Bella's OS-tan Artwork Thread

[C-Chan]

You've been studying mathematical physics lately, haven't you?  ^^;

In any event, still have to go through a couple of more rounds elsewhere,... basically just showing up to drop this off. It's a very quick vector sketch --probably didn't spend more than 5 minutes on it (minus the time spent reviewing Google reference shots).  This is how her hypothetical portable rail gun is shaped like (in its retracted state).  It would be roughly 1.5 meters long (give or take), but is extremely lightweight and durable.  The front legs don't need to be used at all in the retracted state, since there's no kickback (so she can use it standing, sitting, etc).  Only in the long-range form would she need to employ them, due to the higher acceleration and risk of damaging the rails.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Bella]

Or you could just induce pivotal density in various locations, and set up a rift-bound TIME LOOP. Now THAT'S awesome.

Even better  ;010

You've been studying mathematical physics lately, haven't you? ^^;

Oh, that? That's quantum stuff...it's waaay ahead of me for now at least

In any event, still have to go through a couple of more rounds elsewhere,... basically just showing up to drop this off. It's a very quick vector sketch --probably didn't spend more than 5 minutes on it (minus the time spent reviewing Google reference shots). This is how her hypothetical portable rail gun is shaped like (in its retracted state). It would be roughly 1.5 meters long (give or take), but is extremely lightweight and durable. The front legs don't need to be used at all in the retracted state, since there's no kickback (so she can use it standing, sitting, etc). Only in the long-range form would she need to employ them, due to the higher acceleration and risk of damaging the rails.

Ooooh, thanks for the vector sketch and description. This could be useful...

....

Okay, good news and bad news and badder news...I can't really explain this well without getting into a story; a tale of bizarre, logic-defying, probability-bending coincidences.

Last summer I was quite absent from the forums because I travel around New England; between working, studying, and vacationing, I can't really find much time to go online. Not to mention the fact that half the time I find myself in some rural, backwater, albeit beautiful setting, where public internet access is often unheard of.

Well, this summer I'm helping out my family again with our photography business. This means I will be traveling once more. It also turns out I won't be helping out quite as much, which means I may have more free time. So, I though, hey, I should give wireless broadband a try (once again), cause then I can go online almost anywhere in the US.

So I go to Verizon wireless store some distance away from my home. I buy the plan and the wireless card and go home and try it out on my laptop. Hm, this is odd, my computer can't connect to it. Yeah, it detects the new hardware...but it won't get past a certain step in the installation. So I go to another, nearby, Verizon store to see if this sales rep could help me install it. This guy acts like I'm asking him to defuse a nuclear weapon--he rather rudely informs me that I will have to call tech support. So I call tech support and we try to figure out what's wrong. So I try it out every single USB port on my two computers, and nothing happens. Tech support dude informs me that I should take my wireless card back to the shop where I bought it, and bring my computer along. He thinks it's the wireless care that's malfunctioning.

So here I am brooding over how, of all the wireless cards the salesman could have given me, I go the malfunctioning one.

So back to the store I go. I tell the salesmen what tech support told me--that there's just no way two separate computers could both be unable to connect to the card; that it has to be the card's fault. So the sales rep (who's considered one of the region's best when it comes to cellular wireless networking) brings me a new card, tries it out. Bupkis. Exactly the same results as the last card. He's working on my computer for over an hour, and he still can't figure out what the hell is wrong with it. It doesn't set his mind as ease that my other computer, made by a different manufacturer and a year and a half newer, cannot connect either. So he brings out the newest, best, most powerful card Verizon sells and tries to connect it to the computer. Notta.

Yada yada, long story short, there was nothing that could be done. I had to cancel my service and give back the card. Next try is Sprint, hopefully they'll at least try to install the card before they lock me into some contract. So it's looking like no internet this summer, either, and probably well into the fall, cause I'm going to visit with some relatives across the country later in the year.

So here I am brooding over how, of all hundreds and hundreds of computers I could own, I ended up with the two that cannot connect to this card.

Let us just recap, though: K8, a 2004 Gateway laptop running XP, a supported OS for the wireless card--cannot detect it. Dy, a 2005 HP notebook running XP--has the same problem as K8. In all his years as a sales rep, this guy never saw such a problem...for goodness sake, he even installed this card on a computer circa 2000! The most logical solution I can come up with is that the universe, the Higher Power, karma, whatever you want to call Him/Her/It, has it in for me and is determined that I spend my summer free of any outside influence (I mean, entertainment). Sorry everybody, I would have told sooner, but I wanted to spare everybody the drama of my personal life :..(

[C-Chan]

Okay, get ready for C-chan's "Le Grand Retour"!  ^>^

JK, JK, I've been busy too...this is my crazy time of year. See calender below @___@

OMG, a peak into Bella-hime's hyper-active RL.  ^^;

"Woot! Snow" = Means you can build a Woot Snowman.  ^.^
"Muck" = the new "Fark".  ^___^'
"Meh" =  Ah come on, April/May's fun.  Ever seen Bambi?  -v-
"Toooo Hot" = Wot?  But NH is practically Canada.  Is hot like 16 degrees [Celsius] or something?  `v'
"Glowball Warming CRAZYNESS" = Now now, if your GlowBall is warming, simply unplug it.  Having it on for the whole summer is just a good way to ratchet up the electricity bill.  TvT
"YAY Candy!!" = I'll be sure to send you a big barrel of Corn Candy, in that case.  ^^
"Turky?" = Yeah, I'd be scared to if I had to eat "turky" rather than "turkey".  Supposing it's one of those Franken Birds producing by Genetic Modification, with all breasts and no anything else....  ^^;
"Xmas Woot!" = Excuse me while I go "woot" chopping for the fireplace.  ^__^

*laughs at own bad pun*

Haha!

Wait, wait, do you mean like, spiders with butterfly wings? Or little cherubic wings?

That would be spiders with fly wings.  And don't chide my childhood silliness, now.  

Sounds about right...after all, SharpOS is quite a chimera itself...a FOSS OS based on an MS-made language.

