is 5.25" software for the Osborne computer compatible with IBM PC JR?

[newTIboyRob]

Just as the thread title asks... are they compatible?   I don't know much about the Osborne computer, except from the Wikipedia info.

But they are both 5.25" floppies, and the Osborne had 64 KRAM and my JR has 128 K RAM, so the disk would run file-size-wise at least, but hopefully someone reading this who has used the Osborne in the 80's and can recall if they ported that to an IBM PC (thus PC JR) can confirm this.

 

Thanks!

[carlsson]

The first three: Osborne 1, Osborne Executive and Osborne Vixen were powered by a Z80 which is similar to the 8088 in your IBM PC jr, but I don't think is binary compatible. There was an Osborne PC running DOS as well, which may be closer to the PC jr. Then again there should be plenty of IBM PC software on 5.25" disks, and the question is how many of those titles run on the PC jr in the first place.

[Krebizfan]

Which Osborne? There were several models. In general, the answer is no. Osborne used a Z80 CPU while the PC Jr had an 8088 so programs won't run directly. The disk formats were different. There were tools to allow the import of Osborne disks to an IBM PC and then run Z-80 CPU programs on the 8088 but that is complicated and I am not sure if those work on the PC Jr. 

[newTIboyRob]

You both just saved me money, I can't thank you enough for your knowledge.

[carlsson]

As a rule of thumb: if a software package is said to work on computer X, chances are very slim it will load on computer Y unless both belong to the same class of computers (e.g. IBM PC compatibles, MSX compatibles, sometimes the very same brand of computers but different models within the range). Sometimes more advanced users know of tricks to convert or otherwise make software on X run on Y, but it is not obvious. Kind of similar to moving an engine from car X to car Y and make it work. Talented mechanics may know how, but most of the rest of us don't.

[newTIboyRob]

Good points. Yes, I am aware of the IBM PC and Compatibles class thing, but I just didn't know about this Osborne, as it was even before my IBM PC JR, so I thought maybe I had a (long) shot without any special conversions. 

But no such luck.

[mr_me]

The Osbornes were 8-bit machines running the cp/m operating system.  The z80 was based on the 8-bit intel 8080 cpu.  The PC jr has the same 16-bit 8088 cpu as the IBM PC and ran a similar pc-dos operating system.

Edited August 28, 2023 by mr_me