• SomeCoder (unregistered) in reply to Frost
    Frost:
    Anon:
    the weight of a single Osborne 1 is equivalent to 122 hot dogs (buns + ketchup included)

    You know some hot dog purist is going to complain that you should never put ketchup on a hot dog. It's mustard or nothing.

    Right, like Wikipedia says, that could overpower the taste of the 'dog.

    Bah! Everyone else be damned! Ketchup and mustard for me please!! :)

  • Nobody (unregistered) in reply to DaveK

    Man Sized Comment

  • Daniel (unregistered)

    Actually, the Osborne I was a huge sales success, up until Osborne announced the Osborne II, at which point the sales all but stopped as prospective customers waited for Osborne II. Alas, Osborne II's development was affected by the sudden drying of sales.

    Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.

    Microsoft took that to heart, alas. Whenever someone had something really cool selling really well that Microsoft had a trouble with, Microsoft announced a "successor" for that product. They never delivered, of course, but that wasn't THEIR problem.

  • lorvax (unregistered) in reply to DaveK

    I actually owned both an Osborne 1 and the little Tandy device; the latter was cute, but I worked on the Osborne and used it up through my first year of college (1987); after which I switched to the TOPS/20 system with SCRIBE, and after that Unix + TeX....and the Osborne remains closed in a closet in my parents' house.

    The Tandy was stolen from me in high school, but I used it as well for HS physics class. I preferred my HP15C, but it was cute and made beeping noises. I got it on sale at a K-Mart (yes, believe it or not!) where they had one and they didn't know what to do with it, so they gave it to me for $30.

  • (cs)

    That one-line pocket terminal is just awesome. You could even use ed for editing text files!

  • (cs) in reply to Nodody
    Nodody:
    The real WTF is that this is also the TRS-80:

    and this: [image]

    Couldn't they think of more than one name?

    Don't forget: [image]

  • (cs) in reply to Daniel
    Daniel:
    Actually, the Osborne I was a huge sales success, up until Osborne announced the Osborne II, at which point the sales all but stopped as prospective customers waited for Osborne II. Alas, Osborne II's development was affected by the sudden drying of sales.

    Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.

    Talk about shooting oneself in the foot? Ok then, I will.
    me:
    "A perfect example of 'shooting oneself in the foot' would be to repost an urban legend that has already been repeatedly posted and comprehensively debunked at least an hour and twenty posts up-thread, and could be avoided by finishing reading the threads before you post."
    Will that do you?
  • Vic Tim (unregistered) in reply to Nodody
    Nodody:
    The real WTF is that this is also the TRS-80:

    and this:

    Couldn't they think of more than one name?

    Naw, it's all trash from the 80s so who cares?

  • (cs) in reply to Frost
    Frost:
    Anon:
    the weight of a single Osborne 1 is equivalent to 122 hot dogs (buns + ketchup included)

    You know some hot dog purist is going to complain that you should never put ketchup on a hot dog. It's mustard or nothing.

    Right, like Wikipedia says, that could overpower the taste of the 'dog.

    Some people might consider it a failing of the bland yellow stuff that is mislabelled and sold as "mustard" in the USA, that it could not even overpower the "taste" of a boiled processed-meat sausage.

    Just goes to show de gustibus non disputandum est, I guess.

  • David Pickard (unregistered)

    Hey, I still have my TRS-80, but mine is badged "Sharp PC-1211 Pocket Computer", and was bought in the Abu Dhabi souk when it was still cool and trendy. In its heyday it did Gain/NoiseTemperature calculations for new satellite earth stations. Today, it's still the first thing I reach for when I need a quick calculation.

  • Anon (unregistered) in reply to DaveK
    DaveK:
    Frost:
    Anon:
    the weight of a single Osborne 1 is equivalent to 122 hot dogs (buns + ketchup included)

    You know some hot dog purist is going to complain that you should never put ketchup on a hot dog. It's mustard or nothing.

    Right, like Wikipedia says, that could overpower the taste of the 'dog.

    Some people might consider it a failing of the bland yellow stuff that is mislabelled and sold as "mustard" in the USA, that it could not even overpower the "taste" of a boiled processed-meat sausage.

    Just goes to show de gustibus non disputandum est, I guess.

    And there's no accounting for pompous people who need to post Latin phrases.

  • (cs) in reply to JonC
    JonC:
    One of the standard type in this BASIC code programs that was the manual was a hore racing game...

    That sentence is seriously injured and should be shot by the side of the track.

  • moshbox (unregistered) in reply to JonC
    JonC:
    I used to own one of those TRS-80s. One of the standard type in this BASIC code programs that was the manual was a hore racing game where you could bet on a horse (represented by different icons) and then 4 of the icons would 'race' from one end of the screen to the other. It was actually surprisingly fun and was a good way of wasting time during boring school lessons.