She might as well just go the full mile, and attach lion claws and eagle wings on her.  ^^;

Lemme call the WAAAAAAHHHBulance for you

WAAAAAAAH!!  You're mean!  ;^0^;

That's it, insta-punishment!  For the next 24 hours, you're gonna be demoted to "Bella-chan"!  ^0^

Somehow I think she and Linux-sama would be okay friends; I mean, they really don't hang in the same circles, but when they get together I'm sure they're very friendly with one another.

I hadn't thought about her shape-shifting abilities--but this could work...

See, so much jovial potential.  ^__^
Regarding the shape-shifting abilities, I don't imagine she's the kind of person to change into anything extravagant.  Probably cute everyday things like seats and stools and lamps and stuff.  ^.^

The hair I went a bit wild with. Basically she has the two bangs in the front, two longer locks of hair on each side, and her hair is cut short in the back. The outfit I kinda threw together, but I wanted it to look very futuristic and sleek.

Wild hair = Lots O C-chan Love

So I'm glad for that.  ^v^

Hey, they're a tough lot. But I figured EPOC-tan would have to like VMS-sama quite a bit, as EPOC took some design cues from VMS

Although in fairness, what's not to like about VMS-sama.  She's a walking factory of coolness, complete with inflation-adjusted wages and frequent rest breaks.  Everytime she BREATHES is cause enough for the younger girls to gasp in awe at the grace, beauty and pure win of VMS-sama.  ^___^

Yep, I took some inspiration from that after seeing a news story about it--freaky, it's like a big outdoor microwave oven. XD

Pretty much, complete with all the potentially carcinogenic side-effects.  Plus the people assuming such a device could be used to clear out a building are morons -- not only will normal people not be able to traverse stairs safely when under that kind of intense pain, but you also figure that elderly, disabled and babies will probably be left behind completely immobile and thus susceptible to being fried or at least physically/mentally traumatized.  Plus the problem with "non-lethal" weapons such as these (or tasers for that matter) are the same as fat-free foods -- when you're told they're safe, there's more incentive to use/eat them more to the point of dangerous/atrocious excess.  

But EPOC-tan seems like a reliable young lass -- and unless she comes across a Magic shield of Faraday Cage, can probably kick some major butt with those things.  ^^

I had actually drawn a full-size sketch of eCOS-tan, as well; maybe I should post this, too.

Naaaaaaaah,... just keep that to yourself and deprive us of another Bella  masterpiece. Yep go on,... keep all that to yourself while we scratch and claw to the bone just to get something only remotely equivalent in win.... `v'

And you fooled me, I thought that was going to be a link to a RHL user's group, not a group of old ladies who wear the same hat. XD

Told you.  ^__^

Great running gag then: eCOS-chan is so obsessed with RedHat-san, she probably busts into the RHS almost weekly/monthly, forgetting each time that they have nothing to do with Red Hat.  ^^;

Oh, that? That's quantum stuff...it's waaay ahead of me for now at least

The "now" worries me,....

Could it be that Bella-chan is aspiring to be some supergenius to take over the world?  '__'

Ooooh, thanks for the vector sketch and description. This could be useful...

No problem, but the description I wrote a few months ago is a lot more detailed, so be sure to check that one out.  It's kind of a running gag that her weapon is literally bigger than she is, but she doesn't mind that fact so much since she BUILT it herself and is quite proud of her robust and practical weapon.  ^__^

Okay, good news and bad news and badder news...I can't really explain this well without getting into a story; a tale of bizarre, logic-defying, probability-bending coincidences.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand,... that's different from your everyday life how?  ^^;

Last summer I was quite absent from the forums because I travel around New England; between working, studying, and vacationing, I can't really find much time to go online. Not to mention the fact that half the time I find myself in some rural, backwater, albeit beautiful setting, where public internet access is often unheard of.

*blink blink*

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*recognition sets in*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!  ^0^

*C-chan chops off gas tube and fills entire house with natural gas*

*sticks self into blender*

*presses "Liquefy" several times*

*tosses self + blender into bathtub full of water*

*ensuing sparks blow up house*

So here I am brooding over how, of all hundreds and hundreds of computers I could own, I ended up with the two that cannot connect to this card.

Let us just recap, though: K8, a 2004 Gateway laptop running XP, a supported OS for the wireless card--cannot detect it. Dy, a 2005 HP notebook running XP--has the same problem as K8. In all his years as a sales rep, this guy never saw such a problem...for goodness sake, he even installed this card on a computer circa 2000! The most logical solution I can come up with is that the universe, the Higher Power, karma, whatever you want to call Him/Her/It, has it in for me and is determined that I spend my summer free of any outside influence (I mean, entertainment). Sorry everybody, I would have told sooner, but I wanted to spare everybody the drama of my personal life :..(

*C-chan reincarnates into slug*

Oh,.... I'm so sad now, I'm gonna revoke your punishment and repromote you back to "Bella-hime".  ;___;

*paces back and forth slowly and pensively, leaving trail of slime behind him*

Well,... I do have a belief that if the universe tries DAMN hard to deprive you of something you really want, then it's probably for a good reason.  That's the reason why I never fret if I miss a plane or train, or miss out on the first shipment of [what I PERCEIVE to be] a great product, such as the now ill-fated Everex Cloudbook.

That being said, I can only offer two universal truths that I think will make you feel happy with your very responsible decision.  ^___^

1) Good things come to those that wait,  ^.^

and...

2) Verizon sounds like it SUX.  T__T

No offense, but I can't stand it when they hire rude people are hired by these telecommunications people to service their stores -- given the prices they charge, it's like adding insult to injury.

I would've asked you [curiously] to see how that card performs with Ubuntu or Mandriva, but no matter.  I think it really is better if you just take a full break from us while you're off enjoying the lovely sights and sounds.  ^v^

Besides, it's not like you wouldn't be able to do ANYTHING -- if memory serves, you got a boatload of sketches and drawings down in your spare time.  ^__^

Just have fun and be merry, and takes lots o pictures.  ^.^

....

