19 Jan
1999
19 Jan
'99
11:38 a.m.
At 10:27 PM 1/15/99 -0600, you wrote:
Well, I currently wouldn't pay for an Osborne 1 or executive, (except maybe
a few dollars for a tan 1,) but I would pay for a Vixen or Encore. I would
pay a bit for various Kaypros, but probably not as much as it would cost to
ship one.
My reasoning is that I have a lot of O1's and a few Execs, but only a KII.
I think other people's reasoning is that a lot more people know about the
O1 than the Kaypro, so that gets more interest/higher perceived value.
Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba, so I don't know why the two I've
heard about sold for over $100.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
Are Osbornes
really that much harder to find than Kaypros? eBay currently
seems awash in Kaypros for under $30...
Both machines were very popular in their time and have no collector value
beyond whatever sentimental value they have for you. 
19 Jan
19 Jan
11:56 a.m.
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12:29 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
Okay, I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
Early 80s CP/M portable. Basically a clone of the Osborne 1 with a larger
screen. It had the same flimsy plastic case but brown colored. Nothing
special really. Perhaps just unusual and (dare I say) rare.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
1:44 p.m.
::Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba, so I
don't know why the two I've
::heard about sold for over $100.
Okay, I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
OK... it's a slick Z80 box (basically similar to a Kapro).
It could read and write a number of disk formats and could run
software written for a lot of machines, since it was memory mapped video
and H19/Z19/VT52 compatible video you could actually hack it to
do Kaypro video instead with a few changes.
It was first made by Telcon, which made data test equipment.
Telcon got in over their heads and needed bigger $$$ to continue.
They were bought out by Modcomp (Modular Computers) who made mini's.
They created a Modular Micros group. They eventually were sold
to a suplus house called Gemini which sold off the remaining Zorba's in
a fire sale cheap. I paid about $1k for mine.
I still love it and have a lot of the user group (Zeus) software and
newsletters on 80 trk DSQD floppies (my Zorba had the NOMIS 96tpi drives).
Bill
3:53 p.m.
New subject: Zorba
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Bill Pechter wrote:
It was first made by Telcon, which made data test
equipment.
Telcon got in over their heads and needed bigger $$$ to continue.
My unit is a Telcon branded model.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
5:44 p.m.
At 07:44 PM 1/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
I wonder if that's the Gemini that is/was here in Orlando? They were
doing lots of that kind of stuff in the mid '80s.
Joe
> ::Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba,
so I don't know why the two
I've
::heard about
sold for over $100.
Okay, I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
OK... it's a slick Z80 box (basically similar to a Kapro).
It could read and write a number of disk formats and could run
software written for a lot of machines, since it was memory mapped video
and H19/Z19/VT52 compatible video you could actually hack it to
do Kaypro video instead with a few changes.
It was first made by Telcon, which made data test equipment.
Telcon got in over their heads and needed bigger $$$ to continue.
They were bought out by Modcomp (Modular Computers) who made mini's.
They created a Modular Micros group. They eventually were sold
to a suplus house called Gemini
4:27 p.m.
I wonder if that's the Gemini that is/was here
in Orlando? They were
doing lots of that kind of stuff in the mid '80s.
Joe
I think Ft. Lauderdale...
Bill
---
Bill Gates is a Persian cat and a monocle away from being a
villain in a James Bond movie -- Dennis Miller
bpechter@shell.monmouth.com|pechter@pechter.nws.net|pechter@pechter.ddns.org
9:12 a.m.
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12:26 p.m.
It was thus said that the Great John Foust once
stated:
Interesting, since Interdata -> Perkin-Elmer -> Concurrent was absorbed
by Harris's computer operations. Harris was at one time
a Masscomp OEM. Modcomp was a Concurrent competitor.
Concurrent absorbed Masscomp. Harris absorbed Concurrent.
Life goes on...
The only computer company I worked for still really in existance in
kind of it's original form is IBM.
