Site for NeXTStep software?

reallyrandy

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Oct 30, 2021
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I saw this on Reddit ( https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/qse58y ) and realize I'm not really utilizing my NeXTStation with a clean install of NeXTStep.

1. I didn't realize there was a Mac emulator for NeXTStep.
2. Is there a resource, similar to macintoshgarden or macintoshrepository for NeXTStep?

I've got a SCSI2SD in there and want to fire it up more often.
Man would I love to have one of those NeXT stations! #jealous! I saw a beautiful NeXTCube at the VCF retro show in Wall, NJ this year that I was inches away from buying but I really want color.
 
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wottle

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Man would I love to have one of those NeXT stations! #jealous! I saw a beautiful NeXTCube at the VCF retro show in Wall, NJ this year that I was inches away from buying but I really want color.
Yeah, a NextCube or NextStation Color are on my wish list. I might need to plan a trip to visit VCF East. I worry how much that trip would cost me, though. :)
 

Drake

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I've got a next cube setup with lots of documentation from the local university for $300. I installed a bluescsi and was able to build a boot drive onto that but damned if I can figure how to put software on the thing:(
 
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Drake

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I can run something like baby ftp but it's the cubes internal setting I couldn't get around. I'm completely unfamiliar with next step and honestly quite novice with networking.
 

wottle

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I can run something like baby ftp but it's the cubes internal setting I couldn't get around. I'm completely unfamiliar with next step and honestly quite novice with networking.
I forgot to ask, where did you get the software you're trying to put on it? I can't find a source (something like macintoshrepository) for NeXTStep.
 

wottle

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JdM74

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Jan 16, 2024
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I'm a bit late to the game on this one...but you can do a quick and dirty NFS setup using a Raspberry Pi and OpenMediaVault. I had exactly the same problem, I can download stuff from sites using my modern-day computer, but how do I get it over to a NeXT? Once I figured this one out, things just moved along.

I did a writeup on nextcomputers.org for this very topic. NFS for Everyone - https://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/index.php?topic=5544.0. The work log is a bit long to post here, but take a read...might be helpful. =)
 

JdM74

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As for sites that have NeXT software...there are a number of them out there. Some with demo-only software, others with full-on versions with license details. Be aware that some of these may or may not be available any more.

fsck.technology -- https://fsck.technology/software/NeXT/

on nextcomputers.org, NeXT Files -- https://www.nextcomputers.org/NeXTfiles/

http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/NeXT
- the oldest archive still online from its original URL, the progenitor of the nextcomputers.org excellent NeXTfiles archive. This was, I believe, put together by Joacim Mellin for the earlier NeXT hobbyist site http://next.z80.org (how many folks here were on that?) and passed along to the founders of nextcomputers.org...

http://nextcomputers.org/NeXTfiles
- our own excellent archive, with many more bytes of information added over the past decade+

http://nextcube.org - click download, then use 'me' and 'next' in the authentication window
- the OnionMixer archive

https://ftp.nice.ch
- the very nice archive of the former NeXT User Group in Zurich, Switzerland, I recommend it highly

http://next.haleblian.com
- Ray Haleblian's new archive, including KB7SQI's software split out as separate pkg or tgz files

http://www.nleymann.de/Nextstep/index.htm
- Nicolas Leymann's "Mini Archiv', incl. Amaya, the X11 html editor/web browser from the W3C (run it under CubX-Window or other NS X11 server)

http://www.wizards.de/~frank/franksprojects.html
- Frank Siegert's interesting collection of NS software, incl. a Columbia Appletalk Protocol pkg with a nice NextStep frontend

The archive.org ftp archives contains an upload of Timothy Luomat's Peak Archive, formerly at
ftp://next.peak.org (this is where much of my NS software came from, many many moons ago)

https://fsck.technology/software/NeXT/NeXTSTEP Applications/
- Large collection of commercial NextStep software

Bonus: Documentation

NextStep User's Guide is available :
https://archive.org/download/ne-xtstep-user-guide-1994
https://www.scribd.com/document/372057826/Nextstep-User-Guide-1994

Network and System Administration Manual
http://www.cilinder.be/docs/next/NeXTStep/3.3/nsa/
http://www.nextcomputers.org/files/manuals/nsa

NextStep 3.3 Developer Documentation Manuals
http://www.cilinder.be/docs/next/NeXTStep/3.3/nd/
http://www.nextcomputers.org/files/manuals/nd/
Also avail. at https://www.nextop.de

The latter two were produced by Randy Rencsok (look at www.channelu.com in archive.org ~2010). He also bought/sold NeXT hardware - I think I may remember he bought the CIA or NSA's supply when they stopped using NeXTs...

https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/computing/nextstep-openstep
- a fantastic archive of NeXT documents, incl NeXTAnswers

http://retro.haleblian.com/next/

http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/next/