Too bad the Acer Aspire One still isn't being sold, nor does it sell yet with its 3G/Cellular broadband access adaptor -- otherwise, that wouldn've been perfect for your needs.  

[Bella]

OMG, a peak into Bella-hime's hyper-active RL. ^^;

"Woot! Snow" = Means you can build a Woot Snowman. ^.^
"Muck" = the new "Fark". ^___^'
"Meh" = Ah come on, April/May's fun. Ever seen Bambi? -v-
"Toooo Hot" = Wot? But NH is practically Canada. Is hot like 16 degrees [Celsius] or something? `v'
"Glowball Warming CRAZYNESS" = Now now, if your GlowBall is warming, simply unplug it. Having it on for the whole summer is just a good way to ratchet up the electricity bill. TvT
"YAY Candy!!" = I'll be sure to send you a big barrel of Corn Candy, in that case. ^^
"Turky?" = Yeah, I'd be scared to if I had to eat "turky" rather than "turkey". Supposing it's one of those Franken Birds producing by Genetic Modification, with all breasts and no anything else.... ^^;
"Xmas Woot!" = Excuse me while I go "woot" chopping for the fireplace. ^__^

*laughs at own bad pun*

Oh no, NH and all of New England for that matter is like the fricken surface of the sun during the summertime. And don't mind my semi-dyslexic writing O___O

That would be spiders with fly wings. And don't chide my childhood silliness, now.

^_^

That's it, insta-punishment! For the next 24 hours, you're gonna be demoted to "Bella-chan"! ^0^

Noooooo....!

See, so much jovial potential. ^__^
Regarding the shape-shifting abilities, I don't imagine she's the kind of person to change into anything extravagant. Probably cute everyday things like seats and stools and lamps and stuff. ^.^

Haha!

Wild hair = Lots O C-chan Love

So I'm glad for that. ^v^

I know, you've finally got me doing funky hairstyles

Although in fairness, what's not to like about VMS-sama. She's a walking factory of coolness, complete with inflation-adjusted wages and frequent rest breaks. Everytime she BREATHES is cause enough for the younger girls to gasp in awe at the grace, beauty and pure win of VMS-sama. ^___^

Hey, I remember way back--I forget how you worded it, but you called VMS-sama, like, an awkward, antisocial loner or something. How quickly the tables have turned

But I was actually thinking about drawing a picture with VMS-sama being inundated by a horde of followers, the likes of which would include eCOS-tan, FreeVMS and O3ONE-chan. I'd also like to someday showcase her more graceful side; I've always wanted to draw her in formal wear ^__^

Pretty much, complete with all the potentially carcinogenic side-effects. Plus the people assuming such a device could be used to clear out a building are morons -- not only will normal people not be able to traverse stairs safely when under that kind of intense pain, but you also figure that elderly, disabled and babies will probably be left behind completely immobile and thus susceptible to being fried or at least physically/mentally traumatized. Plus the problem with "non-lethal" weapons such as these (or tasers for that matter) are the same as fat-free foods -- when you're told they're safe, there's more incentive to use/eat them more to the point of dangerous/atrocious excess.

I'm wary about the active denial system as well; I mean, high powered microwaves doesn't sound like something one would want to be exposed to. I have heard that they're having trouble getting it approved for use, though...ironically, the non-lethal weapons are harder to get into the field than the deadly ones...

But EPOC-tan seems like a reliable young lass -- and unless she comes across a Magic shield of Faraday Cage, can probably kick some major butt with those things. ^^

Hey, a Faraday cage got a mention! I was just reading about those...

Did you know that microwave ovens are similar to Faraday cages, but in reverse? Point of this fun fact--if a massive solar flare hits, the inside of a microwave would be a good place to be. No TV dinners will be affected

[end rambling\]

Naaaaaaaah,... just keep that to yourself and deprive us of another Bella masterpiece. Yep go on,... keep all that to yourself while we scratch and claw to the bone just to get something only remotely equivalent in win.... `v'

How bout I just tease you guys with this until the end of the summer

Told you. ^__^

Great running gag then: eCOS-chan is so obsessed with RedHat-san, she probably busts into the RHS almost weekly/monthly, forgetting each time that they have nothing to do with Red Hat. ^^;

Oh now that'd be funny. Having eCOS-tan come crashing in through a window, to stumble upon a kindly group of women in red hats...

The "now" worries me,....

Could it be that Bella-chan is aspiring to be some supergenius to take over the world? '__'

*eeeeeevil cackle*

No!

*eeeeeevil cackle*

No problem, but the description I wrote a few months ago is a lot more detailed, so be sure to check that one out. It's kind of a running gag that her weapon is literally bigger than she is, but she doesn't mind that fact so much since she BUILT it herself and is quite proud of her robust and practical weapon. ^__^

Yeah, I used the older description for a lot of her design...

A gun bigger than she is, though...now I gotta do a full-sized picture!

*blink blink*

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.
.
.
.

*recognition sets in*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! ^0^

*C-chan chops off gas tube and fills entire house with natural gas*

*sticks self into blender*

*presses "Liquefy" several times*

*tosses self + blender into bathtub full of water*

*ensuing sparks blow up house*

*And flaming home is hit my meteorite*

*C-chan reincarnates into slug*

Oh,.... I'm so sad now, I'm gonna revoke your punishment and repromote you back to "Bella-hime". ;___;

*paces back and forth slowly and pensively, leaving trail of slime behind him*

Well,... I do have a belief that if the universe tries DAMN hard to deprive you of something you really want, then it's probably for a good reason. That's the reason why I never fret if I miss a plane or train, or miss out on the first shipment of [what I PERCEIVE to be] a great product, such as the now ill-fated Everex Cloudbook.

Exactly...the irony is, I've always disliked Verizon. I've tried to stay with smaller, regional phone services...

That being said, I can only offer two universal truths that I think will make you feel happy with your very responsible decision. ^___^

1) Good things come to those that wait, ^.^

and...

