Item Details

Description

The First Osborne Group (FOG) records contain software and documentation created primarily between 1981 and 1993. This material was created or authored by FOG members for other members using hardware compatible with CP/M and later MS and PC-DOS software. The majority of the collection consists of software written by FOG members to be shared through the library. Also collected are textual materials held by the library, some internal correspondence, and an incomplete collection of the FOG newsletters.

Biographical/Historical Note

The First Osborne Group (FOG) was a users’ group and membership organization originally made up of users of the Osborne 1 portable computer. Founded in 1981 by patrons of the Digital Deli in Mountain View, California, the group’s mission and intended purpose was to share information about the workings and capabilities of the Osborne-1 with anyone who was interested in learning, whether or not they owned a computer. Initial meetings were held at the Dysan Auditorium in Santa Clara, California and attendees were given presentations of software recently written by FOG members for the Osborne-1 on a large screen projector. Membership had grown to nearly 300 by 1982, and in February of that year, FOG was offered a booth at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. A significant increase in membership as a result of FOG’s presence at the WCCF led to the establishment of FOG chapters outside of the South Bay Area, and as many new members owned portable computers other than the Osborne 1 that ran on CP/M (ie Kayprows, Morrows, Commodores), the organization changed its name to the FOG International Computer Users Group. Membership numbers and the geographical reach of FOG increased further as military bases across the world began incorporating microprocessor technology.

This growth led to the establishment of the FOG software library, which operated as a shareware program. The library’s primary purpose was to collect software and instructional material written and submitted by FOG users, verify that the software functioned as it was purported to and, if so, make duplicates to be sent to each FOG chapter. Also collected were manuals, books, and technical notes provided by Osborne Computer Corporation and other organizations. 1982 also saw FOG’s establishment as a non-profit organization and the creation of the Foghorn newsletter, which published member-submitted articles concerning the CP/M operating system.

Foghorn continued to be available to members using CP/M until 1989, but in 1985, the prevelance of 16 and 32-bit technology for both PC and MS-DOS led to the creation of the FOG+ (later Foglight) newsletter to support members using these newer systems. FOG’s software library also reflects the popularity of these systems from the time they were introduced.

By 1988, many of FOG’s founding members had left to pursue other interests, and a series of financial and organizational disagreements between existing staff and new board members resulted in the resignations of volunteers and paid staff. Turnover and lack of personnel had predictably deleterious effects on both the library operations and the newsletter, and with the resultant decline in membership dues and financial holdings, FOG was shut down in 1992.

Date

1979-1997 (Made), 1981-1993 (Bulk)

Author

Computer History Museum

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Extent

26.57 linear feet; 3 record cartons, 5 manuscript boxes, 2 periodicals boxes, and 18 software boxes

Subject

CP/M

Collection title

First Osborne Group (FOG) records

Credit

Software Industry Special Interest Group

Catalogue number

102708253

Lot number

X4069.2007