[NTLK] NewtonOS Preservation – Seeking Input

[Matthias Melcher]

Hi everyone,

Every once in a while, I rewatch the Steve Jobs movie with Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, and Seth Rogen (IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374/). It reminds me of a time when software engineers were true pioneers, when companies were still innovating boldly, and when products could either save a company (like the iMac or iPod) or nearly do the opposite (like, cough, the Newton MessagePad).

NewtonOS is more than just software — it represents a unique moment in computing history: the first truly object-oriented, mobile operating system, with NewtonScript as a remarkably expressive language. Right now, the only way to experience it is through emulation, which is fragile, inefficient, and risks breaking completely in the future. If we want NewtonOS to survive past 2038 (the Y2K-equivalent problem) and remain accessible for study, research, and appreciation, we need a long-term solution.

I believe one realistic path is to involve the Computer History Museum (CHM). They have successfully preserved and released the source code for MacPaint and the Apple Lisa OS. If they can help with NewtonOS, we could finally move from emulation to a full-fledged, preserved system — ideally available for research and non-commercial purposes.
(CHM Press Release: https://computerhistory.org/press-releases/chm-makes-apple-lisa-source-code-available-to-the-public-as-a-part-of-its-art-of-code-series/)

Al Kossow, a former Apple employee now leading software preservation at CHM, seems to be the right contact. Does anyone here have connections to him, the CHM, or other contacts who could help? Perhaps someone nearby Mountain View, California, could meet in person.

This is our chance to ensure NewtonOS is not lost to history. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can make this happen.

— Matthias



Elevator pitch (thanks to ChatGPT since English is not my native language):

“NewtonOS was a groundbreaking mobile operating system of the 1990s, featuring an object-oriented, data-centric architecture and the uniquely expressive NewtonScript language. Today, the only way to run it is through fragile emulation, which is energy-intensive and will finally fail completely in 2038 due to its 32bit nature. With support from Apple, even under a research-only or archival license, NewtonOS could be preserved and studied by historians, engineers, and enthusiasts. Doing so would safeguard an important piece of Apple’s legacy, enable the community to maintain and understand the system, and highlight Apple’s commitment to preserving its pioneering innovations — with the added endorsement of original developers, including Steve Wozniak, who continue to celebrate its impact.”


Technical/Developer-Oriented Pitch:

“NewtonOS was an incredible piece of engineering — object-oriented, data-centric, with NewtonScript as a uniquely expressive language. Right now we’re keeping it alive through emulation, but that’s fragile and highly inefficient. It would be amazing if Apple could work with the Computer History Museum (or similar) to provide a research-only release of NewtonOS source code. This wouldn’t compete with current products, but it would allow historians, engineers, and enthusiasts to study the system, fix long-term compatibility issues, and learn from one of the earliest truly mobile operating systems. Many original developers are still around, and enthusiasts including Steve Wozniak have shown huge interest — it’s clearly a legacy worth preserving.”