2) Verizon sounds like it SUX. T__T

No offense, but I can't stand it when they hire rude people are hired by these telecommunications people to service their stores -- given the prices they charge, it's like adding insult to injury.

I would've asked you [curiously] to see how that card performs with Ubuntu or Mandriva, but no matter. I think it really is better if you just take a full break from us while you're off enjoying the lovely sights and sounds. ^v^

I am quite sure it wouldn't have performed at all; the software only works with OS X and Windows 2000 and up.

Besides, it's not like you wouldn't be able to do ANYTHING -- if memory serves, you got a boatload of sketches and drawings down in your spare time. ^__^

Just have fun and be merry, and takes lots o pictures. ^.^

Oh yeah, I'd like to get some pictures done that I've been dragging my feet on.....

Too bad the Acer Aspire One still isn't being sold, nor does it sell yet with its 3G/Cellular broadband access adaptor -- otherwise, that wouldn've been perfect for your needs.

I wonder how that works; maybe you can just buy service with whatever cellphone carrier you want...?

At any rate, the sales rep who was helping me out was a bit adamant that I should look into getting a new computer. Silly him, he doesn't know that I'm totally committed to K8--as in, I'm keeping this computer until I have to be put in a nuthouse


Well, it looks like I'm outta here--I have to leave later today. I'll see you guys later!

*waves*

[Bella]

Dear OSC peeps....

Ahoyhoy! Sorry that I can't respond to much...if anything at all...I'm actually just at a restaurant with wifi now, and decided to drop a line and let you guys know I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. I hope all has been well here at our quant little forum, and that everyone has stayed out of trouble without this uber peacenik around

Okay, so what have I been up to...? After we left, we took a trip to southern NH and then to Cape Cod--I'm actually still in the beautiful, historic, but undenialbly hawt-as-hell and (humid as sauna) Massachusetts. We've been hanging out with some family friends (natives of this area), visiting local beaches, and I've been busy playing with my new Nikon SLR (if we've lucky, I might post some pix). I'd be at the beach right now...but rather stormy weather has hindered those plans. As in stormy weather I mean, liek, semi-hurricane weather O___O

As for my OS-tan artwork, I've been trying to finish up the VMS/Unix-sama comic, while simultaniously working on the Linux-sama comic. I'm going to be doing this next comic entirly in pen and ink, and it may include a few in-color pages (done in PS...or so I hope). It will feature not only Linux-sama's story from her POV, but also from others (including Plan 9-chan, VMS-sama, ITS-san and maybe even Leopard-tan, among others). Since I haven't been able to check back here for references, I hope there's no ginormous inconsistances or plotholes ^///^

At any rate, this comic should also feature a much less linier timeline than the last (kinda a loopy timeline if you ask me), and be a bit faster paced. The hard thing is maintaining a fast pace while still trying to make it very deep and dramatic, though...but I don't want it to become drawn out (no pun intended). Each "chapter" should last around 10 to 15 pages or so I hope. The shading and stuff will be sparse, too...here's hoping too much detail doesn't get thrown out the window -__-

I've been meaning to get to work on a few vector drawings I've been meaning to do, including a portrait of Mistress and servant DTSS (I hope to include some hardcore NH injokes in this picture), WAITS-san, CP-CMS-tan, my much touted tour-de-force CIOST picture, as well as chibis of AIX, IRIX and BSD-tan, as well as "when-are-they-gonna-show-up-ers" FreeVMS and O3ONE-tan. And chibis of the entire DEC army. And I want to resurrect that old Win 1.0/2.0-tan pic. Adding to this confusion is they fact that I started to do a fight scene pic between VMS-sama and (a certain rendition) of Win Sever 2003-tan (in which she's toting a suitably kickass looking broadsword)



...and about a half-dozen other things floating about my mind. I'm starting to break my golden rule to keep it simple, I believe... @_________@

But I do come bearing gifts; here, have some Multics-sama doppleganger-- TSS/360-san



To recap on TSS/360:

-I quote, "historically IBM's worst failure ever at building operating systems"
-First released in 1967
-Had features that were popularized on Multics and CP/CMS
-Like Multics, suffered from the "second system syndrome"
-Other Multics parallels include it being an elegant and very ambitious system, failure caused by performance and reliability problems, and lack of compatibility other systems (OS/360). It had serious stability and performance problems,for it "had been snatched from its nest too young".
-IBM attempted to develop it on a very aggressive schedule with a large staff of programmers to compete with Multics
-In February 1968 there were eighteen S/360-67 sites attempting to run TSS. IBM announced via "blue letter" that TSS was being decommitted, and scraped the project in 1971

I see TSS/360-san as being almost Multics-sama's IBM parallel self. On one hand, TSS/360-san suffered from a lot of the same problems as Multics-sama, and may have even had a worse go of it. I mean, even Multics-sama had some support (like CTSS-san and a horde of devotees), but then again she never had a daughter that tried to...erhm....kill her.

Physically I tried to make her kinda the opposite of Multics-sama. Whereas she's rather pale with dark hair, I made TSS/360-san dark with light hair. I suppose the sorts of gowns TSS/360-san may have worn would be on par with that of Multics-sama; let's just say this is her nightgown or something.

As for height...I know this is a hotly contended issue...I'd say a firm 5 foot 6 inches ;P

And I offer you half of the VMS/2003 Server-tan fight picture:



It started as a teeny doodle done in a notebook, but has gotten this far; I still have to vector sketch 2003 Server-tan, though. I didn't draw VMS-sama in her full outfit cause it would have been way to difficult, not to mention it'd have covered up way too much of her body. Hand placement was a bitch...I ended up taking a picture of my own hands holding a yardstick (in this pose) to use a refference. And she has a scar on her left arm cause I don't see how anybody could get through life as a swordfighter without getting a few chunks taken out of them o___O

Basically, I want VMS-sama to look like the most insane, frightening and dangerous Massachusettsan not behind the wheel of a automobile! [stereotypical Mass joke\]

In computer news, my spirit was a bit broken after the Universe conspired to make all my computers incompatible with Verizon's aircard hardware; but without the internets to distract me, I've been playing around a bit with Linux (Debian, usually) and doing a bit of "exploration" when I have the chance. I got around to burning PCLOS on a CDR and loading it directly onto K8...it ran beautifully, and I can't believe it, even got Compiz to work (though it was kinda bumpy. More bumpy than not. Hey, using an ATI graphics card circa 2004, I'm just surprised it even worked!) All has been well with K8--I had a minor scare when, after months of refusing to use M$ updates, I finally did--and boy did that screw up my wireless driver! Fortunetly I did a quick system restore to an earlier date, and this solved the problem.

