Osborne Executive

Executive

Also known as	OCC-2
Developer	Adam Osborne
Manufacturer	Osborne Computer Corporation
Type	Portable computer
Release date	1982; 39 years ago (1982)
Introductory price	US$2,495 (equivalent to $6,480 in 2020)
Discontinued	1983 (1983) (bankruptcy)
Units sold	10,000+
Operating system	CPM,
CPU	Zilog Z80A @ 4 MHz
Memory	124 KB RAM
Display	7" Monochrome built-in Monitor
Sound	Built-in Beeper
Power	PSU built-in, 110 / 220 v
Dimensions	W: 20.5 inches (52 cm) H: 9 inches (23 cm) D: 13 inches (33 cm)
Mass	28 lb (13 kg)
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^{[citation needed][clarification needed]}

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
• 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 numeric 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 with 160 kilobyte capacity (Shugart Associates standard, unlike the Osborne 1)
• 4 MHz Z80A 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
• Two RS-232 compatible 2400/1200 or 300 baud serial ports for use with external modems or serial printers
• External Composite video monitor connection
• Storage pocket for up to 8 5¼-inch disks

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]

Upgrades and Enhancements[]

Despite having single-sided drives the Executive motherboard is wired to support double-sided drives, providing the SIDE signal from the disk controller socket to the drive connector but is unused by the shipped single-sided Western Digital FD1793 floppy-disk controller.^[6]

An upgrade kit to 360K double sided, double density drives was briefly available from Future Systems, consisting of two new DSDD drives, a drop-in replacement FD1797 disk controller , ROM (1.3) upgrade and an upgraded CP/M BIOS (1.4) and utilities which provided backward compatibility for SSSD/SSDD disks as well as the newer format used by the Osborne Vixen.^[7]

A 11 megabyte Hard disk drive option was available from Gard Micro Systems, installation required the removal of one floppy drive to accommodate the new drive, a new logic board and fitting a more powerful mains voltage fan.^[8]

The motherboard also provides a pin header (P12) giving connections to the CPU, RAM and video memory and direct memory access for possible future internal expansion via a daughterboard.^[6]

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.
• Video Osborne Executive Retro Computer museum, Zatec, Czech Republic