More IBM-tans

[stewartsage]

Puzzles for the puzzle goddess!

I read about TSS/360, she's didn't get her own specific -tan, but she was one of OS/360's several older sisters and was essentially lost to time because of her inability to work with OS/360.  Or at all sometimes.   Not to say she doesn't deserve her own -tan, but I did delay her, BOS/360 and TOS/360.  Really should get on that...

[Aurora Borealis]

Didn't know that she was one of OS/360-tan's older sisters, but I should have guessed, with the similar names and being made by IBM... Personality-wise, she was rather stuck-up, but that's because she was very shy and unsure of herself. Apparently, she also had some influence on CP/CMS as well.

So she had a major sibling rivalry with OS/360-tan and their other sisters, was the least successful of them, and was deemed better off forgotten? Ouch.

Bella made a few drawings of TSS/360-tan:

[Bella]

About old OS-tans: deceased v. living, I think that storyline elements should play a role in the choice. Granted, SAGE may not be a working computer system, but SAGE-tan has value as a living character. We can bend the rules a bit. Likewise, Xenix and Apple I may still live on in emulated forms, but there's not a great deal of value in the characters being alive in this day and age-- they serve more purpose being dead, as blunt as that might sound.

At Apple I-sama's guardian angelness-- that's amazing! I always envisioned her as a sort of guardian figure for her descendants too. ^^

As for TSS/360-tan: TSS/360 is separate enough from the other IBM-tans to warrant a separate design. Aurora-sama brought up this point before, but to expand a bit:
-TSS/360 was IBM's stab at making a "Multics-scale" system. Not that it was Multics-like per se, but they wanted it to be competition
-TSS/360 suffered from performance problems (Second System Syndrome perhaps?) and became a money pit for IBM
-Much to the chagrin of its small userbase, IBM pulled the plug on the project; TSS/360 support lasted for a short time before the system was finally allowed to die.

I don't know if TSS/360-tan was stuck up as much as... shy. And very, very sickly too. I don't know if she and Multics-sama would have ever done battle....

[Aurora Borealis]

Yay! Apple I-tan lives on in a way! I hope Xenix-tan does too. It's a shame how she was treated in her final days, and barely remembered after her death, with the later generation Windows-tans having never learned of her existence.

Sadly, I think you're right about Apple I-tan. Her death was a major factor in Lisa-tan's depression, Apple II-tan's Promotion To Parent, and the major cause of Apple III-tan going crazy!

Thanks for clarifying TSS/360-tan's technical details! Relating to her backstory, do you think she didn't get along with her sisters, nor contribute a lot to the family due to an inferiority complex? But did she at least confront Multics-sama before?

Any possibility of Macintosh System 3.4-tan still being alive? The most obscure Mac OS version ever, with an extremely limited release, and probably does not have any users at all, yet I had in mind her still being alive as a cheerful, hot-blooded stunt performer living mainly through her sheer willpower to live, having cheated death many times... but is aware that she's living on borrowed time.

[Chocofreak13]

it IS sad that 360 has pretty much no one to mourn her death. maybe her rival feels a LITTLE sad at this.

^^ the st. apple thing made me lawl. i like it. ^^

and i like the 3.4 concept. ^^ carnie-tan!!! xD

[stewartsage]

Didn't know that she was one of OS/360-tan's older sisters, but I should have guessed, with the similar names and being made by IBM... Personality-wise, she was rather stuck-up, but that's because she was very shy and unsure of herself. Apparently, she also had some influence on CP/CMS as well.

They were all produced for the System/360 series of mainframes so I lumped them together as sisters, with OS/360 and DOS/360 as the youngest and most succesfull.  The IBM-tans tend to be a complex lot, since they never really do away with a successful system, just build on to it.

About old OS-tans: deceased v. living, I think that storyline elements should play a role in the choice. Granted, SAGE may not be a working computer system, but SAGE-tan has value as a living character. We can bend the rules a bit. Likewise, Xenix and Apple I may still live on in emulated forms, but there's not a great deal of value in the characters being alive in this day and age-- they serve more purpose being dead, as blunt as that might sound.

Its true, with OS-tans story matters really are fairly important.  To tell the truth, whichever OS's that I have as currently alive that their status is iffy, its a pretty good indication I'll be writing a modern day story about them.