My dad, on the other hand, has all but proclaimed his love for Macs; it started when I accompanied him on a trip to Best Buy.

So we go to Best Buy, and what do I see but a mini Apple Store set up inside. You'd be surprised how alternative system-friedly Best Buy is beginning to become, I mean, they use Macs for some of the store computers, they give directions around the store in relation to the giant, glowing, Apple store sign-thingy ("Yeah, camera department is  past the Apple sign, then right toward the printers, then to your left!") and I saw help software for Ubuntu for sale! But I digress...so I frolic over to oogle the Macs, complete with an schoolgirlishly excited exclaimation to my father of "hey, do you want to see a glimpse of your shiney plastic future?"

This I said as I played with a Macbook Air.

Came the ever so Mac-Evangelical chide of the Apple salesdude who was apperently behind me: "no no, you can't say it's plastic; it's aluminum."

Well, halfway through his sales pitch of the scarily-thin Macbook Air (MY GOD, SOMEBODY FORGOT TO FEED IT! It's like a painfully skinny supermodel whom I can't take my eyes off of O__o), dad suggested something a bit more...ehm...substantial...I mean....less...waifish...was to his liking and would be more practical as a work machine. I pointed out a Macbook Pro. No, apperently he wants alotta Mac, and no notebook is going to cut it. He asked what they have for desktop computers...so over the salesman led him to a 24'' iMac. FINALLY, this is enough computer!

Dad: Where's the tower?

Salesman, pointing at monitor: This is the tower!

Dad: NO WAI! U LAI! (okay, I embellished here. But his expression said this)

But wait, I managed to show my Mac idiocy to the salesdude as well: Is this Mac OS 10 (still not sure if it's pronounced "X" or as a roman numberal, "10") Tiger?

Salesman, pointing at monitor: No. This is Leopard.

Ah, the googly-eyed look of love he wore for that huge-as-in-HUEG iMac. His enchanted look of enchantment at the puckmouse and wireless keyboard. Just golden. And I have to say: I've seen some useless but beautiful GUI features in my day; Beryl, Compiz, Skydome and Window-flip...but Time Machine could be the most gorgeously frivous application GUI ever. I mean, it's like Vista's window flip times ten, plus this has some decernable use. Or so the salesman said, he was pretty hyped up about it (I remember the phrase "we're going back in time!" was thrown about. Dear lawd.)

Anyhow, Apple dude was really trying to make a sale (have you ever shopped at Best Buy? Those guys are like used car salesmen on crack!), until my dad noted that he wouldn't be buying until later this year. Then he kinda got disheartened and went off to play on one of the Macs, so apperently Apple Salesdude is one of the best jobs to have at that store XD

So there you have it. I really hope that I can check in more often; I know at a few points during this summer I'll definatly have access to wifi, but the rest of the time is pretty patchy. Ack...I hope I'm not missing out on too much. All y'all be here when I'm back, ya hear?

[Aurora Borealis]

HOORAAAAAAAAY! Bella has returned! I was wondering what happened as the forum's activity has pretty much dropped in half since you left (incidentally, Smokey and Nejin who are also some of the most active members have not been seen much here either)!

Yes, we have all stayed out of trouble. Wow.. you were out travelling all this time? I envy you! I've been stuck at my house the past several weeks although I did go to a family reunion for a couple days early this month. But that was about it T__T

You've got quite the queue of OS-tan drawings and comics! Same here! I'll be looking forward to seeing it all, especially the CIOST picture! And you've even got started on the Linux-sama comic too! From the description, that's got to be your most ambitious OS-tan work yet! But I am confident that you will succeed as you have done a brilliant job with the VMS + Unix comic with all of its flashbacks, fight scenes and expanded backstories!

Sweet! And you returned with some new masterpieces! TSS/360-san is very pretty and I like how you made her appearance contrast with that of Multics-sama's so that she is not a total doppleganger.

OpenVMS-sama vs. Saba-tan pic: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Saba-tan is gonna end up as shark food! What can I say? She's got one kick*** granny! ;012 Anyways, looking great so far and will be EPIC WIN when done! Great job with the dynamic pose and movement of the hair!

AND YOU GOT TO GO TO AN APPLE STORE and look at the latest Mac stuff?!?! AAAAAUGH! You are so lucky! I have never gotten to see the latest Macs nor Leopard in person! DO WANT!

[C-Chan]

*glues self back together again*

'Kay I'm back. ^__^

Aaaaaaaaaaand,... just remembered I left stuff unanswered in the last page!  *GASP*  Sacrilege!  @.@

Alright, let's hop to it.  ^^

I know, you've finally got me doing funky hairstyles

Well, my job here is done then.  ^.^

*leaves forum forever*

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*returns to forum*

Oh right,... still got promises to keep, right?  ^^'
'kay,... I ain't goin' anywhere yet.  -v-

Hey, I remember way back--I forget how you worded it, but you called VMS-sama, like, an awkward, antisocial loner or something. How quickly the tables have turned

Well,... I actually think she still kind of is... not awkward, but certainly antisocial.  

I would say she suffers from the dreaded "Sakaki" effect.  She's a lone wolf who keeps to herself and has soft side that belies her imposing appearance -- and yet this attracts all SORTS of crazy followers, men and women alike, who swear this is cool.  Hence they adore her and swoon much like I do with your pictures.

