The Smart Sony (Jan, 1983)
The Smart Sony
Introducing the Sony small business computer system. The Sony that shows the top rated programs that help you make smarter business decisions.
The Sony system that’s easy enough for a doctor, lawyer or chief executive to learn to use. Yet smart enough for accounting, billing, inventory word processing and endless other complex, profit oriented chores. It can even talk to other computers, big and small.
(For those who speak computer, the Sony Microcomputer runs CP/M® based programs, and many other important business oriented software customized for Sony, including the popular VisiCalc.®)
As sleek as it is, the Sony system has the basics to get you started and the expandability to grow with your business. At a price that won’t drive you out of business.
Sony. You’ve always admired our hardware, now come see our smartware. Or write Sony Microcomputer Products Division, 7 Mercedes Drive, Montvale, New Jersey 07645.
SONY®
Microcomputer Products Division
Sony Communications Products Co.
I think “those who speak computer” might not have been very impressed by an ad that thinks computers “show” programs, and that “software” is plural.
Comment by Daniel Rutter — December 31, 2010 @ 3:41 am
ummm… “software” is plural.
Comment by LightningRose — December 31, 2010 @ 9:14 am
Like all charts drawn by sales and marketing groups, numbers increase over time but never seem to go down. Every product’s projected sales graph looks the same.
Comment by Rick Auricchio — December 31, 2010 @ 10:03 am
This seems to be the SMC-70. http://www.old-computers.com/m.....#038;c=362
Apparently Sony has always, from the beginning, had this penchant for making small, elegant computers. Witness this, the first PC to have 3.5 inch floppy disk drives.
Comment by blast — December 31, 2010 @ 11:52 am
@Rick: When the numbers go down, the guy making the charts is the first out the door, so we never see those.
Comment by Stephen Edwards — December 31, 2010 @ 11:56 am
Software are plural? Really?? How many software are there?
Comment by Don — December 31, 2010 @ 6:35 pm
“Easy enough for a doctor or lawyer to use or chief executive to use” that is scary…
Comment by Ajay — December 31, 2010 @ 7:31 pm
Don: So what are you saying, “software” is singular and “softwares” is plural?
Comment by Firebrand38 — December 31, 2010 @ 9:31 pm
I used to promote the use of a small word processing program named “Professional Write.” It wasn’t for professional writers or clerks, it was for professionals who wanted a quick and easy program that they didn’t have to spend weeks learning. And hey, it was easier to use than WordStar, and fit on a floppy *WITH* a customizable dictionary.
Simple can be good.
Unfortunately, CP/M wasn’t particularly friendly an OS. Anybody remember PIP? (or RSTS for that matter?)
Comment by Toronto — December 31, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
Hey CP/M was popular back them. This is before MSDOS and the IBM PC. Apple sold a Z80 card for the Apple II so you could run CP/M software. The Z80 processor was designed to be a automation control device. I have seen Z80 processors in equipment such as Broadcast tape machines made in 21st century.
Comment by carlm — January 1, 2011 @ 5:46 am
“Software” is both singular and plural. ie:
“Select-o-Magic 3000″ is a great piece of software.
Most computers come with a variety of software pre-installed.
Comment by LightningRose — January 1, 2011 @ 8:51 am
CP/M is popular for microcontrollers; Z-80 derived 8 bit processors are in toasters,
ovens, hard drives, and anyplace you would have used programmable linear devices, like the 555 timer op/amp still popular today.
Comment by dr d b karron — January 1, 2011 @ 8:57 am
I the site in this link provides more detail about the machine.
Comment by Mike — January 1, 2011 @ 12:44 pm
Early GameBoys had Z80-drived cpus, too.
I never said CP/M wasn’t popular, it was just a bit unfriendly.
Comment by Toronto — January 1, 2011 @ 3:40 pm
Software is the name of a substance, like “iron” or “water” or even “fish”. You turn on the tap, you get a large or small amount of water, not one water and then two waters. So it is treated as singular in a sentence.
Of course individual programs are distinct objects, but then you would say “programs” or “applications”. Or even “software programs”, redundant though that is.
Comment by John Savard — January 1, 2011 @ 5:32 pm
Well put, John S.; thanx . . . .
Comment by Don — January 1, 2011 @ 8:08 pm
John put it really well, but for those who want a reference, there’s the “mass noun” article at Wikpedia.
Comment by Chris Radcliff — January 3, 2011 @ 11:24 am
“Software” is definitely not plural in the US, and that ad was in Byte. I’m not sure about UK usage, but I don’t think it falls under the plural collective noun rule even there.
Comment by GaryM — January 3, 2011 @ 11:59 am
GaryM, you are mistaken. From Princeton University:
((computer science) written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory) “the market for software is expected to expand”
http://wordnetweb.princeton.ed.....s=software
Please note their example uses “software” in the plural.
Comment by LightningRose — January 3, 2011 @ 1:29 pm