computer science

NeXTcube

NeXTcube is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NeXTcube rather than just read about it. In short: The NeXTcube is a high-end workstation computer developed, manufactured, and sold by NeXT from 1990 to 1993. It superseded the original NeXT Computer workstation and is housed in a similar cube-shaped magnesium enclosure, designed by frog design.

Key takeaways

NeXTcube belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NeXTcube to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NeXTcube from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The NeXTcube is a high-end workstation computer developed, manufactured, and sold by NeXT from 1990 to 1993. It superseded the original NeXT Computer workstation and is housed in a similar cube-shaped magnesium enclosure, designed by frog design. The workstation runs the NeXTSTEP operating system and was launched with a $7,995 (equivalent to about $20,000 in 2025) list price.

Hardware The NeXTcube is the successor to the original NeXT Computer, with a 25 MHz 68040 processor, a hard disk in place of the magneto-optical drive, and a floppy disk drive. NeXT offered a 68040 system board upgrade (and NeXTSTEP 2.0) for US$1,495 (equivalent to $3,680 in 2025). A 33 MHz NeXTcube Turbo was later produced. NeXT released the NeXTdimension for the NeXTcube, a circuit board based on an Intel i860 processor, which offers 32-bit PostScript color display and video-sampling features. The Pyro accelerator board replaces the processor with a 50 MHz one.

Specifications

Display: 1120×832 17 in (432 mm) 82 ppi grayscale MegaPixel Display Operating system: NeXTSTEP 2.2 Extended or later CPU: 25 MHz 68040 with integrated floating-point unit Digital signal processor: 25 MHz Motorola DSP56001 RAM: 8 MB, expandable to 64 MB (Sixteen 30-pin SIMM slots) Floppy drive: 2.88 MB Hard drive: 105 MB, 340 MB, 400 MB, 660 MB, 1.4 GB or 2.8 GB SCSI drive Network interface: 10BASE-T and 10BASE2 Ethernet Expansion: four NeXTbus slots (mainboard uses one slot) Size (H × W × D): 12 in × 12 in × 12 in (305 mm x 305 mm x 305 mm (±1 mm))

Legacy

Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web at CERN in Switzerland on the NeXTcube workstation in 1990.

See also NeXT character set NeXTcube Turbo NeXTstation Power Mac G4 Cube, a similar cube computer from Apple

References

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NeXTcube

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NeXTcube claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NeXTcube before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NeXTcube ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NeXTcube

In research: NeXTcube appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NeXTcube in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NeXTcube is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 68k-based computers, Computer-related introductions in 1990, Computer workstations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NeXTcube outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NeXTcube in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NeXTcube means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NeXTcube out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NeXTcube in simple terms?

Why does NeXTcube matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NeXTcube?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NeXTcube.