Bill
---
Bill Gates is a Persian cat and a monocle away from being a
villain in a James Bond movie -- Dennis Miller
bpechter@shell.monmouth.com|pechter@pechter.nws.net|pechter@pechter.ddns.org
At 10:27 PM 1/19/99 -0500, Bill Pechter wrote:
ModComp has an office in Lauderdale, too, no?
It's on Cypress Creek Road (or 62nd, or McNab, depending upon how far west
it is) as I used to pass it on the way to work (when our office was down
there). It's either Pompano or Ft. Lauderdale I don't recall, since the
city borders are jumbled down here (let's see, driving to work I pass
through Coconut Creek, Pompano, Deerfield Beach and finally Boca Raton).
-spc (Harris is just down the street from ModComp FYI ... ) I
wonder if that's the Gemini that is/was here in Orlando? They were
doing lots of that kind of stuff in the mid '80s.
I think Ft. Lauderdale... 
19 Jan
19 Jan
1:46 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
::Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba, so I
don't know why the two I've
::heard about sold for over $100.
Okay, I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
It is a CP/M luggable that is somewhat similar to the Kaypro, Vixen, Jonos,
Osborne (but has bigger screen), and others that I have overlooked.
- don
-------------------------- personal page:
http://calvin.ptloma.edu/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser Information Technology Services Database Programmer
Point Loma Nazarene University Fax: +1 619 849 2581
ckaiser(a)ptloma.edu Phone: +1 619 849 2539
-- The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. -----
donm(a)cts.com
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Don Maslin - Keeper of the Dina-SIG CP/M System Disk Archives
Chairman, Dina-SIG of the San Diego Computer Society
Clinging tenaciously to the trailing edge of technology.
Sysop - Elephant's Graveyard (CP/M) Z-Node 9 - 619-454-8412
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
see old system support at http://www.psyber.com/~tcj
visit the "Unofficial" CP/M Web site at http://devili.iki.fi/cpm
with Mirror at http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/~cfs/cpm
2 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Doug wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Don Maslin wrote:
OK, I'll bite too: what's a Jonos?
-- Doug
Again, a CP/M luggable, but based on the STD bus and using 3.5" Sony SSDD
floppy drives.
- don
Okay,
I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
It is a CP/M luggable that is somewhat similar to the Kaypro, Vixen, Jonos,
Osborne (but has bigger screen), and others that I have overlooked. 
2:22 p.m.
Doug wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Don Maslin wrote:
OK, I'll bite too: what's a Jonos?
A cute little box luggable with a built in screen and detachable keyboard
ala Kaypro although a bit smaller. BTW, anyone know of the top of their
heads if Jonos disks are readable on a PC (with 22disk or similar)? I have
the disks for the unit and I am getting a stronger and stronger urge to get
some of this stuff backed up onto a media where I can recreate the original
disks as necessary!
Okay,
I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
It is a CP/M luggable that is somewhat similar to the Kaypro, Vixen, Jonos,
Osborne (but has bigger screen), and others that I have overlooked. 
2:45 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Marvin wrote:
I can't speak for 22disk, but it is certainly a format that is
physically possible. (XenoCopy-PC supports Jonos format)
--
Fred Cisin cisin(a)xenosoft.com
XenoSoft http://www.xenosoft.com
2210 Sixth St. (510) 644-9366
Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
OK, I'll
bite too: what's a Jonos?
A cute little box luggable with a built in screen and
detachable keyboard
ala Kaypro although a bit smaller. BTW, anyone know of the top of their
heads if Jonos disks are readable on a PC (with 22disk or similar)? I have
the disks for the unit and I am getting a stronger and stronger urge to get
some of this stuff backed up onto a media where I can recreate the original
disks as necessary!
2:52 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Marvin wrote:
Doug wrote:
Sure! Use this disk definition.
