Contrary to NeXT's official hardware-compatibility guide, a growing number of users are reporting success in getting NEXTSTEP for Intel Processors to run on non-Intel '486 clones, including the Cyrix 486DLC-33 CPU, the IBM SLC2-66, and an AMD 486DX-40. Most of the systems required an Intel '387 as a coprocessor to provide floating-point support.
"NeXT has never seen it running," said Ian Stewart, a NeXT engineer who has also heard the rumors. "I asked an engineer recently and he mentioned that the floating-point unit is different and may cause problems Ð what exactly, we don't know."
Stewart said that NeXT has also heard rumors of NEXTSTEP running on IBM's new 99MHz '486-clone, which has reportedly been released in Canada.
"NeXT has not seen either of these working, so NeXT still claims Intel support only," Stewart said.
If the reports are accurate and NEXTSTEP can run reliably on non-Intel '486 microprocessors, it would open up new possibilities for NEXTSTEP with low-cost desktop and laptop systems, where Intel's competitors offer chips with price/performance characteristics not offered by Intel, and at substantially lower prices.