    Haha, I remember playing that every Friday Gr. 7 maths class on the school's lone PET. Except we raced horses or dragsters, rather than whores. I remember porting both of these to the Apple ][ clone my dad bought around the same time and started throwing together games of my own. Eventually my cassette tape stretched so bad the index of start/end numbers were useless and loading anything became a game in itself.

  • (cs)

    The guy on the left has two file folders, a news magazine, and a sandwich.

    The guy on the right has the OSBORNE 1(R), a fully functional computer system in a portable package the size of a briefcase.

    One of them is going to be very hungry in the afternoon.

  • (cs)

    We are a strange, strange group... that said, I guess I should continue the current trend by admitting to the following:

    1. Trs-80 PC
    2. Trs-80 model 100
    3. Ts-1000 (still have it with the 16kb expansion pack, gotta hack a power supply to work with it still tho)
    4. Hyperion luggable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(computer) )- bar none the best DOS implementation I have ever seen.
    5. HP-28s (which still gets a serious workout)
    6. Hp-48sx (also cool, but I prefer the 28s for some reason)

    ah, and in my past I'll admit to owning a daisy wheel printer/machine gun simulator (man did that thing ever whack those keys around)

    Yes, I have a tech addiction problem - I've long since lost most of my favorite tech machines!

  • (cs)

    Oh, and on a similar note, how many people here are willing to admit to buying a labeling machine not because they need it, but because its just too cool to not buy?

  • (cs) in reply to Anon
    Anon:
    DaveK:
    Frost:
    Anon:
    the weight of a single Osborne 1 is equivalent to 122 hot dogs (buns + ketchup included)

    You know some hot dog purist is going to complain that you should never put ketchup on a hot dog. It's mustard or nothing.

    Right, like Wikipedia says, that could overpower the taste of the 'dog.

    Some people might consider it a failing of the bland yellow stuff that is mislabelled and sold as "mustard" in the USA, that it could not even overpower the "taste" of a boiled processed-meat sausage.

    Just goes to show de gustibus non disputandum est, I guess.

    And there's no accounting for pompous people who need to post Latin phrases.

    Don't be so silly. It's a well known everyday phrase or saying. The chip on your shoulder is showing.

  • (cs) in reply to Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward:
    The guy on the left has two file folders, a news magazine, and a sandwich.

    The guy on the right has the OSBORNE 1(R), a fully functional computer system in a portable package the size of a briefcase.

    One of them is going to be very hungry in the afternoon.

    Bet it won't be the guy with a hundred and twentytwo hot-dogs!
  • (cs) in reply to Anon
    Anon:
    Morry:
    Hotdogs? Hotdogs? Is this some hitherto unknown imperial measurement? Like Drachm?

    Yes, but be warned the the Imperial Standard Hotdog (ISD) weighs slightly more than the metric Hotdog (D). 1 ISD is approx. 1044 mD IIRC. Also, there is no metric equivalent to the "foot long".

    The good thing about the Imperial Standard Hotdog is that it's guaranteed to be an accurate weight due to the cloning technology of the Empire.

    I can't help but picture Darth Vader with his army of Imperial Standard Hotdogs right now. Of course, with Jek Porkins on their side, the Rebellion can't lose to that army.

  • (cs) in reply to Bob K.
    Bob K. :
    Man I'm old. I still instinctively pronounce "TRS-80" as "Trash 80"
    Are you telling me there's another way to pronounce TRS-80?

    Next you'll be telling me there was no such thing as a Commode Door 64.

  • drach (unregistered) in reply to NSCoder
    NSCoder:
    The guy on the right doesn't stand a chance. He has no sandwich!
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  • Greg (unregistered)

    Hey, Radio Shack's TRS-80 Pocket Computer worked great! I used it in my uncle's insurance business after I programmed it to do insurance quotes. You could buy a portable thermal printer with it which I used to print out the quotes and supporting info. Good memories...

  • blindman (unregistered)

    The real WTF is that the images are not visible in FireFox.

  • IT Girl (unregistered) in reply to SomeCoder
    SomeCoder:
    Frost:
    Anon:
    the weight of a single Osborne 1 is equivalent to 122 hot dogs (buns + ketchup included)

    You know some hot dog purist is going to complain that you should never put ketchup on a hot dog. It's mustard or nothing.

    Right, like Wikipedia says, that could overpower the taste of the 'dog.

    Bah! Everyone else be damned! Ketchup and mustard for me please!! :)

    In the capital of Canada we buy them from street vendors, call the gutter dogs and top them with ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, sauerkraut and hot peppers. I mean who actually wants to taste the hot dog anyway?

