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GNUstep
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>GNUstep began when <a href="/facts/Paul_Kunz/1fs6C922">Paul Kunz</a> and others at <a href="/facts/Stanford_Linear_Accelerator_Center/CzX2afas">Stanford Linear Accelerator Center</a> wanted to port <a href="/facts/HippoDraw/QVGTN4hn">HippoDraw</a> from <a href="/facts/NeXTSTEP/eL0bymga">NeXTSTEP</a> to another platform. Instead of rewriting HippoDraw from scratch and reusing only the application design, they <a href="/facts/Rewrite_(programming)/u8BB9yxL">decided to rewrite</a> the NeXTSTEP <a href="/facts/Object-oriented_programming/TxNMEcao">object</a> layer on which the application depended. This was the first version of <i>libobjcX</i>. It enabled them to port HippoDraw to Unix systems running the <a href="/facts/X_Window_System/ac2vRIQL">X Window System</a> without changing a single line of their application source. After the OpenStep specification was released to the public in 1994, they decided to write a new <i>objcX</i> which would adhere to the new APIs. The software would become known as "GNUstep".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="software-architecture">Software architecture</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Foundation_Kit/LcnWzx5R">Foundation Kit</a> provides basic classes such as wrapper classes and data structure classes. The <a href="/facts/Application_Kit/zSnfGfyt">Application Kit</a> provides classes oriented around <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical user interface</a> capabilities. GNUstep contains a set of <a href="/facts/Graphical_control_element/SuVeScB2">graphical control elements</a> written in the Objective-C programming language. </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical user interface</a> (GUI) of <a href="/facts/GNUMail/W9ly4oed">GNUMail</a> is composed of graphics control elements. GNUMail has to interact with the <a href="/facts/Windowing_system/nKYmkjP6">windowing system</a>, e.g. <a href="/facts/X_Window_System_core_protocol/RytfxzSg">X11</a> or <a href="/facts/Wayland_(display_server_protocol)/I9I1TbEG">Wayland</a>, and its graphical user interface has to be <a href="/facts/Rendering_(computer_graphics)/YYxfnmAq">rendered</a>. GNUstep's backend provides a small set of functions used by the user interface library to interface to the actual <a href="/facts/Windowing_system/nKYmkjP6">windowing system</a>. It also has a <a href="/facts/Rendering_engine/YYxfnmAq">rendering engine</a> which emulates common <a href="/facts/PostScript/h2XwbcmC">Postscript</a> functions. The package gnustep-back provides the following backends: </p> <ul><li>cairo – default backend using the <a href="/facts/Cairo_(graphics)/FuAWHozI">Cairo</a> 2D graphics library.</li> <li>winlib – default backend on Microsoft Windows systems. Cairo and <a href="/facts/Windows_API/RRw4RtTu">Windows API</a> variants.</li> <li>art – old (deprecated) backend on unix-like systems. Uses the vector-based PostScript-like 2D graphics library <a href="/facts/Libart/qe3EhptL">Libart</a>.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Xlib/2fKMo9BF">xlib</a> – old (deprecated) X11 backend.</li></ul> <p>GNUstep inherits some design principles proposed in OPENSTEP (GNUstep predates Cocoa, but Cocoa is based on OPENSTEP) as well as the <a href="/facts/Objective-C/5mM557BW">Objective-C</a> language. </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Model%25E2%2580%2593view%25E2%2580%2593controller/vRbMXjMm">Model–view–controller</a> paradigm</li> <li><a href="/facts/Target%25E2%2580%2593action/VjqBAAWd">Target–action</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Drag-and-drop/7Xd8vXfn">Drag-and-drop</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Delegation_(computer_science)/fhoIL7nh">Delegation</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Message_passing/RYf3hD3J">Message forwarding</a> (through NSInvocation)</li></ul> <p>In addition to the Objective-C interface, some small projects under the GNUstep umbrella implement other APIs from Apple: </p> <ul><li>The Boron library aims to implement the <a href="/facts/Carbon_(API)/KAIwFWI2">Carbon API</a>. It is very incomplete.