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Comment by mepian | Hacker News Reader

NS stood for NeXT and Sun. NX was the original prefix before OpenSTEP.

EDIT: I might be wrong about the first part, see my comment below.

According to Wikipedia, NS stood for NeXTSTEP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Kit#:~:text=This%20....

I do remember people in my circles thinking it stood for NeXT Software (which was likely a more suitable name for its use at the time).

This is what I’ve heard. If true it’s funny as it effectively eliminates Sun’s inclusion in the acronym because everyone assumes it’s NextStep.

Nope. NeXT switching from NX to NS predates Sun's involvement.

Uh, that‘s interesting! Do you have a source for this (or is it firsthand knowledge?)

I have an original "NeXTstep Concepts" manual with the NX prefix. I can't remember where I heard the "NeXT and Sun" explanation for the first time, but a Google search shows that the prefix change could've actually occurred before the collaboration with Sun. It could stand for NeXT Software, as it's closer to the transition to a software company.

The "NS" prefix was introduced with OpenStep in 1994[1]. OpenStep was a collaboration between NeXT and Sun[2]. So the S in "NS" referring to Sun is certainly plausible!

[1] https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Co...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenStep

Per bbum and others, NS long predated Sun getting involved.

A person that was involved with the project claims the prefix predates Sun's involvement [1].

> Totally wrong. The NS prefix predated Sun signing on to implement the OpenStep spec by quite a bit. It was either NS for “NeXTStep” or “New System”. None of us can remember which, though, but definitely not NeXT-Sun.

[1]: https://x.com/bbum/status/1260304075305791488

I first read that in a Fabien Sanglard book, probably Game Engine Black Book: DOOM?

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