Osborne Executive
 |
|
.jpg) |
|
| Developer | Adam Osborne |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Osborne Computer Corporation |
| Type | Portable computer |
| Release date | 1982 |
| Introductory price | US$2,495 (equivalent to $6,000 in 2016) |
| Discontinued | 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.
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.
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.
The CP/M BIOS of the Executive could automatically detect and use single-sided disks formatted in the following systems:
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):
...
Wikipedia