website/content/museum/osborne-corp-executive.md

---
title: Osborne Corp. Executive
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Transportable
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1982'
cpus:
- Z80B
params:
  name: Executive
  company: /companies/osborne-corp
  company_name: Osborne Corp.
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Executive
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Osborne Corp.
  - label: TYPE
    value: Transportable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1982'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke detachable keyboard with numeric keypad, 69 keys. 4 cursor keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80B
  - label: SPEED
    value: 6 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 124 KB (384 KB max.)
  - label: VRAM
    value: 6 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 8 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 52/80 chars x 24 rows + 1 status row
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome built-in monitor (13 x 10 cm)
  - label: SOUND
    value: Built-in beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 50 cm x 50 cm / 12 Kg
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 2 x serial/RS232c, Centronics, keyboard, composite video output, monitor out, IEEE-488
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: Two half height 5.25'' disk drives (195 KB)
  - label: OS
    value: CP/M+, UCSD p-system
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: PSU built-in, 110v/220v
  - label: PRICE
    value: $2495
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - software
  photos:
  - title: FRONT VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: TOP VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: SIDE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: REAR VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: Two trap doors have to be opened before use to make air circulation easier. The third trap door covers the power socket.
    image: null
  - title: OSBORNE BACK LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: DUAL FDD VERSION
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice the dual Serial RS232 and IEEE-488 connectors.
    image: null
  - title: HARD DISK VERSION
    subtitle: ''
    text: This Osborne Executive was modified by a third company to include a SCSI bus and internal SCSI hard drive in place of one of the floppy drives. There was an external SCSI connector in the power cord compartment. This can be used to connect to external SCSI devices.
    image: null
  - title: FRONT PANEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to right:\
      • Brightness and contrast adjustments\
      • External NTSC monitor connector, normally covered when not used\
      • Reset switch\
      • Composite video output jack\
      • The On/Off switch is located beside the Executive label.
    image: null
  - title: EXECUTIVE LOGO
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: CLOSED
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'INSIDE #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: The mainboard is located below the CRT, the switching PSU to the right, the dual FDD unit to the left.
    image: null
  - title: 'INSIDE #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: The solder side of the motherboard is covered with a isolated cooper foil to avoid radio frequency emissions.
    image: null
  - title: MAIN BOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The main board is an enhanced version of the Osborne 1's, including the floppy drives controller but not the user RAM which is transferred into a piggy-back RAM card.

      **(1)** Video RAM chips (4 x 2 KB 2128)\
      **(2)** FD controller RAM buffer (2x2128)\
      **(3)** Character generator 2128 RAM chip. All the characters are transferred into RAM at power up\
      **(4)** Floppy drives controller\
      **(5)** BIOS ROM\
      **(6)** Floppy drives connector\
      **(7)** Z80A processor, here a NEC D780C\
      **(8)** Power connector\
      **(9)** RAM card connector\
      **(10)** Composite video output jack\
      **(11)** Reset switch\
      **(12)** NTSC video output connector, covered when not used\
      **(13)** Built-in display contrast and brightness knobs\
      **(14)** Keyboard connector\
      **(15)** IEEE-488 connector\
      **(16)** Printer serial connector\
      **(17)** Modem serial connector\
      **(18)** 6821 I/O chips dedicated to keyboard and IEEE-488 management\
      **(19)** Intel 8253 programmable timer\
      **(20)** Z80A SIO handling serial ports
    image: null
  - title: RAM CARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: 128 KB piggy-back RAM card installed onto the motherboard.
    image: null
  - title: OSBORNE MANUALS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The ring binder holds:\
      • System specifications (memory configuration, connector diagrams...)\
      • Reference guides for CP/M Plus,WordStar, SuperCalc, MBASIC and CBASIC.

      The Executive Guides binder hold 5 volumes:\
      • Beginners guide\
      • Mastering the Osborne Executive\
      • Working with Text and Spreadsheets\
      • Managing information with Personal Pearl\
      • Operating systems.
    image: null
  adverts:
  - title: US ADVERT, AUG. 1983
    subtitle: ''
    text: Courtesy of **[Attached](http://www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/)**
    image: null
  screenshots:
  - title: ELIZA
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The famous ELIZA program (the computer psychiatrist) was originally written in 1965 by Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT. The program soon became famous for its ability to make people think they were talking not with a computer but with a person. Most people, at the time, found it fascinating.\
      This version allowed to change ELIZA's conversational habits, and even write completely new subject by programming scripts.
    image: null
  comments:
  - author: Tom Hayes
    date: Monday 16th March 2015
    text: |-
      The specs shown here for the Executive are incorrect. This system was equipped with a 6MHz Z80B CPU not the 4MHz Z80A as stated.

      Tom Hayes\
      Product Manager for the Osborne Executive
  - author: Dr. Fred Fidura (West Virginia, USA)
    date: Thursday 9th May 2013
    text: I recently purchased an Osborne Executive and desperately need copies of the distribution disks, particularly the boot disk. I would be happy to supply the necessary blank disks and pay reasonable expenses.
  - author: Abholzer Franz Xaver (Germany)
    date: Tuesday 1st January 2013
    text: |-
      1.1.2013 Germany, bavaria,\
      I have a OSBORNE EXECUTIV , New, with all the original parcel, all th original software ( CP/M Plus 3.0 ) and Supercalc and Wordstar/Mail Merge, MBASIC / CBASIC, UCSD p-System, the Resensts of hte University of California Vers. IV.12.B, Personal Peearl, and all the books, all is complete N E W !!\
      I will give up this all for 500,-Euros.\
      Worldwide - please ask for the porto !

      e-mail: sport@abholzer.com\
      Please contact me.
  - author: Awinash Bhatkar (USA)
    date: Friday 16th November 2012
    text: I have a Osborne Executive Computer with original software and Foghorn magazine, plus extra statistics and Wordstar software. Is any one interested?
  - author: christina (ny usa)
    date: Monday 28th November 2011
    text: wondering where i could find one of these to buy from someone. this was made the year my husband was born and the spelling of osborne is the same way we spell our name. he''s very much into computers and i''d love to surprise him with one of these for his 30th birthday.
  - author: Dirk (Germany)
    date: Tuesday 5th April 2011
    text: |-
      @Will: possible to send me copies of the disks if i pay for it?

