// 28/06/2026 // by Elder0010
I bought this machine online for a cheap price. It features a german keyboard and a german charset ROM. The disk drives have been serviced a bit to make them work, even tho I need to find new belts for them. After the usual spindle speed tuning and a good cleaning of the heads they started to work.
The Osborne 1 (1981) was the world’s first commercially successful portable computer, designed by Adam Osborne and released by Osborne Computer Corporation. It weighed about 11 kg - more “luggable” than portable - and came in a case resembling a small suitcase. It featured a tiny 5-inch monochrome screen, two floppy disk drives, and a full keyboard that folded up to close the unit. The Osborne 1 ran CP/M, as did countless other machines of the era.
The “Alien” connection is almost impossible to unsee. The Osborne 1’s industrial beige casing, the dense clusters of vents and chunky keyboard - makes it look like a prop from one of the popular Ridley Scott’s movies. It looks like it belongs next to a motion tracker, wedged into a cargo bay wall of the Nostromo, displaying atmospheric readings in blinking monospace text.
