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To me making use of _nix but writing their own UI layer suggests that the _nix side was just a convenient way to get the base layer of the OS basically for free.

This in much the same way as Linux use used just about everywhere these days, hiding behind a myriad of custom UIs.



I’m not sure it’s that simple.

When Jobs founded NeXT in 1985 there was no standard GUI layer for Unix. What you’re referring to as the “base layer” was all of Unix.

X was only started in 1984 I believe and Sun also has a competing incompatible alternative at the time too.

It wasn’t at all clear that the X Windowing System would win out as the dominant implementation.


Steve Jobs was also trying to get UNIX on the Mac before he was kicked out of Apple in 1985 http://lowendmac.com/2013/apples-bigmac-project-failed-precu...




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