{"id":20749,"date":"2025-03-19T14:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T18:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=20749"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:37:11","slug":"vin38","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin38\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivetti M240"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Olivetti M240\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"olivetti-m240\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Olivetti M240<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>[vin38]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Olivetti M240, launched in 1984, was a notable IBM-compatible personal computer featuring an 8 MHz Intel 8086 processor (faster than the IBM PC&#8217;s 8088), 640 KB of RAM, support for high-density floppy drives, and a larger case with expanded ISA slots for greater customization and peripheral support. Its claim to fame was its enhanced performance and expandability, positioning Olivetti as a major European innovator in the PC market and contributing to the widespread adoption of IBM-compatible systems by offering both technical improvements and design versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Olivetti, an Italian company that was one of Europe\u2019s leading computer makers during the 1980s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Desktop computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: 1984<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $2,500 (CAD ~$6,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.6 (600 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"hardware-specifications\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: &nbsp;Intel 8086 processor running at 8 MHz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Memory<\/strong>: Up to 640 KB RAM (standard for the era)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Hard disk drive options (typically 10 MB or 20 MB)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Video<\/strong>: CGA graphics compatibility (Color Graphics Adapter)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parallel and serial ports for printer and modem connections<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Detachable keyboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Large desktop case design for expandability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>IBM PC compatibility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"operating-system-programming-languages\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW136206418 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Operating System<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>primarily ran MS-DOS (versions such as 3.20 and 3.30), which ensured compatibility with a wide range of IBM PC software.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It could also run alternative operating systems including CP\/M-86, UCSD-P, PCOS, Xenix, and UNIX System V (on certain models)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>: GW-BASIC, Pascal, and other languages available for MS-DOS and CP\/M-86 environments, such as C, Fortran, and Assembly<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"notables\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Olivetti M240 was an improved successor to the M24, featuring a faster Intel 8086 CPU at 8 MHz and a full 16-bit data bus, making it notably quicker than many IBM PCs of the era.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its large, expandable case and extra ISA slots made it highly customizable; enthusiasts have retrofitted them with modern upgrades like SCSI hard drives, VGA cards, and Sound Blaster audio.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The M240 was sometimes humorously referenced for being &#8220;all made in Italy,&#8221; and its scarcity today makes it a prized collector&#8217;s item among vintage computing enthusiasts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Olivetti-branded peripherals, such as mice made by Logitech, added to its unique international flavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While it didn&#8217;t have a widely recognized nickname, it was sometimes called a &#8220;super XT&#8221; by hobbyists due to its advanced features for an XT-class machine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The M240\u2019s significance lies in its role as a leading European IBM-compatible PC, cementing Olivetti\u2019s reputation for innovation and helping to drive the adoption of open PC architectures in the 1980s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Arlen Michaels<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Olivetti M240 [vin38] The Olivetti M240, launched in 1984, was a notable IBM-compatible personal computer featuring an 8 MHz Intel 8086 processor (faster than the IBM PC&#8217;s 8088), 640 KB of RAM, support for high-density floppy drives, and a larger case with expanded ISA slots for greater customization and peripheral support. Its claim to fame [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[90,123],"class_list":["post-20749","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-vintage-computing","cu_page_type-vintage-inventory"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20749"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25102,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20749\/revisions\/25102"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=20749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}