Editing NeXTSTEP (section)

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!|Version
!|Date
!|Distribution medium
!Architecture
!Basis
!|Notes
|-
||0.8
||October 12, 1988
||[[Magneto-optical disc|MO disc]]
|[[Motorola 68000 series|m68k]]
| rowspan="9" |4.3BSD-Tahoe
||NeXTStep [[Merriam-Webster|Digital Webster]], [[Shakespeare bibliography|Complete Works]] of William Shakespeare, [[netboot]], [[Network File System|NFS]]
|-
||0.8a
||1988
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||0.9
||1988
||MO disc
|m68k
||[http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/NeXT/NeXT%200.9-1.0%20Release%20Description.pdf NeXT 0.9/1.0 Release Description]
|-
||1.0
||1989
||MO disc
|m68k
||
|-
||1.0a
||1989
||MO disc
|m68k
||[https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterl/4413071416/in/pool-next/ Photo of NeXTSTEP 1.0a MO disc]
|-
||2.0
||September 18, 1990
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the [[NeXTstation]], [[NeXTcube]] ([[Motorola 68040|68040]]). Support for [[floppy disk]], [[CD-ROM]], [[Fax modem]]s, and [[Framebuffer#History|color graphics]]. Workspace Manager now has the Shelf, copies performed in background, black hole is replaced by recycler icon. Terminal.app. Dynamic loading of drivers.<ref name="info taken from">{{cite web| url = http://www.levenez.com/NeXTSTEP/Logiciels.html| title = Logiciels NeXT| language = French| trans-title = NeXT software}}</ref><ref name="lDX0O">{{cite web| url = http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/NeXT/NeXTSTEP%202.0%20Release%20Notes.pdf| title = NeXTSTEP 2.0 Release Notes (User)}}</ref>
|-
||2.1
||March 25, 1991
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the [[NeXTdimension]] board. [[TeX]], internationalization improvements. New machines with 2.1 include [[Lotus Improv]].<ref name="info taken from" />
|-
||2.1a
||
||MO disc, CD-ROM
|m68k
||
|-
||2.2
||
||CD-ROM
|m68k
||Support for the [[NeXTstation]] Turbo
|-
||3.0
||September 8, 1992<ref name="lTNnb">{{cite web |url = http://www.skytel.co.cr/bsd/research/1992/0908.htm |title = NeXT Ships NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, Third Generation of the Complete Object-Oriented Environment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162529/http://www.skytel.co.cr/bsd/research/1992/0908.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
||CD-ROM
|m68k
| rowspan="8" |4.3BSD-Reno
||[[Project Builder]], [[3D computer graphics|3D]] support with [[RenderMan (software)|Interactive RenderMan]], [[Pantone#Pantone Color Matching System|Pantone colors]], [[PostScript#PostScript Level 2|PostScript Level 2]], [[Object Linking and Embedding]], [[distributed object|Distributed Objects]], [[Database]] Kit, [[Phone]] Kit, [[full text search|Indexing Kit]], [[precompiled headers]], [[Hierarchical File System (Apple)|HFS]], [[AppleTalk]], and [[Novell NetWare]].
|-
||3.1
||May 25, 1993
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386
||First release for the [[i386]] architecture, introducing [[Fat binary#NeXT's/Apple's multi-architecture binaries|fat binaries]].
|-
||3.2
||October 1993
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386
||
|-
||3.3
||February 1995
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC
||Support for the [[PA-RISC]] and [[SPARC]] architectures added, introducing Quad-fat Binaries. Last and most popular version released under the name NEXTSTEP. Referred to as NEXTSTEP/m68k, NEXTSTEP/Intel, NEXTSTEP/SPARC. NEXTSTEP/PA-RISC
Delivered on 2 CDs: NeXTSTEP [[complex instruction set computing|CISC]] and NeXTSTEP [[reduced instruction set computing|RISC]]. The Developer CD includes libraries for all [[computer architecture|architectures]], so that programs can be [[cross compiler|cross-compiled]] on any architecture for all architectures.
|-
||4.0 beta
|| 1996
|| CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC, PA-RISC
||Very different user interface.<ref name="jjuNf">{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxByfhT1F0| title = NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 1| website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name="bbXWx">{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrC1rPY1PkI| title = NextStep 4 Beta demo video, part 2| website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> Notable as being a precursor of many ideas later introduced in the [[Dock (macOS)|macOS Dock]].

Allegedly dropped due to complaints of having to re-teach users but not for technical reasons (the new UI worked well in the beta).
|-
||4.0
||July 1996
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Support for the [[PA-RISC]] architecture dropped. Support for [[m68k]], [[i486]], and [[SPARC]] architectures. Initial Release of [[OpenStep]] for [[Windows]].
|-
||4.1
||January 1997
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Support for m68k, i486, and SPARC architectures, and OpenStep for Windows, under OPENSTEP Enterprise (NT only).
|-
||4.2 Pre-release 2
||September 1997
||CD-ROM
|m68k, i386, SPARC
||Pre-release 2 circulated to limited number of developers before [[OpenStep]] and Apple acquisition.
|-
|[[Rhapsody (operating system)|Rhapsody]]
||August 31, 1997{{dash}}October 27, 2000
||CD-ROM
|i386, PowerPC
|4.4BSD
||Released after the [[NeXT#1996–2006: Acquisition by Apple|Apple acquisition]], these are arguably closer to NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP than to [[Mac OS X]]. For example, they can still be used as remote display via NXHost.<ref name="AIhBb">{{cite web| url = https://www.stone.com/Run_NeXTSTEP_Now/Andrew_s_Guide_to_Running_NeXSTEP_on_MACOSXS.html| title = Andrew's Simple Guide to running NeXTSTEP/OpenStep Apps on Mac OS X Server}}</ref>
|}

Versions up to 4.1 are general releases. OPENSTEP 4.2 pre-release 2 is a bug-fix release published by Apple and supported for five years after its September 1997 release.