Osborne Executive

Executive

Developer	Adam Osborne
Manufacturer	Osborne Computer Corporation
Type	Portable computer
Release date	1982 (1982)
Introductory price	US$2,495 (equivalent to $5,938 in 2015)
Discontinued	1983 (1983) (bankruptcy)
Units sold	10,000+
Operating system	CPM, CPM +
CPU	Zilog Z80A @ 4.0 MHz
Memory	124KB RAM
Display	Monochrome built-in Monitor
Sound	Built-in Beeper
Power	PSU built-in, 110v/220v
Dimensions	50cm x 50cm
Weight	12kg
Predecessor	Osborne 1
Successor	Vixen

The Osborne Executive was the planned successor of the already commercially successful Osborne 1 portable computer by Osborne Computer Corporation. The Executive was a collection of the good features from the Osborne 1 and fixed some of its predecessor's flaws.^[1]

The Osborne Executive, like the Osborne 1, came with application software. The WordStar word processor, SuperCalc spreadsheet, and the CBASIC and MBASIC programming languages—all software packages that were the leading applications in their respective niches at the time—had a retail value of more than US$2,495.

The disk drives and built-in 7 inch amber CRT were covered by the keyboard when snapped on to the main case for transportation. Like the Osborne 1, the Executive could be supported by the keyboard at a convenient viewing angle. The Executive included a cooling fan, unlike the Osborne 1, and a tiny air filter for it.

Software

The operating system was CP/M version 3.0. A complete listing of the ROM BIOS was available in the Osborne technical manual. Unlike version 2.2, this edition of CP/M supported bank switching memory; this allowed compatible programs to use more RAM. An alternative OS, the UCSD P-system was also included.

Compatibility

The CP/M BIOS of the Executive could automatically detect and use single-sided disks formatted in the following systems:

• Osborne 1
• IBM PC running CP/M 86
• DEC VT 180
• Xerox 820
• Commodore 128

Many CP/M systems of the time could not read diskettes formatted for any other brand (sometimes, for other models of the same brand) without using third-party special purpose interchange software. This built-in feature provided a useful amount of flexibility in exchanging data with other systems.

The Executive could also emulate certain models of computer terminal (which was useful for dial-up access to remote systems):

• VT100
• ADM-3A
• Hazeltine from Hazeltine Corporation
• Hewlett-Packard

Use

The Osborne Executive was useful for presentations and projects at client sites. Unlike static presentations, the portable computer could provide on-the-spot answers to numerical questions when working with consulting clients. This laid the groundwork for the kind of 'show me the money' ROI or TCO presentations commonplace today.

A number of Executives had custom ROM's which were personalized when booted, name plates were also etched onto the casing.^[2]

The Executive was only produced in limited numbers compared to the predecessor Osborne 1, before the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The financial problems of the Osborne company were aggravated by early announcement of the Executive, which cut into sales of the Osborne 1.^[3] This so-called Osborne effect has become proverbial as a mistake that can be made by companies trading in high-technology products.^[4]

The company had announced yet another successor product, the Osborne Vixen, but went out of business before the Vixen could be established. An Osborne Executive II, using an 8088 processor, and providing MS-DOS and IBM PC compatibility, was announced but never produced.

Hardware

Features

• Dual half-height 5¼-inch, single-sided double-density 40 track floppy disk drives. An upgrade to 176K DSDD drives was briefly available, requiring a ROM upgrade.
• 6 MHz Z80B CPU
• 124 kilobytes main memory
• Fold-down keyboard doubling as the computer case's lid
• 7-inch, 80 character × 24 line amber monochrome CRT display
• IEEE-488 port configurable as a parallel printer port
• RS-232 compatible 1200 or 300 baud serial port for use with external modems or serial printers

The Osborne Executive was powered by a wall plug, and had no internal battery, although an aftermarket battery pack offering 1-hour run time was available.

Size

• Width: 20.5 inches (52 cm)
• Height: 9 inches (23 cm)
• Depth: 13 inches (33 cm)
• Weight 28 pounds (13 kg) ^[5]

References

External links

• Computer Museum Page
• Computer Closet Page
• Atari Magazine Review of the Osborne Executive
• Rhode Island Computer Museum
• Starring the Computer - The Osborne Executive can be seen in the 1984 film The Philadelphia Experiment.