Classics long overdue a Boot.

[Swift Griggs]

On Fri, 20 May 2016, David Brownlee wrote:
> Could be, though NeXTSTEP 3.x (for x>0) was definitely available on 
> Intel hardware - I remember helping support a bunch of Pentium 133 
> "workstations" at Dreamworks running custom software under NeXTSTEP 3.3. 

I know they do, too because I've run it myself. I have a copy of 3.3. See 
the directory tree below my sig. You just need to select your hardware 
*very* carefully.

> They also mainly had Micropolis disks ("For all your data loss needs").

Oh, s*** ya, those things were total garbage. I'm convinced they made them 
from recycled blender parts and rust to save on materials cost. I had a 
few throughout the years. It got to the point that if I found any in a 
machine, I'd just convince management to replace them before they took 
someone's data out of commission like a Takada airbag in a Jamaican Summer.

> This combined with NeXTSTEP's baroque install process and tendency to 
> occasionally crap out and destroy its own disk (I believe this was more 
> of an x86 only feature), meant production support spent a fair amount of 
> time reinstalling boxes.

I've experienced this. It's very easy to mess up as you say. Use a 
sacrificial lamb of a box with nothing you care about. I'd recommend 
against trying it with a virtual machine. It runs slower than a 
octogenarian with ankle weights in a VM for whatever reason (once you 
spend hours fiddling with it to get it working).

-Swift

Swift's NextStep 3.3 collection:

|-- 3.3_Boot_Disk.floppyimage
|-- NextSTEP\ 3.3\ CISC\ (Intel\ x86+Motorola\ 68k).iso
|-- drivers
|   |-- beta
|   |   |-- AMDPCnet32.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- ATIRageDisplay.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Adaptec1542BSCSI.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Adaptec2940SCSI.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- BusLogicFPSCSI.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- DECChip21040net.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- DECChip21140Net.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- DECChip21142Net.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- DECChip21x4xNet.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- DiamondStealth.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- EIDE.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- EISABus.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- ES1x88Audio.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- EtherExpress16.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- EtherLink3.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- EtherLinkXL.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- HPXU_Display.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- IBMTokenRing.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Intel82365PCIC.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Intel82557Net.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Intel82595Net.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- MatroxMGA2064W.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Num9Imagine128s2.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- Number9Motion331.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- PCMCIABus.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- S3GenericDisplay.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- S3ViRGEDisplay.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- SCSITape.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- SoundBlaster16.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- ThinkPad760CD.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- ThinkPad760ED.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- TridentGeneric.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- WD90C24Display.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- XircomIIps.pkg.compressed
|   |   |-- XircomNewave.pkg.compressed
|   |   `-- YamahaOPLAudio.pkg.compressed
|   `-- released
|       |-- AIC6X60SCSI.pkg.compressed
|       |-- AMDPCnet32.pkg.compressed
|       |-- AMD_PC_SCSI.pkg.compressed
|       |-- ATIMach32.pkg.compressed
|       |-- ATI_Mach64.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Adaptec2740SCSI.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Adaptec2940SCSI,pkg.compressed
|       |-- BusLogicSCSI.pkg.compressed
|       |-- CL_GD5434.pkg.compressed
|       |-- CT_Wingine_64300.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Compaq_QVision.pkg.compressed
|       |-- DECChip21040.pkg.compressed
|       |-- DECChip21140.pkg.compressed
|       |-- DPTSCSI.pkg.compressed
|       |-- DiamondStealth.pkg.compressed
|       |-- EIDE.pkg.compressed
|       |-- EISABus.pkg.compressed
|       |-- ESS1x88Audio.pkg.compressed
|       |-- FTGISALightPen.pkg.compressed
|       |-- FTGSerLightPen.pkg.compressed
|       |-- IBMTokenRing.pkg.compressed
|       |-- ISA_Serial_Port.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel82365PC.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel824x0.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel82556.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel82557Net.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel82595Net.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Intel82596Net.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Matrox_MGA_Mill.pkg.compressed
|       |-- MedVisionJazz16.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Num9GXE64Pro.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Num9Motion771.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Num9_Imagine128.pkg.compressed
|       |-- PCMCIABus.pkg.compressed
|       |-- PS2Mouse.pkg.compressed
|       |-- Pegasus_Display.pkg.compressed
|       |-- PortServer.pkg.compressed
|       |-- S3_Generic.pkg.compressed
|       |-- SMC16.pkg.compressed
|       |-- SMCUltra.pkg.compressed
|       |-- SYM53c8.pkg.compressed
|       |-- SerialPointer.pkg.compressed
|       |-- SoundBlaster16.pkg.compressed
|       |-- ThinkPad755CX.pkg.compressed
|       |-- WeitekPower9100.pkg.compressed
|       |-- XircomNetwave.pkg.compressed
|       `-- XircomPerf.pkg.compressed
|-- floppies
|   |-- 3.2_Addl_Drivers.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.2_Boot_Disk.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.2_Moto_Boot_Disk.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Addl_Drivers.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Beta_Drivers.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Boot_Disk.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Core_Drivers.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Driver_Disk.floppyimage
|   |-- 3.3_Moto_Boot_Disk.floppyimage
|   `-- 3.3_PCCard_Install.floppyimage
`-- patches
    |-- 3.3_Patch_1
    |   |-- 3.3DeveloperPatch.pkg.tar
    |   |-- 3.3_HP_SPARC_Patch1.pkg.tar
    |   |-- 3.3_Int_68k_Patch1.tar
    |   |-- 3.3_Patch1_DNS_PostInstall
    |   `-- 3.3_Patch1_Libs_PostInstall
    |-- 3.3_Patch_2
    |   |-- NS33CISCUserPatch2.tar
    |   |-- NS33DeveloperPatch2.tar
    |   `-- NS33RISCUserPatch2.tar
    |-- 3.3_Patch_3
    |   |-- NS33CISCUserPatch3.tar
    |   `-- NS33RISCUserPatch3.tar
    |-- FoundationUserPatch.compressed
    |-- NT_Printing_Patch.compressed
    `-- rc.cdrom