  • bramster (unregistered) in reply to Xepol
    Xepol:
    We are a strange, strange group... that said, I guess I should continue the current trend by admitting to the following:
    1. Trs-80 PC
    2. Trs-80 model 100
    3. Ts-1000 (still have it with the 16kb expansion pack, gotta hack a power supply to work with it still tho)
    4. Hyperion luggable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(computer) )- bar none the best DOS implementation I have ever seen.
    5. HP-28s (which still gets a serious workout)
    6. Hp-48sx (also cool, but I prefer the 28s for some reason)

    ah, and in my past I'll admit to owning a daisy wheel printer/machine gun simulator (man did that thing ever whack those keys around)

    Yes, I have a tech addiction problem - I've long since lost most of my favorite tech machines!

    Wow. That takes me back. I remember converting Hyperion Documentation, written using "Multimate", to typesetting files, to be run on a Mergenthaler 202 CRT photo-typesetting machine. Interesting times.

  • KOGI (unregistered)

    Is it just me, or are there no images on this post? Or the last 'what the ad' post either, for that matter.

  • SomeCoder (unregistered) in reply to blindman
    blindman:
    The real WTF is that the images are not visible in FireFox.

    They work for me (Firefox 3 w/Adblock enabled).

  • MRAB (unregistered) in reply to Nodody
    Nodody:
    The real WTF is that this is also the TRS-80: [image]

    and so is this: [image]

    and this: [image]

    Couldn't they think of more than one name?

    It's made by Tandy Radio Shack and uses a Z80. What else should it be called? :-)

  • (cs) in reply to KOGI
    KOGI:
    Is it just me, or are there no images on this post? Or the last 'what the ad' post either, for that matter.

    It's not just you, but the images are actually there - it's just that you'll have to disable your adblocking software first. Mine treats them as obnoxious advertising, which in a sense they are, and doesn't show them to me. I have to temporarily disable it to see them.

  • Yatima (unregistered) in reply to Gumpy Gus

    Aww, I loved our Osborne 1. Wrote my first text adventures on it, in CP/M Basic.

  • ML (unregistered) in reply to JonC
    JonC:
    One of the standard type in this BASIC code programs that was the manual was a hore racing game where you could bet on a horse.... It was actually surprisingly fun and was a good way of wasting time during boring school lessons.
    Betting on and racing a (w)hore would be a lot more surprising and, I imagine, a lot more fun and a good way to waste time.
  • (cs) in reply to Gumpy Gus
    Gumpy Gus:
    Ah yes, The Osborne. Tiny screen and tinier diskettes. A useless GPIB interface.

    I think this was the machine that blew air OUT of the case, which sucked dusty air in through the only open apertures-- the floppy disk slots. Made for very dusty 100k diskettes.

    What do you mean, the machine? Most computers sold all the way from then up until now do this. I have no idea why, other than that computer case designers know nothing about air filtration. I suppose they don't really need to. It's the people who buy the things who get stuck trying to get the dust out of them afterwards, or sometimes just not.

  • Tom Collins (unregistered)

    http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/89q1/uzi.134.html

    The following advertisement appeared in one of the munition magazines:

    The Guy on the Right Doesn't Stand a Chance. The guy on the right has the Osborne 1, a fully functional computer system in a portable package the size of a briefcase. The guy on the left has an Uzi submachine gun concealed in his attache case. Also in the case are four fully loaded, 32 round clips of 125 grain 9 mm ammunition.

    The owner of the Uzi is going to get more tactical firepower delivered--and delivered on target--in less time and with less effort.

    All for $795. It's inevitable.

    If you're going up against some guy with an Osborne 1--or any personal computer--he's the one whose in trouble. One round from an Uzi can zip through ten inches of solid pine wood, so you can imagine what it will do to structural foam acrylic and sheet aluminum. In fact, detachable magazines for the Uzi are available in 25-, 32-, and 40-round capacities, so you can take out an entire office full of Apple II or IBM Personal Computers tied into Ethernet or other local area networks.

    What about the new 16-bit computers, like the Lisa and Fortune? Even with the Winchester backup they're no match for the Uzi. One quick burst and they'll find what UNIX means.

    Make your commanding officer proud. Get an Uzi--and come home a winner in the fight for office automatic weapons.

  • Zerbs (unregistered) in reply to DaveK
    DaveK:
    Some people might consider it a failing of the bland yellow stuff that is mislabelled and sold as "mustard" in the USA, that it could not even overpower the "taste" of a boiled processed-meat sausage.

    I guess you've never had Bertman's mustard then!