      @Jerry: how much if you ship them to germany?
  - author: Will Meyer (St Louis MO USA)
    date: Thursday 2nd December 2010
    text: |-
      John - I have an Execuitive - I can make you backup copies of the disks if you still need them.\
      \- Will
  - author: Jerry Paulson$ (USA)
    date: Tuesday 23rd November 2010
    text: John $ I have an Osborne Executive with a complete disk package that I would be willing to sell as a package.
  - author: John Williams
    date: Saturday 14th August 2010
    text: I was wondering if anyone has an idea as to where I could get disks for my osborne executive
  - author: Erik (Australia)
    date: Sunday 25th April 2010
    text: I saw an Osborne Executive (or was it the Osborne 1) in a Youtube video titled ''Computer Virus TV News Report'' and the video was all about the Morris Internet worm that spread throughout the Internet, shutting down thousands of computers. Search Youtube for ''computer virus tv news'' and you''ll see what I mean.
  - author: Albert
    date: Friday 26th March 2010
    text: Our university lab had a few of these. Each one was connected to a standard monitor.
  - author: felix (berlin(Deutschland))
    date: Saturday 2nd December 2006
    text: |-
      i have a osborne 1\
      but no keyboard for that i use just a cable to enter\
      & no OS Disks
  - author: David (MO)
    date: Sunday 30th January 2005
    text: I found a place where they sell the same model monitor or very similar to the Osborne 1s' and the Osborne Executives'. You could use it to replace the monitor on your's. To find the web sight you can look up monochrome monitor on www.google.com. It is on one of those web sites.
  - author: remi (california, usa)
    date: Sunday 4th May 2003
    text: The executive (I have) does not boot of the Osborne 1 disks. Is that normal ?
  oc_id: 573
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230528104353/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=573
    date: '2023-05-28'
---

The Executive is the successor of the Osborne 1, from which it keeps the good points and correct its flaws. More memory, bigger screen, more powerful software and... higher price.

When closed, the Executive looks like a sewing machine! Once opened, the detachable keyboard is connected to the main unit through a quite short coiled cord. The keyboard can be tilted for a better typing. It has a separated numeric keypad and 4 cursor keys. The layout of these keys is not very convenient. There is "left" & "up" on one row, and "down" & "right" on the other...

The front panel of the Executive is divided in four parts. In the center, one can find the built-in amber monitor (13 x 10 cm) bigger than the Osborne 1 one. On the right hand side, there is the fan grid, the Executive logo and the on/off button. The two 5.25" half-height disk drives, are mounted horizontaly just above an empty disk storage space. Different connectors are placed at the bottom of the front panel: two RS232c/serial (for printers and modem), one Centronics and the keyboard connector. Next to them are brightness and contrast control knobs, as well as a reset button.

At the back of the system is the handle to carry the system once it is closed. Under this handle is the fan trap door, which you have to open before starting to work. The Executive has of course its own power supply unit, but what is more uncommon, is that it can accept 110v or 220v, the system will convert both. This was useful for people traveling a lot.

The built-in monitor was the main flaw of the Osborne 1. This tiny screen was displaying 52 of 132 virtual columns (this was done by scrolling), resulting in 2 mm high characters! The Executive has a wider screen which can really display 80 columns, though some critics said it was still too small. The characters can be displayed in normal mode, half intensity, inverse or blink. Two character sets are available, and independant windows can be defined.

The Executive was delivered with a binder containing 14 disks! There was CP/M+, Wordstar 3.3, Mailmerge, Supercalc 1.12, Pearl (file manager), Microsoft Basic 5.22, CBasic 2 and several tools. The Executive can also read disks from many other systems: Osborne 1, IBM PC under CP/M 86, DEC VT 180, Xerox 820, Cromenco Minidisk and UCSD p. It can also emulate several terminal types: VT 100, ADM, Hazeltine, HP... and know several communication protocols: 3270, 2780, 3780 and X25.

Though most reviews said it had 128 KB, the Executive is equiped with 124 KB from which only 60 KB are left free for the user. The missing 4K was because of the bank switching it couldn't switch the whole 64K only 60K could be switched the 4K had to remain common. The memory can however be expanded to 384 KB.

---

**Curtis A. Ingraham** (former Osborne's employee) reports:\
Following the introduction of the Executive, OCC was developing a PC-compatible portable (not the Encore) which looked much like the Executive. This project was near production at the time of the bankruptcy. I recall that the PC-compatible was to be called the "Osborne PC". It is quite true that the PC announcement killed the sales of the exsiting models. The company was preparing to offer an upgrade plan to convert Executives to PCs in the hopes of sustaining Executive sales, but the sales died anyway. I believe five copies of the PC were built, and at least one of them was working. It looked much like the Executive. The company was desperately trying to sell the design to other companies just before the bankruptcy.