But I was actually thinking about drawing a picture with VMS-sama being inundated by a horde of followers, the likes of which would include eCOS-tan, FreeVMS and O3ONE-chan. I'd also like to someday showcase her more graceful side; I've always wanted to draw her in formal wear ^__^

Well you have all the time in the world out hiking,... and by the sound of it, you are in the process of creating such a picture.  ^___^

I imagine that, just like how her fighting skills have matured, so has her taste for formal wear.  After all, as the de facto leader of such a powerful faction... she must dress to impress.  ^___^

Hey, a Faraday cage got a mention! I was just reading about those...

Did you know that microwave ovens are similar to Faraday cages, but in reverse? Point of this fun fact--if a massive solar flare hits, the inside of a microwave would be a good place to be. No TV dinners will be affected

Believe it or not, my first exposure to the concept was from War of the Worlds (the Jeff Wayne PC game version).  Long story,... probably best to leave it as is... oh, but the game runs REALLY well in Wine....  ^^;

Yeah, I used the older description for a lot of her design...

A gun bigger than she is, though...now I gotta do a full-sized picture!

Well,... really more like "longer".  ^^;

I am quite sure it wouldn't have performed at all; the software only works with OS X and Windows 2000 and up.

Tsk tsk tsk.... Silly Bella-hime, tricks are for kids.  ^.^

No seriously,... when you're using modern Linux distros, you usually just end up chucking those Driver discs away when setting up stuff.  90% of the time, it will just work off the bat, or require some driver/application downloads from the repository (printers and wireless cards especially may require the latter).  The remaining 8% of the time you'll need to search around for advice/instructions on how to get it to work and/or compile the drivers from the website (if offered), and only 2% of the time you'll end up with hardware that just refuses to work (and generally also has hostile Linux non-support from the vendor).

In all the hardware I've used, the only thing that absolutely didn't work off the bat was a new wireless card I helped purchase for a friend of mine that purchased one of my subsidized systems.  The salesmen even insisted that the card was Windows-only, incompatible with anything else, and out-of-the-box that was true.

But with ndiswrapper, I got it to work anyway, and it's been going on strong for 6 months since.  ^____^

The same person actually had trouble from the new ISP he subscribed to, who insisted that he use a Windows machine to setup the cable modem/router, since it required special Windows software to do that.

Not sure what they were paying those technicians, cause the same INSTRUCTION BOOKLET provided instructions on how to set up the modem/router manually from a browser.  A little patience + Mozilla Firefox, and he was good to go (and again, for 6 months straight now).

Moral of the Story = There might be an "Only with Software, but there is never an "Only" with the Hardware.  ^__________^

I wonder how that works; maybe you can just buy service with whatever cellphone carrier you want...?

I believe that's the case, but in the States it can be particularly expensive I hear (at least relative to how such services cost in Europe).  It might be feasible for just casual surfing and minor data transfers (say, email attachments) -- but I'm sure the phone companies will make you pay dearly if you start downloading ISO files with that there bandwith....  ^.^

At any rate, the sales rep who was helping me out was a bit adamant that I should look into getting a new computer. Silly him, he doesn't know that I'm totally committed to K8--as in, I'm keeping this computer until I have to be put in a nuthouse

Well, you can tell right there that the sales rep isn't very good if his advice for you to buy a new computer.  That's what I call the "throw away money at the problem" solution, and it never works since it simply masks the deficiencies of the so-called expert.  -v-

Ahoyhoy! Sorry that I can't respond to much...if anything at all...I'm actually just at a restaurant with wifi now, and decided to drop a line and let you guys know I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. I hope all has been well here at our quant little forum, and that everyone has stayed out of trouble without this uber peacenik around

Nah,... there've bee riots and vandalism and loitering,... and maybe,... say,... oh,... about 2 or 3 orgies at least.  Yep, just another day in OSC without Bella-hime.  -v-

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[bawling]  COME BACK!!!!!!  WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!  ;^0^;

Okay, so what have I been up to...? After we left, we took a trip to southern NH and then to Cape Cod--I'm actually still in the beautiful, historic, but undenialbly hawt-as-hell and (humid as sauna) Massachusetts. We've been hanging out with some family friends (natives of this area), visiting local beaches, and I've been busy playing with my new Nikon SLR (if we've lucky, I might post some pix). I'd be at the beach right now...but rather stormy weather has hindered those plans. As in stormy weather I mean, liek, semi-hurricane weather O___O

Actually did hear that the weather in the New Hampshire area is particularly bed, with tornadoes and stuff.  Do watch yourself now.  O__O

...

Oh shoot, time's up for me.  I'll continue this tomorrow,... don't go away.  ^___^

(meaning keep visiting us from wifi spots, please!)  

Added after 16 hours 47 minutes:

Continuing my epic saga.  ^^

As for my OS-tan artwork, I've been trying to finish up the VMS/Unix-sama comic, while simultaniously working on the Linux-sama comic. I'm going to be doing this next comic entirly in pen and ink, and it may include a few in-color pages (done in PS...or so I hope). It will feature not only Linux-sama's story from her POV, but also from others (including Plan 9-chan, VMS-sama, ITS-san and maybe even Leopard-tan, among others). Since I haven't been able to check back here for references, I hope there's no ginormous inconsistances or plotholes ^///^

*drools*  ^u^

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Wuh-w-wut?  x_x

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Oh no.... nope, you're fine.  Draw on.  ^^

At any rate, this comic should also feature a much less linier timeline than the last (kinda a loopy timeline if you ask me), and be a bit faster paced. The hard thing is maintaining a fast pace while still trying to make it very deep and dramatic, though...but I don't want it to become drawn out (no pun intended). Each "chapter" should last around 10 to 15 pages or so I hope. The shading and stuff will be sparse, too...here's hoping too much detail doesn't get thrown out the window -__-

Worse comes to worse, detail can be added later,... much later.  ^^
But fortunately, you're among friends who focus more on the story elements and character development above anything.  ^^

I've been meaning to get to work on a few vector drawings I've been meaning to do, including a portrait of Mistress and servant DTSS (I hope to include some hardcore NH injokes in this picture), WAITS-san, CP-CMS-tan, my much touted tour-de-force CIOST picture, as well as chibis of AIX, IRIX and BSD-tan, as well as "when-are-they-gonna-show-up-ers" FreeVMS and O3ONE-tan. And chibis of the entire DEC army. And I want to resurrect that old Win 1.0/2.0-tan pic.

