website/content/museum/sord-m23-mark-iii.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Sord M23 Mark III	Computers	Professional Computer	Japan	1982	Z80A	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts comments oc_id source M23 Mark III /companies/sord Sord label value NAME M23 Mark III label value MANUFACTURER Sord label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR 1982 label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard with numeric keypad, function keys and arrow keys label value CPU Z80A label value SPEED 4 Mhz label value CO-PROCESSOR APU (Am9511) arithmetic processor label value RAM 128 KB label value ROM Unknown label value TEXT MODES 80 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 256 label value COLORS 8 colors label value SOUND Unknown label value SIZE / WEIGHT 420 x 107 x 300 / 3.8 Kg label value I/O PORTS 2 x RS232c ports (75 - 19200 baud), Centronics/Parallel port, 3 x bus slots label value BUILT IN MEDIA Two optional 5.25'' disk-drives (330 KB) label value OS Sord DOS, CP/M, UCSD Pascal label value POWER SUPPLY 110, 230 V AC +/- 15% label value PRICE Unknown photos adverts title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM null title subtitle text image FRENCH DOCTOR Sord M23 complete configuration used in a french doctor office in 1982. The M23 was used to search and display the right medications related to the symptoms. Source: Micro Ordinateurs, N°3, June 1982 null title subtitle text image PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET null title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT (FEBRUARY 1982) null author date text Candice (France) Monday 21st September 2020 How does it cost ? I find this computer at my house author date text Candice (France) Monday 21st September 2020 J''ai retrouvé un ordinateur identique à celui ci dans mon grenier. Une idée de combien ça vaut ? author date text David (UK) Tuesday 10th December 2019 SORD was imported into the UK by Exleigh Business Machines (EBM) of Penzance. A small number of machines were re-exported to Cyprus. There is further information on SORD, mainly M5, on this page http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/Sord/index.php author date text Simon (New Zealand) Tuesday 11th July 2017 I worked for Broadlands Finance (NZ) in the early ''80s. Broadlands acquired a small number of SORD''s and had a simple programme written to assist with the promotion of repayment insurance for dealer written HP agreements. I smuggled the Christchurch machine home and over many nights nutted out how to programme the PIPS platform to do stuff that was really useful for the business! First and very fond memory of harnessing this brave new technology!! author date text Gerry (New Zealand) Tuesday 21st July 2015 I used a Sord for several years for work. The PIPS_III spreadsheet would do something in one operation that Excel still won''t - Sort and Sub total in one operation.\ I think the spreadsheet was ahead of its time.\ My boss bought it in Singapore where we had business interests.\ Eight years ago when moving and downsizing I reluctantly gave away two Sord models - one with 5.25 and the other an 8 inch disc and all the manual etc.\ There never were any good old days but I think nostalically about my Sord my first computer.\ Gerry author date text Pecoramatta (Italy) Saturday 4th October 2014 The price in Italy was Lire 4,900,000 + IVA (14$?) in 1982 (found in an old computer magazine ad), about 5 months of salary of an employee at the time. author date text Shane Doyle (Australia) Tuesday 17th July 2012 I remember writing all this software for an Insurance Agent I knew, who had one of these Sord M23''s. Can''t remember which variant it was now. Anyway, he ran his agent business on this machine with the apps I wrote for him. author date text Lorna (New-Zealand) Wednesday 11th July 2007 I still have one. I've just dragged it down from the attic!\ It was still able to go when packed away, not sure I have any discs for it. I remember that it had a great pacman game author date text Richard (Sparta New Jersey) Friday 20th April 2007 I am looking for someone who can copy and printout\ the programs for a reel to reel tape made in 1979 and ran on the GE timeshare Mark III computer. The\ programs are in fortran 77 and the out put is in ascii. I would like to have the programs converted for use on PC or unix machines. Please e-mail reply 212 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230605043337/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=212 2023-06-05

The Sord M23 Mark III was available with 12" green monitor or a 14" color monitor.

Despite the M23 featured a cartridge port, all of its important software came on floppies, including the ground-breaking PIPS-III and several BASIC compiler variants developed by Sord and running on their own OS. A lot of good business software and games were written with these.

There were later Mark systems released, including a Mark I with the world's first 3.5 inch floppies deployed, and the Mark V with eight inch drives -- the Mark III had 5.25'' floppies. There was also the Mark X with a 10MB hard drive.

Around 1983 or so the "M23EX" was released - this was basically an M23 with the mk41 drives (5.25" DSHD) housed in an M68 case (more PC-style with separate keyboard and floppies in the main case). It was a low cost option contemporary with the more expensive and better spec'd M68.

Graphics required an upgrade - from memory it was a chip, and also an upgrade from "FDOS" to "GDOS" (the graphics DOS). Graphics on this and the M68 were operated in a weird way from CBASIC or BASIC-II (a structured BASIC) - you put it into graphics mode and then issued specially formatted PRINT commands to access graphics - for example:

10 PRINT CLEAR
20 GRAPH 1
30 PRINT "GINIT"
40 PRINT "COLOR 7"
... other code ....
50 GRAPH 0

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Contributors: Andrew Joll

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