03-25-2003, 11:00 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Adam Osborne, Dead at 64
Adam Osborne, perhaps the inventor of the portable computer, died yesterday at the age of 64. To some extent, we all owe our handheld devices to him, as they descended from the famous Osborne 1. The unit was about 30 pounds in weight, had a 3.5" by 2.6" B&W screen, and had a 4MHz CPU running CP/M (along with two 160K floppy drives and 64K of RAM). It was released in 1981, and cost $1,795 (including WordStar, SuperCalc and MS BASIC). The battery pack was an add-on option.
If that doesn't demonstrate how far portable technology has come (hint: look in your pocket now), nothing will. 
It also bears mentioning that Adam Osborne is perhaps singlehandedly the reason companies are extremely secretive about their future plans (including Microsoft when it comes to their next Pocket PC operating system). The Osborne 1 was a massive hit in 1981 and 1982, but sales tanked in 1983 when Osborne boasted that the successor (codenamed the Vixen) would be hugely superior. The company never recovered from the inventory glut and went out of business in September, 1983.
Rest in peace, Adam. :cry:
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03-25-2003, 12:19 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 539
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Quote:
http://rune.tapper.com/museum/osborne1.htm:
In 1983 Osborne announced a new computer long before they could deliver. People stopped buying the Osborne 1 and the company went bankrupt. This behavior is now known as to "Osburn" a product!
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Hehe "Osburn" I like that.
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03-25-2003, 01:58 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 62
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aahh...that picture brings back some memories....
i guess one always looks back with rose-tinted lenses...but seeing the picture the unit is much bigger and the screen is much smaller than what i remember...
wanted to buy it but couldn't afford it....settled on a sinclair something.
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03-25-2003, 02:15 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 85
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by snowlion
aahh...that picture brings back some memories....
i guess one always looks back with rose-tinted lenses...but seeing the picture the unit is much bigger and the screen is much smaller than what i remember...
wanted to buy it but couldn't afford it....settled on a sinclair something.
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probably a timex sinclair 1000 - i remember those. i also remember drooling over the osborne 1 in magazines - back then, i was happily learning assembler on the TRS-80 (yes, Trash 80) with that relatively powerful Zilog Z80 processor - which was essentially the precursor to the Intel 8088, i believe which then went to the 286 series ad infinitum. If you ever watch any of those tech shows (ok, when the missus isn't home), you might see one of the many history shows about microsoft - and how they coded BASIC for a tape based system, essentially doing it with punchards and without a computer - funny stuff!
As for the Osburn, I'd never heard that term before, but I HAVE been sworn to secrecy by vendors/manufacturers when they tell me about a new product coming out - they don't want to hurt sales of the present version - guess that may have been Osborne's biggest legacy 
Off topic, but anyone remember those Scott Adams Adventures?
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03-25-2003, 02:25 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 270
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My first computer
My first computer was an Osbourne. I remember it as having 2-160k disk drives, not 360k. Also included in the base software was dBase II. I can remember nothing so intimidating as opening dBase and seeing nothing but a white dot on the screen.
I knew nothing about computers or software when I bought the machine. I joined a user group to learn, but there was still a lot of teeth gnashing and hair pulling at 2AM in my household. I still regard this "running at the brick wall" as probably my most important learning experience on computers and one that has stood me well in other areas in my life.
I was online with the Source, a text-based service that was a precursor to what we have today with AOL. I communicated using a Hayes 300 baud modem. (Note that is 300 baud, not 3K or 30k).
I didn't know how to type, so I bought a book, "Typing Made Simple" for $2.95, practiced a half hour a day and learned to touch-type. I skipped the lessons on doing numbers and have regretted it to this day. Maybe I'll go back to it.
I also bought a second Osbourne for my company, being the first computer user in the second-largest advertising agency in Minneapolis. I spread the knowledge (I wonder if they still use WordStar?)
Adam Osbourne was a true forerunner that inspired both Compaq and IBM to develop the "transportables" (I call them the sewing machines) of the industry that has allowed us the onerous ability to take our work home with us.
Now I have more computing power in my watch and download at 4000 times the speed.
God bless the people who stepped out of the box for us.
__________________
Thanks!
Peace,
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03-25-2003, 03:10 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 135
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Thanks for the memories
How I fondly remember the Osbourne I. I didn't own one, but the church did. I learned to code with a punched tape teletype that ran at 110 baud. FORTRAN was the greatest.
Then one day I was able to afford the Micro Ace kit (the precursor to the Sinclair) and maxed it out in three months. From there I moved to Ohio Scientific, Tandy (I still have my Tandy 100 "laptop" computer - and it still works!
Those were the good old days of computing, when 8k was a lot of memory, when I coded with single character variables and no spaces. A simple program used to look like this:
10fori=1to100:?i:nexti
Not any more!
sigh...
Thanks Adam. Rest in peace.
Ken
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03-25-2003, 03:21 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23
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I met Adam Osborne and have a nice memento from him...
Back in 1984, after Osborne (the company) went bust, Adam Osborne started a new software venture called Paperback Software. Remember, at that time, software was packaged in expensive slip cases and binders and came with voluminous amounts of documentation. It was not uncommon for software to weigh over 5lbs in typical retail packaging. Added expense and serious intimidation to the buyer.
Adam's idea with Paperback Software was to simplify both the software and the packaging. All Paperback Software titles came on a single 5 1/4" diskette contained within a slim paperback style book of documentation. Sort of resembled a childrens book in size and thickness. The diskette was sealed in a cardboard-like envelope bound into the book.
Paperback Software's first title was a word processor aptly titled "Paperback Writer". At a Softsel "SoftTeach" event (Softsel was the dominant wholesale distributor of all things computer back in the day) geared at reseller education, Adam Osborne had a class to present his new software products to the computer resellers. I attended his class and each person received a copy of Paperback Writer. After the class, I asked Mr. Osborne to sign the book-style package, and he inscribed:
"To David, Good luck in a tough industry. Adam Osborne "
Still have that software package, and I'm still in the industry.
Adam was a forward thinker and will be missed.
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03-25-2003, 04:28 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Re: My first computer
Quote:
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Originally Posted by tregnier
My first computer was an Osbourne. I remember it as having 2-160k disk drives, not 360k.
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Yeah, I think you're right. I'll correct that.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by dlipetz
At a Softsel "SoftTeach" event (Softsel was the dominant wholesale distributor of all things computer back in the day)
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Hah! Someone else remembers SofTeach! I didn't attend back in the Paperback Software days, but started shortly thereafter. There's another thing that vanished into thin air, sadly. :cry:
--janak
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03-25-2003, 04:30 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 38
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Ahhh.. the good old days!
I used to work for Scott Adams (not the cartoon guy...) when he had Adventure International in the Orlando area. I got to cut my teeth on all the machines of that era. TRS-80 Model I, Commodore PET, Osbourne, Sinclair, Apple I, etc. Man I miss those days...
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03-25-2003, 04:50 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Re: Adam Osborne, Dead at 64
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
It was released in 1981, and cost $1,795 (including WordStar, SuperCalc and MS BASIC).
<...>
The Osborne 1 was a massive hit in 1981 and 1982, but sales tanked in 1983 when Osborne boasted that the successor (codenamed the Vixen) would be hugely superior. The company never recovered from the inventory glut and went out of business in September, 1983. |
Amazing... 8O
I figure myself as kind of an "old-timer" when it comes to computers (relative to my peers)... but I didn't even touch my first one until 1984 (Apple II).
Now, I don't want to hear anyone lecture me about "Vacuum Tubes"!!
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