As for TSS/360-tan: TSS/360 is separate enough from the other IBM-tans to warrant a separate design. Aurora-sama brought up this point before, but to expand a bit:
-TSS/360 was IBM's stab at making a "Multics-scale" system. Not that it was Multics-like per se, but they wanted it to be competition
-TSS/360 suffered from performance problems (Second System Syndrome perhaps?) and became a money pit for IBM
-Much to the chagrin of its small userbase, IBM pulled the plug on the project; TSS/360 support lasted for a short time before the system was finally allowed to die.

It was never my intention to imply she wasn't a distinct system or didn't deserve her own OS-tan.  I compiled some notes when I was researching the other IBM-tans, but somehow she BOS/360, TOS/360, TSS/360, and VM/CMS.  Has VM/CMS already been done?  *sigh* Poor TSS/360, she did get hit pretty hard with S.S.S., IBM never seemed to be able to follow a development schedule.  Looking at TSS-tan is like looking at how Multics could have ended up.


So, after delaying far too much, here are the rest of the Systems/360s.

BOS/360-tan:
-First OS for the 360
-Sister to BOS/360
-A bit awkward with her family, has an obsession with punch cards
-Tends to be fatalistic (built with the understanding it would be replaced as soon as possible with DOS/360)
-Mentor to DOS/360, not really fond of OS/360 but tolerates her
-Judged unfit for active duty, instead primarily worked in operations
-Is nevertheless proud of being an IBM
-Status: Deceased

Physical: Thin, black-grey hair, usually seen wearing a coat, not very tall at all, grey eyes,

TOS/360:
-One of the last tape driven OSs
-Sister to BOS/360
-Unfortunately self destructive, hates everyone and everything else with a passion except OS/360, for some reason
-Loves magnetic tape, wraps things in it
-Comes across as sort of a zealot
-Used as somewhat of a berserker in battle with enemies of IBM, tape driven weapons.
-Also quickly replaced by OS/360
-Status: Deceased

Physical: Average height, ruffled black hair, often drapped in strands of magnetic tape, generally poorly dressed, grey eyes

TSS/360, /370
-One of the second generation System/360 sisters
-Doesn't get along with OS/360, but still follows her orders
-Treats DOS/360 like a little kid
-Has a superb memory
-The most inventive, but most fragile of the 2nd Gen sisters
-Experimented in open sorcery (customers had full access to code development tools)
--Can manifest 'virtual' familiars for battle
-Supposed to be the IBM-tan to do battle with Multics, OS/360 could never bring herself to order her to
-Not the orator of the group
-Spends most of her time experimenting
-Schedules her day closely, and follows it

Physical: See drawings

DOS/360
-One of the second generation System/360 sisters, the other living one
-Generally treated as an equal by OS/360-tan, her right hand
-Gifted speaker, commands the loyalty of terminals
-Has a devoted following as a result (DOS/360 was supposed to be replaced by OS/360, but many were unwilling to change)
-Occasionally referred to as GECOS's mother, for some reason (Hacker's Jargon File states GECOS was a copy of DOS/360, which isn't true)
-Easy going, very steadfast and trustworthy
-Hard of hearing, has to be told things over and over (lacked a loader, )
-Capable of moving extremely fast to a specific target (BDAM was a seldom used feature which used the specific physical location to retrieve data cheaper)
-Served as a scout to the IBM forces
-While on assignment, formed the DOSSE
-Handwriting almost indecipherable (JCL was hard for programmers to use)

Maybe VM/CMS soon?

What do you think Bella & Aurora, about TSS-tan. I had never heard of 3.4 O_O.

{In retrospect, all of that seems kind of rambling and unclear}

[Aurora Borealis]

No, there isn't a VM/CMS-tan yet. I've never even heard of that system! ^^;
----

Macintosh System 3.4's existence is tenuous at best, but mentioned on the Mac OS history article on Wikipedia, and a well-known vintage Mac website.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mac_OS
http://homepage.mac.com/chinesemac/earlymacs/

What makes it so strange, and why 3.4-tan is a separate character from Macintosh System 3-tan is because they use different Finder versions. System 3.0-3.3 uses Finder 5.x, while System 3.4 uses Finder 6.1... which is the same Finder version as Macintosh System 6! WTF?! So yeah... 3.4-tan is allegedly System 6-tan's twin sister! o_o

---

Is it me, or has this thread gotten more generalized, straying far from just IBM-tans? Anyways, good timing in posting your concepts for the other System/360-tans.

It's sad that BOS/360 knew of her fate right away, and has a mindset that reflects that, but seems to be able to take things in stride, still being proud to be an IBM-tan. If she's unfit for active duty, surely she could still be a good tactician?

Whoa! TOS/360-tan has gotta be THE MOST bitter, spiteful and misanthropic OS-tan out there! I wonder how OS/360-tan felt about the dubious honor of NOT being despised by her!

IIRC, C-Chan had a concept for DOS/360-tan, and I think it works with your concept. In her backstory, she also managed to get the DOS-tans together and established the DOSSE for them, even though those weren't part of her orders!

[stewartsage]

It exists today as z/VM.

Fascinating, I may have to ask my brother about this (he's the mac fan in the family, and knows some bizarre things).

Sort of like how some people are able to accept a terminal disease.  Its also the reason she was kept out of front line service, because she may have just lost it (in a suicidal manner).  Yep, she taught OS/360 all she needed to know about whats involved in the planning side of a war.

TOS/360-tan just seemed like the most bitter, since she was essentially designed to be obsolete.  I'd categorize it as strangely pleased ^^;.

><, serioiusly I need to pay attention to this sort of thing.  Actually, it could have been within sorta within the scope of her mission.  Sort of like how the OSS and CIA often recruited or trained the local populaces to extend the war.  No doubt considering her empathy, she'd have set the DOSSE up in a more secure, non-combat, manner.

[Aurora Borealis]

Got another series of sketches up, this one debuting NOS-tan!

[Chocofreak13]

^^ arts yes. ^^

[stewartsage]

Hooray NOS!  Great fight scene.

I didn't realize how tall Cray-1-tan was....

[Bella]

Looking at TSS-tan is like looking at how Multics could have ended up.

You're right-- Multics skirted cancelation so many times, it's chilling. (Apparently, the entire project was saved by a single guy. He was able to convince the rest of the team to save it...)

I'm sorry I can't say much about the System/360-tans... I never did research the /360 line (except for TSS/360) so I probably wouldn't have much to bring to the table anyway. Your ideas for TSS/360-tan sound about right too, though I never envisioned her as being quite so aggressive or adventurous.

I will comment on DOS/360-tan, since that's the only system here I'm even vaguely familiar with. I really like your ideas for her, everything sounds about right. And that's an interesting point on the GECOS-tan/DOS/360-tan connection! Hmmm, maybe GECOS-tan would consider DOS/360-tan to be her mother? (sorta like VOS-tan and Multics-sama)?

Lovely sketches Aurora-sama! I really like your design for NOS-tan. It's hard to believe she's a maniac from her elegant way of dressing, though. ^^'

[stewartsage]

I know, the Multician website had a fascinating section on it.

Did I make her sound adventurous or aggressive!? Oh darn it, that wasn't my intention.  I guess she sounds a lot tougher then I'd intended, trust me, she isn't ^^'  What should I change?

Oh my, haha, that would be an interesting dynamic.  Especially given OS/360's virulent hatred of all non-IBM OS's for System/360 and the fact that GECOS "...was more ambitious than DOS/360", maybe DOS/360-tan's a little jealous....

Appearances are deceiving >>

[stewartsage]

Look! Another actual IBM-tan!  Sort of wrote herself, what do you think?

VM/CMS-tan:
-Daughter/younger sister/() of CP/CMS-tan, () of CP/M-tan
-An outgoing and exceedingly pleasant woman
-Polite and accommodating to other OS-tans (Could run mainstream OS's in VM mode with exceptionally liberal privileges)
-Often wears herself out with her work
-Has some abilities similar to TSS/360-tan in that she can manifest virtual familiars for battle, usually just uses them to serve tea
-Usually serves as a direct assistant to IBM -tans and others
-Close companion of IBM AIX-tan
-Quite competent at her job
-Has some self esteem issues ("At one time, CMS was capable of running on a bare machine, as a true operating system (though of course nobody would do this)") leading to her dedication to serving others
-Would typically use very polite speech
-Status: Alive

Physical: Thin, green eyes, black hair, almost always smiling (can be creepy), wears an apron over casual clothes, sometimes a full maid uniform, always carries a teddy bear

[Chocofreak13]

Hmmm, maybe GECOS-tan would consider DOS/360-tan to be her mother? (sorta like VOS-tan and Multics-sama)?

hrm, isn't unix involved in this as well? i'd love to see a grandmother-mother-child drawing. ^^