</li> <li>The CoreBase library is designed to be compatible with <a href="/facts/Core_Foundation/mWDmymXU">Core Foundation</a>. It is not complete enough for the Base (Foundation Kit) component to simply be a wrapper around it.</li> <li>The QuartzCore library implements <a href="/facts/Core_Animation/mmFvK5zA">Core Animation</a> APIs. The Opal library implements <a href="/facts/Quartz_2D/hGTBq5eR">Quartz 2D</a>.</li></ul> <p>As of February 2020<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GNUstep&action=edit">[update]</a>, there are no projects that build the <a href="/facts/Swift_programming_language/A7qHQC32">Swift programming language</a> against the GNUstep Objective-C environment. </p> <h2 id="applications">Applications</h2> <p>Here are some examples of applications written for or ported to GNUstep. </p> <p class="note">See also: Category:Software that uses GNUstep</p> <h3>Original</h3> <ul><li>Addresses, an address/<a href="/facts/Contacts_manager/JdYNCHD7">contacts manager</a></li> <li>Étoilé, a <a href="/facts/Desktop_environment/VXBpMWnG">desktop environment</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/GNUMail/W9ly4oed">GNUMail</a>, an <a href="/facts/E-mail_client/pQdW9HtC">e-mail client</a></li> <li>GNUstep Database Library 2, an <a href="/facts/Enterprise_Objects_Framework/rAVyIdFM">Enterprise Objects Framework</a> clone</li> <li><a href="/facts/GNUstepWeb/bWyz4XzQ">GNUstepWeb</a>, an application server compatible with WebObjects 4.x</li> <li><a href="/facts/Gorm_(computing)/TRRRpT3o">Gorm</a>, a <a href="/facts/User_interface/e9sPEWVD">user interface</a> builder application, and part of the developer tools of GNUstep. Gorm is the equivalent of <a href="/facts/Interface_Builder/IMK6EyVq">Interface Builder</a> that was originally found on <a href="/facts/NeXTSTEP/eL0bymga">NeXTSTEP</a>, then <a href="/facts/OPENSTEP/RTKQxPR1">OPENSTEP</a>, and finally on <a href="/facts/Mac_OS_X/Y93vVpTm">Mac OS X</a>. It supports the old <i>.nib</i> files as well as its own <i>.gorm</i> file format.</li> <li>GWorkspace, a workspace and <a href="/facts/File_manager/t7CSQ40a">file manager</a></li> <li>Grr, an <a href="/facts/RSS_Feed_Reader/nzy1zPes">RSS feed reader</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Oolite_(video_game)/F8YrqDtB">Oolite</a>, a clone of <i><a href="/facts/Elite_(video_game)/pQw094GI">Elite</a></i>, a space simulation game with trading components</li> <li>PRICE, imaging application</li> <li>ProjectCenter, the <a href="/facts/Project_Builder/TRfWUJAr">Project Builder</a> or <a href="/facts/Xcode/glURdIVT">Xcode</a> equivalent.</li> <li>TalkSoup, an <a href="/facts/IRC/oDr3VN9q">IRC</a> client</li> <li><a href="/facts/Terminal_(macOS)/BGp21Beh">Terminal</a></li> <li>Zipper, a <a href="/facts/File_archiver/ER6mjCCy">file archiver</a> tool</li> <li>Window Maker is a <a href="/facts/Window_manager/WFRnDBz7">window manager</a> that emulates <a href="/facts/NeXTSTEP/eL0bymga">NeXTSTEP</a>'s <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">GUI</a> as an <a href="/facts/OpenStep/RTKQxPR1">OpenStep</a>-compatible environment.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> It was launched in 1997 as an improved take on <a href="/facts/AfterStep/7l3nvKqz">AfterStep</a>'s design.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Ported from NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP, or macOS</h3> <ul><li>Adun</li> <li>BioCocoa</li> <li><a href="/facts/Chess_(Mac_OS)/7uDAhFUz">Chess</a></li> <li>Cenon</li> <li>DoomEd</li> <li>EdenMath</li> <li>Eggplant</li> <li><a href="/facts/Emacs/BvGxuAxQ">Emacs</a></li> <li>Fortunate</li> <li><a href="/facts/Gomoku/U8gM3tYb">Gomoku</a></li> <li>NeXTGO</li> <li>PikoPixel</li> <li><a href="/facts/TextEdit/x3nW9TDD">TextEdit</a></li> <li>TimeMon</li></ul> <h3>Forks of GNUstep</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Universal_Windows_Platform/8mQ57pLM">Universal Windows Platform</a>, which includes a <a href="/facts/WinObjC/8mQ57pLM">WinObjC</a> suite consisting of various parts of GNUstep and <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a>'s own implementations of things like the <a href="/facts/Cocoa_Touch/GUGI8gsU">Cocoa Touch</a> API.