Uh....

...

...Aren't you supposed to be hiking and taking pictures and stuff?  ^^;

But who am I to bottle up ambition?  Go right on ahead. ^__^
I especially wouldn't mind seeing oodles of DEC chibis.  ^__^

Adding to this confusion is they fact that I started to do a fight scene pic between VMS-sama and (a certain rendition) of Win Sever 2003-tan (in which she's toting a suitably kickass looking broadsword)

Oooh,... haven't seen that before!  It's hard for me to think of her as anything but a mackerel-based mermaid.  ^__^'

...and about a half-dozen other things floating about my mind. I'm starting to break my golden rule to keep it simple, I believe... @_________@

Ehh,... it's just plain ol' entropy at work.  Your own body will eventually balance things out.  Believe me, I've been there.  ^___^

But I do come bearing gifts; here, have some Multics-sama doppleganger-- TSS/360-san

I see TSS/360-san as being almost Multics-sama's IBM parallel self. On one hand, TSS/360-san suffered from a lot of the same problems as Multics-sama, and may have even had a worse go of it. I mean, even Multics-sama had some support (like CTSS-san and a horde of devotees), but then again she never had a daughter that tried to...erhm....kill her.

Physically I tried to make her kinda the opposite of Multics-sama. Whereas she's rather pale with dark hair, I made TSS/360-san dark with light hair. I suppose the sorts of gowns TSS/360-san may have worn would be on par with that of Multics-sama; let's just say this is her nightgown or something.

Awww man,... if this is the nightgown, I wonder if she'd be even able to move with a gala dress.  ^____^;

I like the idea of depicting her as a kind of physically-inverted Multics-sama -- the dark skin and light hair certainlylend her a very Urd-like quality.  Her eyes look a touch dead without that reflection spot -- not sure if this is intentional, since I'm sure (like Multics-sama) she was hardly the happy camper.  Also I have a bit of trouble discerning if that's jewelery or body art on her chest and neck.  ^^

However, the dress is gorgeously draped, and of a very original design and color layout -- at this right, you'll be able to land a job as a costume designer for Square-Enix.  Many kudos to her hair as well -- although it still has your standard frontal bangs, the inclusion of that clam-like "poof" in the forehead offers it a very unique look, ^___^

I don't remember now whether we said she was deceased or just repurposed...  

As for height...I know this is a hotly contended issue...I'd say a firm 5 foot 6 inches ;P

Yep, hot button issue right here.  `v'

And I offer you half of the VMS/2003 Server-tan fight picture:

*insta-swoon*  *v*

It started as a teeny doodle done in a notebook, but has gotten this far; I still have to vector sketch 2003 Server-tan, though. I didn't draw VMS-sama in her full outfit cause it would have been way to difficult, not to mention it'd have covered up way too much of her body. Hand placement was a bitch...I ended up taking a picture of my own hands holding a yardstick (in this pose) to use a refference. And she has a scar on her left arm cause I don't see how anybody could get through life as a swordfighter without getting a few chunks taken out of them o___O

Fufu... now you see why I drew her in her full outfit in the birthday pic,... a lot less anatomy to expose.  `v'

But in any event, this is still a very very very awesome drawing in the works!  @v@
I think the comic has helped you practice static "dynamic" motion, as I definitely see it with her strong pose and the whiplashing of her hair. I also gotta love the expression (and see how much more cool and threatening that masks makes her look?), and aside from the outstanding drapework (kind of a given with you), I'm also very happy to see how well you posed the lower body in its bent position.  I think you've come an incredibly long way since that Mac System 8-tan picture you worked on last year (and ultimately did not finish), but which had a very similar pose -- the proof is in the significantly improved foot proportion and angle.

Outstanding call with the hands -- especially when you're surrounded with all those cameras, it figured you'd eventually use them for modeling work after a while.  It's definitely paid off as these are the best hands you've drawn to date -- slim, precise and bent superbly!  ^.^

I do see some shading inconsistencies, though, especially in places where overlapping parts (such as her left bang with her left arm should cast a light shadow but it doesn't.  That, and it'd probably be awesome to have a distorted reflection on her cleaver, to add to the realism.  But you're not finished, so I might just be preaching to the choir here.  Either way, this is an awesome action pic, and a quantum leap year from the original VMS vs Linux pic.  

Go forth and conquer Bella-hime!  ^v^

...

BTW the design of her knife looks familiar.... ^.^

In computer news, my spirit was a bit broken after the Universe conspired to make all my computers incompatible with Verizon's aircard hardware;

Told you Verizon sucks.  Why did you keep trying to hang out with them lusrs?  `v'

but without the internets to distract me, I've been playing around a bit with Linux (Debian, usually) and doing a bit of "exploration" when I have the chance.

I take that back... I love you Verizon!  ^^'

I got around to burning PCLOS on a CDR and loading it directly onto K8...it ran beautifully, and I can't believe it, even got Compiz to work (though it was kinda bumpy. More bumpy than not. Hey, using an ATI graphics card circa 2004, I'm just surprised it even worked!) All has been well with K8--I had a minor scare when, after months of refusing to use M$ updates, I finally did--and boy did that screw up my wireless driver! Fortunetly I did a quick system restore to an earlier date, and this solved the problem.

