is that the server that was shut down some time ago?
Here:
http://www.maconintel.com/news.php?article=179
is a description of how to run Openstep on a MacBook Pro.
To whom ever changed my discription - thank you. It reads much better and has many more details.
thanks for uploading, now i have an alternative os to run on my windoze machine.