Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

OSBORNE 1

Date Range From

1981

Date Range To

1983

Materials

PLASTIC, GLASS, PAPER

No. Pieces

12

Description

PORTABLE COMPUTER ENCASED IN HARD BEIGE PLASTIC WITH GRAY BOX CONTAINING FIVE 51/4 INCH FLOPPY DISKS IN ENVELOPES - 12 PIECES. 1. COMPUTER, BEIGE PLASTIC OUTSIDE, BLACK STRIPES ON SIDE MARKED IN WHITE, “O1, OSBORNE, COMPUTER CORPORATION.” FRONT ATTACHED WITH TWO BLACK PLASTIC CLIPS. HANDLE, ELECTRICAL CORD AND ON/OFF SWITCH ON BACK. FRONT PANEL OPENS UP AND TURNS INTO KEYBOARD, ALSO INCLUDES SMALL SCREEN AND TWO DISK DRIVES. 50.4 CM WIDE BY 21.8 CM DEEP BY 38.4 CM LONG 2. BOX, MEDIUM GREY. EIGHT HORIZONTAL LINES AND “O” ON FRONT IN WHITE, MARKED “OSBORNE… CALIFORNIA 94545,” SAME IMAGE UPSIDE DOWN ON BACK OF BOX. PIECE OF SCOTCH TAPE ON BOTTOM FLAP AND BACK SIDE. COLOR LOSS ESPECIALLY ON EDGES AND ON BACK. 15.5 CM WIDE BY 17.8 CM TALL BY 1.3 CM DEEP. 3. ENVELOPES, FIVE IDENTICAL. GREY PAPER ON FRONT, WHITE ON BACK. 8 HORIZONTAL LINES AND “O” ON FRONT, MARKED “OSBORNE… CALIFORNIA 94545.” BACKSIDE OF ENVELOPE EXTENDS OUT FURTHER THAN THE FRONT. 11.9 CM TALL BY 14.2 CM WIDE. 4. FLOPPY DISK, BLACK SQUARE PLASTIC ENCASED AROUND GRAYISH BROWN PLASTIC, HOLE IN THE CENTRE. WHITE PAPER LABEL IN UPPER LEFT CORNER MARKED “CBASIC TM/ MBASIC TM…” 13.3 CM WIDE BY 13.3 CM TALL. 5. FLOPPY DISK, BLACK SQUARE PLASTIC ENCASED AROUND GRAYISH BROWN PLASTIC, HOLE IN THE CENTRE. WHITE PAPER LABEL IN UPPER LEFT CORNER MARKED “CP/M TM UTILITY…” 13.3 CM WIDE BY 13.3 CM TALL. 6. FLOPPY DISK, BLACK SQUARE PLASTIC ENCASED AROUND GRAYISH BROWN PLASTIC, HOLE IN THE CENTRE. WHITE PAPER LABEL IN UPPER LEFT CORNER MARKED “SUPERCALC TM…” 13.3 CM WIDE BY 13.3 CM TALL. 7. FLOPPY DISK, BLACK SQUARE PLASTIC ENCASED AROUND GRAYISH BROWN PLASTIC, HOLE IN THE CENTRE. WHITE PAPER LABEL IN UPPER LEFT CORNER MARKED “WORDSTAR TM/ MAILMERGE TM…” 13.3 CM WIDE BY 13.3 CM TALL. 8. FLOPPY DISK, BLACK SQUARE PLASTIC ENCASED AROUND GRAYISH BROWN PLASTIC, HOLE IN THE CENTRE. WHITE PAPER LABEL IN UPPER LEFT CORNER MARKED “CP/M TM SYSTEM…” 13.3 CM WIDE BY 13.3 CM TALL.

