Adam Osborne was one of the important and influential role in the early history of the manufacture of personal computer (PC). He was born in Thailand in 1939, and spent her childhood in Tamil Nadu, South India, with both parents are British. He moved to England at the age of 11 years. In 1961 he graduated from the University of Birmingham, England, as a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. After that, he moved to the United States and completed his education at the University of Delaware and earned a doctorate in chemical engineering. Later, he worked at a mining company Shell Oil.
Like most people who always think creatively, Osborne felt uncomfortable in living her life as an employee at a large company. He does not stand for long in Shell and resigned from the company. He then realized that he was enjoying his new job as a guidebook writer, especially on the new computer guide book that will be developed. In the early 1970's, he got his new job as a guidebook writer for a computer company Intel's new microprocessor.
Osborne continued job loss in 1972 as a writer and trying to set up Osborne and Associates, a company engaged in the writing of computer manuals are simple, easy, and readable for computer enthusiasts. He also wrote a book entitled "The Value of Power", which later changed its title to "An Introduction to Microcomputers". He tried to offer his book to a publisher who was in town. However, unfortunately the book was rejected. He never gave up. Then, he decided to try to publish the book itself.
In an event at a club of computer users, he could show his book to Bruce Van Natta of AMSAI, one of the well-known computer companies in the U.S.. After reading the book, Van Natta interested and decided to include a book on each computer that will sell IMSAI. With a good start and mutual benefit, as well as the belief that people will troop to seek help books about computers that can be easily read and understood, Osborn tried to establish his own publishing company called Osborn Books.
Five years later, publishers Osborne Books has published over 40 books about computers. Then in 1979, for one thing, Osborne sold his publishing company to McGraw-Hill. At the same time, he began trying to write in a column for a computer magazine Interface Age and Infoworld. He was very sure the computer would be really useful if the computer is made mobile (can be taken anywhere) and dynamic with people who use it, and can be used anytime and anywhere people are. He began to think that someday the company's existing computer would understand about the concepts (ideas) in the head. However, computer company that is not ready with his concepts. Having sold his publishing company, Osborn began to divert energies to designing a portable computer, attractive, easy to use, and powerful.
On March 1980, in the "West Coast Computer Faire", he met with Lee Felsenstein, an expert who designed the circuit board for the processor technology. Felsenstein start a business engaged in the manufacture of the hardware (hardware). His hardware company that not only produce computers that are portable, but also offers its software.
Felsenstein also became interested in following the idea proposed by Osborne, he began designing a portable computer, which will be able to be stored under the seat in an airplane. The computer weighs only 24 pounds, has a display (display) 52 columns that will be enough in the 5-inch screen, protective tubes, and two disk drives. In order to meet the needs of a small display, Felsenstein trying to keep a full screen of information in memory, and provide convenience to the users when they press the buttons to scroll the screen display.
Once the hardware was realized, Osborne tried to contact some of the software provider and make arrangements to provide language and CBASIC BASIC, WordStar word processing, and data processing program SuperCalc on each computer. Sotware-market price of the software is approximately $ 2,000, which caused Osborne to raise the original price of each unit sold. Osborne began to introduce his new computer, named the Osborne 1, the "West Coast Computer Faire" in April 1981. The computer is the first portable computer that its software can be obtained at a price of $ 1,795 and is a breakthrough that promises to surprise and achieve a successful sale. On September 1981, Osborne Computer Cooporation (OCC) to get the first sale of millions of dollars. In fact, Osborne 1 became one of the best-selling PC and many were sold that quickly reach peak sales of approximately 10,000 units per month.
In the second year, the company owned by Osborne achieve sales target of 70 million dollars. This overwhelming its rivals, like IBM and Apple. It was very aggravated when Osborne announced his new computer, Executive, long before the goods are ready for market. This makes the consumers stopped buying the Osborne 1 while waiting for a new computer that will be issued. But, unfortunately, in September 1983, without known with certainty, OCC went bankrupt. Because no sales executive sales selaris Osborne 1.
In the spring of 1984, Osborne returned to the publishing business. His new firm called Paperback Software International Ltd.. Initially, he attempted to publish a low-cost software to compete with expensive software that is available on the market at that time. The first time, the idea was to see success and he can take over and attract consumers, especially computer companies in the UK. Osborne's most successful product is a data processing program called VP Planner. Unfortunately, Lotus Development Corporation feels that the program infringes a patent of their program, Lotus 1-2-3. In 1987, Lotus demand software, and billing of software licenses. After a long process in court, the court finally decided that the doubling property menu interface of Lotus 1-2-3 software violated patents.
However, Adam Osborne is an inventor of genius on how to make portable computers that provide convenience to the user's computer. There is no doubt, brilliant ideas would be very useful for the current computer user. Adam Osborne dies in Kodiakanal, southern India, on March 25, 2003 after suffering a prolonged illness on the brain.
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