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Free and open-source software portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Darling_(software)/M4N3Rl5q">Darling (software)</a>, a compatibility layer that relies on GNUstep</li> <li><a href="/facts/GNUstep_fat_bundle/53cdyr4C">GNUstep fat bundle</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/GNUstep_Renaissance/2sUKPGhV">GNUstep Renaissance</a>, framework for XML description of portable GNUstep/Mac OS X <a href="/facts/User_interface/e9sPEWVD">user interfaces</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Miller_Columns/FBYhR9dD">Miller Columns</a>, the method of file tree browsing the GWorkspace File Viewer uses</li> <li><a href="/facts/Property_list/tlRqjIvP">Property list</a>, often-used file format to store user settings</li> <li><a href="/facts/StepTalk/pWVVbmnS">StepTalk</a>, scripting framework</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to GNUstep. <ul><li><a href="https://gnustep.org/">Official website</a></li> <li><a href="https://gap.nongnu.org/">GNUstep Application Project</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.network-theory.co.uk/articles/pero.html">A 2003 interview with GNUstep developer Nicola Pero</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070107021109/http://www.network-theory.co.uk/articles/pero.html">Archived</a> 2007-01-07 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a></li> <li><a href="https://twit.tv/floss44">FLOSS Weekly Interview with Gregory Casamento and Riccardo Mottola from GNUstep</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"GNUstep Developer Tools - RIGS". www.gnustep.org. Retrieved 10 April 2018. <a href="http://www.gnustep.org/experience/RIGS.html" target="_blank">http://www.gnustep.org/experience/RIGS.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>GScheme Archived 2005-12-18 at the Wayback Machine <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051218234159/http://www.gnustep.it/marko/GScheme" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20051218234159/http://www.gnustep.it/marko/GScheme</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"GNUstep History". gnustep.made-it.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018. <a href="http://gnustep.made-it.com/Guides/History.html" target="_blank">http://gnustep.made-it.com/Guides/History.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Window Maker Live: Cool Retro Look, Even Cooler Performance". LinuxInsider. August 28, 2017. <a href="https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/window-maker-live-cool-retro-look-even-cooler-performance-84768.html" target="_blank">https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/window-maker-live-cool-retro-look-even-cooler-performance-84768.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"The best old-school Linux window managers that still hold up". ZDNET. 1 October 2024. <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-best-old-school-linux-window-managers-that-still-hold-up/" target="_blank">https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-best-old-school-linux-window-managers-that-still-hold-up/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"GNUstep Objective-C Runtime 2.0". GitHub. Note: Microsoft's WinObjC project contains a friendly fork of this library that includes a work around for the incremental linking issue. <a href="https://github.com/gnustep/libobjc2/releases/tag/v2.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/gnustep/libobjc2/releases/tag/v2.0</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>