"The guy who knows about computers is the last person you want to have creating documentation for people who don't understand computers." -- Adam Osborne
Adam Osborne (March 6, 1939 – March 18, 2003) was an American author, book and software publisher, and computer designer who founded several companies in the United States and elsewhere.
"Adequacy is sufficient.""I liken myself to Henry Ford and the auto industry, I give you 90 percent of what most people need.""I take what I see work. I'm a strict believer in the scientific principle of believing nothing, only taking the best evidence available at the present time, interpreting it as best you can, and leaving your mind open to the fact that new evidence will appear tomorrow.""Money coming in says I've made the right marketing decisions.""People think computers will keep them from making mistakes. They're wrong. With computers you make mistakes faster.""The future lies in designing and selling computers that people don't realize are computers at all.""The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake - you can't learn anything from being perfect.""The small businessman is smart; he realizes there's no free lunch. On the other hand, he knows where to go to get a good inexpensive sandwich.""There'll be a special place in hell for the tape back-up people.""This is the ultimate con game - I'm having fun and people pay me to do it.""Venture capitalists are like lemmings jumping on the software bandwagon.""We can learn from IBM's successful history that you don't have to have the best product to become number one. You don't even have to have a good product.""With bundled machines you can throw away the hardware and keep the software, and it's still a good buy."
Osborne was known to frequent the famous Homebrew Computer Club's meetings around 1975. He was best known for creating the first commercially available portable computer, the Osborne 1, released in April 1981. It weighed 24.5 pounds (12 kg), cost US$1795—just over half the cost of a computer from other manufacturers with comparable features—and ran the popular CP/M 2.2 operating system. At its peak, Osborne Computer Corporation shipped 10,000 units of "Osborne 1" per month. Osborne was one of the first personal computing pioneers to understand fully that there was a wide market of buyers who were not computing hobbyists: the Osborne 1 included word processing and spreadsheet software. This was at a time when IBM would not bundle hardware and software with their PCs, selling separately the operating systems, monitors, and even cables for the monitor.
It is said that in 1983, Adam Osborne bragged about two advanced new computers his company was developing. These statements destroyed consumer demand for the Osborne 1, and the resulting inventory glut forced Osborne Computer to file for bankruptcy on September 13, 1983. This phenomenon, a preannouncement of a new product causing a catastrophic collapse in demand for older ones, became known as the Osborne effect, but according to some new sources the real reason for Osborne Computer's bankruptcy was management errors. I, Cringely . The Pulpit . The Osborne Effect | PBS
Osborne later founded Paperback_Software_International_Ltd. based on the idea that software should be available in the $20 range. Paperback Software failed after being found guilty of copyright infringement for copying part of the appearance of Lotus 1-2-3.
Osborne He attended school and graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1961 and received his PHD from the University of Delaware. Osborne was also a member of Mensa. Married and divorced twice (1st Wife Ms. Geddes, 2nd Barbra Zelnick) Adam Osborne had two sisters and three children: Alexandra who lives in Sacramento, California, Paul who lives in Berkeley, California and Marc who lives in Miami, Florida.
In 1992, Osborne moved to India in declining health, suffering from a brain disorder that triggered frequent minor strokes. He died on March 18, 2003, in Kodaikanal, India, aged 64.