- don
BEGIN JON1 Jonos - SSDD 3.5" - 512 x 9
DENSITY MFM ,LOW CYLINDERS 70 SIDES 1 SECTORS 9,512
SIDE1 0 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
BSH 4 BLM 15 EXM 1 DSM 152 DRM 63 AL0 080H AL1 0 OFS 2
END
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Don Maslin wrote:
OK, I'll bite too: what's a Jonos?
A cute little box luggable with a built in screen and detachable keyboard
ala Kaypro although a bit smaller. BTW, anyone know of the top of their
heads if Jonos disks are readable on a PC (with 22disk or similar)? I have
the disks for the unit and I am getting a stronger and stronger urge to get
some of this stuff backed up onto a media where I can recreate the original
disks as necessary! Okay,
I'll bite: what's a Zorba?
It is a CP/M luggable that is somewhat similar to the Kaypro, Vixen, Jonos,
Osborne (but has bigger screen), and others that I have overlooked.
1:11 p.m.
Uncle Roger wrote:
I think other people's reasoning is that a lot more people know about the
O1 than the Kaypro, so that gets more interest/higher perceived value.
Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba, so I don't know why the two I've
heard about sold for over $100.
Hmmm, was kind of curious what that manual I have goes to :). Was the Zorba
related to the Molecular? The Zorba manual came with the stuff I got with
the Molecular.
1:21 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Marvin wrote:
Hmmm, was kind of curious what that manual I have goes
to :). Was the Zorba
related to the Molecular? The Zorba manual came with the stuff I got with
the Molecular.
I think the name of the company that made the Zorba was Gemini. Either
that or Gemini was the model name, and Zorba was the sub-model name, in
which case I don't remember the company name. I try to steer clear of
luggables, but the Zorba is one of the few I kept since it's so RARE
(L@@K!).
Do you want to dump the manual?
-- Doug
1:39 p.m.
On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Marvin wrote:
I've got a couple of Zorba's... One working, one a parts machine.
The Zorba was slick for its day.
The screen was readable. It could read/write a lot of different formats.
Unfortunately I was ripped off on a sale of Compat (disk emulation)
for my Zorba and don't have the code or money from that sale.
My first bad net experience 10 years before EBAY!
Bill
Hmmm, was kind of curious what that manual I have
goes to :). Was the Zorba
related to the Molecular? The Zorba manual came with the stuff I got with
the Molecular.
I think the name of the company that made the Zorba was Gemini. Either
that or Gemini was the model name, and Zorba was the sub-model name, in
which case I don't remember the company name. I try to steer clear of
luggables, but the Zorba is one of the few I kept since it's so RARE
(L@@K!).
Do you want to dump the manual?
-- Doug
2:18 p.m.
Doug wrote:
I think the name of the company that made the Zorba was Gemini. Either
that or Gemini was the model name, and Zorba was the sub-model name, in
which case I don't remember the company name. I try to steer clear of
luggables, but the Zorba is one of the few I kept since it's so RARE
(L@@K!).
Do you want to dump the manual?
No, but I can make a copy if you need it. It is VERY rare when I
sell/trade/give/dispose of original documentation; copies are something
altogether different though.
1:46 p.m.
I think other people's reasoning is that a lot more people know about the
O1 than the Kaypro, so that gets more interest/higher perceived value.
Meanwhile, no one's ever heard of a Zorba, so I don't know why the two I've
heard about sold for over $100.
Because the Zorba's are slick little CP/M machines?
--Bill
(a Zorba fan and owner)
---
Bill Gates is a Persian cat and a monocle away from being a
villain in a James Bond movie -- Dennis Miller
bpechter@shell.monmouth.com|pechter@pechter.nws.net|pechter@pechter.ddns.org
9321
days inactive
9322
days old
20 comments
11 participants
participants (11)
-
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
ckaiser＠oa.ptloma.edu -
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
donm＠cts.com -
doug＠blinkenlights.com -
jfoust＠threedee.com -
marvin＠rain.org -
pechter＠monmouth.com -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net -
sinasohn＠ricochet.net -
spc＠armigeron.com