Subjects

DATA PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

HEALTH SERVICES

History

KEVIN MACLEAN, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN WORKED IN TANDEM WITH DONOR, DR. TOM MELLING, TO COMPILE A HISTORY OF THE "OSBORNE 1." ACCORDING TO DR. TOM MELLING AT TIME OF DONATION, THE COMPUTER WAS USED IN HIS MEDICAL PRACTICE. HE WAS AN EARLY STUDENT OF COMPUTING. IN THE LATE 70S, HE TOOK AN ACTIVE INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTERS - ALBEIT HE WAS LESS INTERESTED IN MODERN CALCULATORS. IN ORDER TO SATISFY HIS COMPUTING INTERESTS, HE SUBSCRIBED TO THE JOURNAL "BYTE," THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MAGAZINE OF ITS KIND AVAILABLE IN LETHBRIDGE. ACCORDING TO MELLING, "THERE WERE A LOT OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE MAGAZINE" AND IN 1981 HE CAME UPON AN AD, DESCRIBING THE FIRST PORTABLE COMPUTER WHICH FEATURED A MICRO-PROCESSOR "WORDSTAR" AND A FINANCIAL CALCULATING PROGRAM "SUPERCALC." AFTER READING THE AD, MELLING DECIDED, "I'VE GOT TO GET ONE OF THESE" AND ORDERED THE OSBORNE COMPUTER BY MAIL FROM THE US AT A COST OF $2000.00. HE LATER PROMISED IT TO HIS SON MICHAEL WHO WAS AT THE TIME COMPLETING STUDIES IN LAW AT OSGOODE HALL TORONTO AND HEADING FOR FURTHER EDUCATION AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY. ANOTHER LOCAL DOCTOR, PATHOLOGIST DR. ROD MCKAY, SHARED MELLING'S EARLY ENTHUSIASM FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND WROTE PROGRAMS ON HIS APPLE COMUTER. HIS FOCUS LAID IN HIS COMPUTERS' ABILITY TO RUN HIS PROGRAM FOR CRITICAL DOSAGE CALCULATIONS FOR MEDICATIONS (SUCH AS GENTAMYCIN AND ANTIBIOTICS). MCKAY, CLAIMED MELLING, WAS A DESKTOP ADVOCATE WHEREAS MELLING'S INTEREST LAY IN PORTABLE COMPUTERS. EVENTUALLY, MELLING TOO RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF WRITING PROGRAMS AND ENROLLED HIMSELF IN A BASIC PROGRAMMING COURSE AT LCC ON ACCOUNT THAT NO "OFF THE SHELF" PROGRAMS EXISTED TO ASSIST HIM OR MCKAY IN THEIR MEDICAL WORK. MCKAY AND MELLING WERE QUICKLY JOINED BY DR. BLAIR AMUNDSEN, A UROLOGIST; DRS. DON RICE AND TERRY LONGAIR, TWO GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, AND DR. IAN WRIGHT (ALSO A UROLOGIST) IN THEIR PASSION FOR COMPUTING. ALL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MELLING, HOWEVER; WORKED ON APPLES. IN 1981, THE DOCTORS FELT THAT THERE WAS VALUE IN FORMING A COMPUTING CLUB AS A FORUM TO DISCUSS THE DOCTORS' PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR INTERESTS. THEY MET WEEKLY AT ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL (FORMERLY LOCATED ON 9TH AVE. AND 13TH ST. SOUTH) AND, THERE, "DEMONSTRATED THEIR MACHINES." MELLING'S PROTABLE OSBORNE COMPUTER WAS "PITIFULLY SLOW" ON ACCOUNT THAT HE HAD TO LOAD ITS OPERATING SYSTEM EVERY TIME HE TURNED ON HIS COMPUTER. THE CLUB'S ADVOCATES, IN CONTRAST, THROUGHT THEIR NEWLY ACQUIRED "APPLES" WERE FAR FASTER. GENERALLY, MELLING CLAIMED THE ERA'S COMPUTERS, "AWAKENED PEOPLE'S INTEREST." "IT WAS FASCINATING AT THE TIME," HE SAID, FEELING AS THOUGH "HUMANS HAD TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL IN THEIR HANDS." FROM 1981 TO 1983, MELLING CARRIED THE PORTABLE OSBORNE, "THE FIRST TRULY PORTALE COMPUTER" BACK AND FORTH DAILY TO HIS OFFICE. THE EMERGENCE OF BILL GATES' OPERATING SYSTEM 'MSDOS' AND THE "PERSONAL COMPUTER" AROUND 1983, RENDERED THE OSBORNE COMPUTER OBSOLETE, AND FORCED THE OSBORNE COMPUTER CORPORATION INTO BANKRUPTCY. HE CURRENTLY CARRIES AN ULTRA THIN ACER LAPTOP. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Catalogue Number

P20090032000

Acquisition Date

2009-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail