OS-TAN THEORY 101

[NejinOniwa]

I thought about that during the slash week...and abandoned it due to not having the urge to write guro at the moment.

[Chocofreak13]

wimp.

so. did we ever reach a consensus on the os-tan world?

[Aurora Borealis]

No, while at least one of the theories is widely supported here, there still isn't a total consensus, but I think that's okay.

[Chocofreak13]

mmm.

alright then, should we discuss os classes? we left off on that when the theory thread died the first time. :\

[Bella]

....and now YOU'VE got me thinking of System 7-tan eviscerating 95-tan after 95-tan makes a pass at her, is rebuffed, and goes all psycho-bitch on Sys. 7...... there's totally not a half-drawn comic about this.......

[Chocofreak13]

i'd like someone other than you or me to draw it though, since we'd be biased. :\

[NejinOniwa]

>implying there is unbiased anything

I mean...

[Bella]

i'd like someone other than you or me to draw it though, since we'd be biased. :\

You're too cute, Kari. *Pinches cheeks* >3<

I'll tell you what my ninth-grade science teacher told me: Everyone is biased. And if they say they aren't, they're lying. Of course she said this while trying to prove that man-made climate change is a myth, but I think the point stands....

[Chocofreak13]

don't make me kick you, sweetie. >__<;

i meant that we'd be TOO biased to provide a semi-fair account, since each would be rooting for a side; we'd need a neutral party, say a linux user.

[Bella]

Why, WHHHHHHHHHHY, does everyone think I'm a Mac fan?! I'm a Unix fan dammit, and couldn't care less about pre-OSX Mac operating systems. >___________<

[Aurora Borealis]

I knew they aren't your favorite, but I thought you at least tolerated Macs, including the Classics.   (you have used Mini vMac, didn't you? and what about your Mac 128k?)

[Bella]

Er, let me rephrase.

Basically, I am sick and tired of people giving me this DURRRRR UR A MAC FAN LOLZ PCs ARE BETTER or DURR YOU LOVE MACS SO YOU HATE WINDOZE crap. It makes me want to DROP A SUITCASE-SIZED FIVE-MEG TRS-80 HARD DRIVE ON SOMEONE'S HEAD, since (and listen close everybody, I'm only going to tl;dr this once):

I do not identify as a Mac fan. Sure, I love Macs. But most of my love for Mac OSX is based on its Unixness (and even that starts at 10.5 and ends at 10.6). Likewise, I like Mac Classic, but, again, I don't feel like a "fan" of it. Mac's a good OS among many good OSes; Apples are good computers among many good computers. I will never go back to using non-Mac computers or OSes, but that's a personal choice like what music I listen to or clothes I wear, and I don't advocate that EVERYONE should use or love Macs.

I think Macs are cool, iconic, well-built computers. They have a lot of history and a background I find very appealing. But it appalls me that, by having an interest in them, I am reduced to a mere caricature of a sheep who will follow whatever company line is thrown at me. It's sad that some people have such a black-and-white worldview and think that, just because I love some Macs, I automatically ADORE them all and am BIASED, and again, IT MAKES ME WANT TO DROP AN 8-INCH HARD DRIVE ON SOMEBODY'S CRANIUM.

It's worth noting that I DO hate Windows, but my hate for it is rooted in experiences that have nothing to do with my love of Macs....

[Aurora Borealis]

Okay. I understand, and I like Macs too, they're some of my favorite computers and OSes, but I also don't like being lumped in with that stereotypical group either. And although I like OSX, I'm ambivalent towards Unix, and I don't really hate Windows anymore.

To avoid this from devolving into hostility, since the picture idea suggested was a touchy matter, any other theories and such to discuss?

[Bella]

I did a second relationship map, this time focusing solely on parent - child, sibling and conceptual lineages.

 

Straight line = blood relationship

Broken line = conceptual relationship

Lines deriving from a single parent that SHARE a single root = a common genetic heritage separate from the parent (See: important point #1, below)

Lines deriving from a single parent but NOT sharing a single root = siblings

Two important conclusions can be drawn if you believe this map:

1. I am going to use a specific example to explain the first important point. Note how SAGE, CTSS and IBM 7090-kun all derive from a single root. Whirlwind-hime is the mother of SAGE-sama. CTSS-tan and IBM 7090-kun are SAGE's siblings, but NOT necessarily Whirlwind's children. How is this possible? Because SAGE (the AN/FSQ-7 computer) inspired the creation of the IBM 7090 (a solid-state AN/FSQ-7), and the IBM 7090 inspired the creation of the IBM 7094 (which, as you will recall, is the computer on which CTSS ran). This means SAGE-sama's creation is directly responsible for the creation of 7090-kun and CTSS-tan (who represents the OS and 7094 hardware), and that 7090 and CTSS are more closely related to SAGE-sama than Whirlwind-hime. 

A different person might interpret this relationship as being that of a parent and child, or cloning*, but going by the backstory we've established for those characters, their being brother and sister makes the most sense. It would also explain why SAGE, 7090 and CTSS share common traits (for example, brownish hair, average height, physically-mature) while PDP-1-chan - their sister - is radically different (small, child-like, blonde). Blue eyes is a trait found on both sides of the family, and can be attributed to their mother, Whirlwind.

*An example of cloning can be found on Plan 9-tan's family tree; note how Plan B and Octopus are rooted from the same stem as Plan 9 herself. In this case, Plan B and Octopus are NOT Plan 9-tan's children, but artificially-created siblings. 

2. In the earliest days of OS-tans, hardwares and OS-tans could be related. Today there is a clear distinction between a hardware-tan and OS-tan, and they are typically NOT related (exceptions include microcomputer-tans, who are both hardware and software). In the beginning there were only "computer-tans" and the distinction between software and hardware was blurred. Whirlwind, for example, was both hardware and software. She "produced" four children, some of whom were hardware and some of whom were hardware and software. One of these "hybrid"-tans, CTSS, produced an entirely OS-tan child, Multics, the descendants of whom are entirely OS-tan in nature.

Which brings me to the conclusion that hybrid (part hardware, part software or OS) computer-tans can have hardware or software children; and that hardware-tans running rudimentary software can produce OS-tan children (this is how the first early OSes were made). But an OS-tan or software-tan can never produce a hardware-tan offspring.

[Aurora Borealis]

Excellent! I'll post that up on the OS-tan lineage page!

The DEC-tan part was especially helpful, I couldn't keep track of all the branches when typing up the article, but now I remember that there is no single DEC bloodline, but rather multiple bloodlines united into a cultural lineage. I'll have to take note of that when expanding on the DEC section.

Btw, do you know who the mother of the System/360-tans are?

I didn't know that Plan B and Octopus would be considered cloned -siblings- to Plan 9!