Socius (Sord) M23P
Released:December 1982
Price:US $2,395 w/out monitor
CPU:Z-80A @ 4MHz
RAM:128K
Size:5 x 15 x 17 inches
Weight:25 pounds (with battery)
Ports:One parallel, two serial, three expansion slots
Display:80x25 text, Optional 8-line LCD ($730)
Storage:Two 290K 3.5-inch floppy drives
OS:Sord OS, SB80 (CP/M)



Sord was a Japanese electronics company, founded in 1970, by Takayoshi Shiina. At first, they wrote software for DEC PDP minicomputers, then branched out into hardware production. The name SORD is a contraction of SOftware/haRDware.

They sold many different computer systems, mostly in Japan, from 1977 through 1985, at one time becoming Japan's No. 2 computer company. All systems released were desktops, except for this model M23P and the Sord IS-11 laptop from 1984 - Sord's only portable computers.

The SOCIUS (SORD Computer of America, Inc) M23P is actually a portable version of the Sord M23 desktop system from 1982 - they even have the exact same motherboard. This portable version has the addition of two built-in floppy drives, an optional 8-line LCD display, and an optional battery pack. The M23P has three expansion slots like the M23, but now one of them is occupied by the floppy drive controller.


The M23P was one of first computers ever to use 3.5-inch floppy disk drives. Up until now, most computers used the older and larger 5 1/4-inch floppy disk format. This new 3.5-inch format was designed by Sony, and was unique and proprietary, but with a few minor changes, was eventually adopted as the new standard, and most other computers started using it as well.

While the M23P offers 80x25 character text display, as well as 640x256 graphics in 8 colors, for true portability, you need the optional 80 character, 8-line LCD display, which attaches to the back, and rises-up over the top of the system.

The M23P, like most Sord computers, runs their own operating system, known as Sord OS. Also available is SB-80, which is CP/M compatible.

Sord included their PIPS software package. PIPS (Pan Information Processing System) is an English-language command-driven language that allows users who don't know anything about computers to write business-applications programs. It has about 50 commands, and is a spreadsheet, word processing, graphics, and communications package.

The large yellow "back-pack" is a removable power supply, which can be replaced with a rechargeable battery supply for working away from the mains.

By 1985, due to a perceived Japanese smear campaign, Sord was struggling financially, and was soon bought-out by Toshiba.



Related Links

  • Sord history from sord.co.nz
  • WikiPedia article
  • InfoWorld - Nov 1982
  • Advertisement - Mar 1983
  • BYTE magazine - Apr 1983
  • Original Sony 3.5-inch drive
  • MicroComputer Catalog from Commodore.ca
  • Classictech - Vintage computers and related technology





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