Hi HN,

I recently finished a research paper on NeXT Computer, Inc. (1985–1997) that might be valuable to people interested in computing history, Steve Jobs’ wilderness years, educational technology, and the origins of technologies that shaped modern software.

The paper includes:

A 30-minute interview with Dan’l Lewin, NeXT co-founder and current CEO of the Computer History Museum

Analysis of primary sources (press releases, 10-Ks, financial filings, early marketing material)

Secondary sources including Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing

A historical and technical review of NeXT’s strategy, failures, breakthroughs, and product decisions

Lessons from NeXT that apply to modern educational technology and software platform design

If you’re interested in how NeXT influenced macOS, iOS, modern development environments, object-oriented software, and the early web (Tim Berners-Lee built the first WWW browser on a NeXT workstation), this might be a worthwhile read.

Paper Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1853/79808

Happy to discuss any aspects of NeXT history, product strategy, or interview insights that didn’t make it into the final draft.

—Zachary