  • Liquid_Fire (unregistered) in reply to KOGI
    KOGI:
    Is it just me, or are there no images on this post? Or the last 'what the ad' post either, for that matter.
    Disable adblock. The ads are conveniently in an 'ads' directory, which many filters naturally block.
  • (cs) in reply to Zerbs
    Zerbs:
    DaveK:
    Some people might consider it a failing of the bland yellow stuff that is mislabelled and sold as "mustard" in the USA, that it could not even overpower the "taste" of a boiled processed-meat sausage.

    I guess you've never had Bertman's mustard then!

    Nope, I must admit I've never even heard of it. Is it proper hot then? The amazon page describes it as "mildly spicy".... I prefer mine to be described as "eye-wateringly" hot...

  • ambrosen (unregistered) in reply to JonC
    JonC:
    Satipo:

    I think it is spelled whore, and yes, that does sound like fun.

    I was sure I typed the s in horse :-o

    How shore were you?

  • (cs) in reply to Tom Collins
    http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/89q1/uzi.134.html:
    What about the new 16-bit computers, like the Lisa and Fortune? Even with the Winchester backup they're no match for the Uzi.
    I thought rifles had a lot longer range than SMGs? Surely he'll snipe the guy with the Uzi before he even gets close?
  • (cs) in reply to Nodody
    Nodody:
    Couldn't they think of more than one name?

    Yes they could: [image]

  • (cs)

    I think the guy on the left is going to win.

    Because he's clearly got one of these or one of these.

    [image]

    "Two file folders, a news magazine and a sandwich."

  • Asiago Chow (unregistered)

    The whole "There was no Osborne Effect," argument tends to be a matter of semantics.

    All businesses can tolerate a certain amount of revenue-reducing competition. If they can't tolerate what they face they die.

    All tech companies compete with future products. Do you buy a laptop today or wait until the new models come out? Do you buy a video card or wait? Intel must constantly come up with reasons why today's CPU is enough better than last year's to justify an upgrade, but not so much worse than next year's that you should wait. Do you buy this model year car or wait for the next model which will almost certainly be better.

    The more real a product seems to the buyer, the stronger its competition. That's true for existant or possible competitors. People who have seen Linux count it as a stronger MS competitor than people who have only heard about it. People who have heard about Windows 7 see it as a stronger competitor to Vista than people who haven't.

    I've worked at places that suffered a sort of Osborne Effect with products I was developing. In one case it didn't matter at all...customers didn't care about the new features all that much. In another it not only completely zeroed sales, it reversed them. People cancelled orders for the old product to get in line for the new even though the new was 12+ months out. It didn't put us out of business...but had we been a little weaker it would have been a definite contributor to failure.

    There is no question that Osborne was unable to deal with the total competition it faced. There is little question that the Osborne I was forced to compete with the upcoming Osborne II. Does that mean the announcement of a future product was the actual death blow for Osborne? Shrug.

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to Nodody

    You know, if I did a few minutes of web searching I could probably find 100 distinct computers named "Vaio" or "Satellite" or "Protege" or "Inspiron". Sure, they all sound like they have the same name, if you ignore the part of the name that is unique to each device.

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to MRAB

    The Color Computer used several versions of the 6809 in its various incarnations, not a Z80.

    Trust me, you don't spend five years of your life developing in assembler on the thing without being damn sure what processor it runs.

    I suspect some of the others used 6502's or Z80's, but I didn't use any of those directly so I can't speak with the same authority. Radio Shack/Tandy were quite fond of taking the CPU manufacturer's application schematics (circuit designs that are meant to show engineers a complete system that they can base their own designs on), building them more or less as-is, and slapping their brand on the outside of the case.

  • divestoclimb (unregistered) in reply to halcyon1234

    The guy on the left will survive longer. He has food and kindling to build a fire.

  • BikerBob (unregistered) in reply to Anon

    There is a metric equivalent to the "foot long" It's the 30 centimeater dog.

  • Shaftoe (unregistered)

    There is the Radio Shack MC 10. My first computer

  • Charles (unregistered)

    After the company folded, Adam Osborne admitted that he had no idea what it cost him to make the computers on a per-unit basis. It turns out he was selling them below cost the whole time.

    CAPTCHA: distineo - Game of disrespect to be released on the Nintendo platform.

  • ChiefCrazyTalk (unregistered) in reply to Nodody
    Nodody:

    Couldn't they think of more than one name?

    You mean like Apple can't think of more than one name other than "Macintosh" for the last 24 years?

  • Duke of New York (unregistered)

    LOL technology is dumb, am I right?

  • Ken (unregistered)

    What if the guy on the left is from the future and has an iPod in the briefcase?

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