Hmmm,... was that PCLOS 2007 or MiniME 2008?  Hardware detection with the newer kernel and modules and latest graphic/wireless/everything drivers is gonna-be-dy-na-mite!!  ^v^
Already Mandriva shows how well a modern PCLOS system can perform.  ^__^

But yes, I worship thee now for trying it!  ^.^

I usually find myself at odds whether to recommend Windows friends to use Live Update or not.  On the one hand, there are legitimate things that need to be fixed.  On the other, there's a cost incentive for M$ to break XP wherever possible, to drive people towards Vista (and eventually Windows 7).  Not to mention that, with the right programs and a lot of common sense on the web, you may not need updates at all.  ^___^

My dad, on the other hand, has all but proclaimed his love for Macs; it started when I accompanied him on a trip to Best Buy.

So we go to Best Buy, and what do I see but a mini Apple Store set up inside. You'd be surprised how alternative system-friedly Best Buy is beginning to become, I mean, they use Macs for some of the store computers, they give directions around the store in relation to the giant, glowing, Apple store sign-thingy ("Yeah, camera department is past the Apple sign, then right toward the printers, then to your left!") and I saw help software for Ubuntu for sale!

Ah yes, you weren't around when the articles flooded the web about retail Ubuntu in Best Buys.  ^.^
It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to go into a Best Buy, but by then it already had a Mac section in it.  I figure it's been there for a while, but I do know that wasn't the case at least 3 years ago.  ^___^

But I digress...so I frolic over to oogle the Macs, complete with an schoolgirlishly excited exclaimation to my father of "hey, do you want to see a glimpse of your shiney plastic future?"

This I said as I played with a Macbook Air.

Came the ever so Mac-Evangelical chide of the Apple salesdude who was apperently behind me: "no no, you can't say it's plastic; it's aluminum."

could'a fooled me.  ^.^
But yeah, the regular iBooks are plastic.  ^__^

Well, halfway through his sales pitch of the scarily-thin Macbook Air (MY GOD, SOMEBODY FORGOT TO FEED IT! It's like a painfully skinny supermodel whom I can't take my eyes off of O__o), dad suggested something a bit more...ehm...substantial...I mean....less...waifish...was to his liking and would be more practical as a work machine. I pointed out a Macbook Pro. No, apperently he wants alotta Mac, and no notebook is going to cut it.

For laptops, I think the iBooks are better, since they're not OBSCENELY expensive, but still provide you with everything that you need.  Pros are overkills, and Airs,......................... for showing off really.  ^^;

He asked what they have for desktop computers...so over the salesman led him to a 24'' iMac. FINALLY, this is enough computer!

Dad: Where's the tower?

Salesman, pointing at monitor: This is the tower!

Dad: NO WAI! U LAI! (okay, I embellished here. But his expression said this)

I'm surprised he didn't know that, what with all the alternative OS factoids we've been tossing on you for years now.  ^________^

It's certainly not a new concept -- after all, the Commodore system was built into the keyboard.  And when you look at the size of your typical laptop, and compare that to the requirements of an LCD display screen,... there's not much to just sticking the components of the laptop into the monitor and saving some space.  ^.^

For some reason, though, this never became popular with IBM PC designs.  Kind of is catching on with Linux PCs, though (not really, but generally involves attaching mini desktops to the backs of LCD monitors).  ^__^'

But wait, I managed to show my Mac idiocy to the salesdude as well: Is this Mac OS 10 (still not sure if it's pronounced "X" or as a roman numberal, "10") Tiger?

Salesman, pointing at monitor: No. This is Leopard.

Ooooh... shame shame shame.  ^.^
Macs are like Vista machines,... few if any of them in retail stores are gonna come with anything else but the latest system.  And besides, Leopards have a Dock with a "floor" underneath the icons.  ^___^

That should be "OSX" as in "X", but from a geek standpoint both are technically correct.  ^o^

Ah, the googly-eyed look of love he wore for that huge-as-in-HUEG iMac. His enchanted look of enchantment at the puckmouse and wireless keyboard. Just golden. And I have to say: I've seen some useless but beautiful GUI features in my day; Beryl, Compiz, Skydome and Window-flip...but Time Machine could be the most gorgeously frivous application GUI ever. I mean, it's like Vista's window flip times ten, plus this has some decernable use. Or so the salesman said, he was pretty hyped up about it (I remember the phrase "we're going back in time!" was thrown about. Dear lawd.)

I think you'll find that Mark Shuttleworth agrees with your Pop as well. ^^

http://www.pcretailmag.com/news/30231/Canonical-Linux-to-leapfrog-Apple-in-two-years

Time Machine looks awesome, but I remember drilling the presentation people (during Leopard's debut) with questions about it.  It really could use a little more customization, but it's a'ight for the average uses.

Anyhow, Apple dude was really trying to make a sale (have you ever shopped at Best Buy? Those guys are like used car salesmen on crack!), until my dad noted that he wouldn't be buying until later this year. Then he kinda got disheartened and went off to play on one of the Macs, so apperently Apple Salesdude is one of the best jobs to have at that store XD [/qote]

Awwww... that's so cruel.  ;__;
Especially when the Mac dude in the Best Buy I mentioned earlier had about as much enthusiasm as a troubled teenager in a bingo tournament.  I think I knew more about Macs than he did.  ^^;

So there you have it. I really hope that I can check in more often; I know at a few points during this summer I'll definatly have access to wifi, but the rest of the time is pretty patchy. Ack...I hope I'm not missing out on too much. All y'all be here when I'm back, ya hear?

I hear.  ^^

HOORAAAAAAAAY! Bella has returned! I was wondering what happened as the forum's activity has pretty much dropped in half since you left (incidentally, Smokey and Nejin who are also some of the most active members have not been seen much here either)!  

I can testify for this.  ^___^

Wow.. you were out travelling all this time? I envy you! I've been stuck at my house the past several weeks although I did go to a family reunion for a couple days early this month. But that was about it T__T

Poor Aurora-hime.

Yeah, I've been stuck with home renovations myself.  Some traveling, yes, but unusually light.  ^^

OpenVMS-sama vs. Saba-tan pic: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Saba-tan is gonna end up as shark food! What can I say? She's got one kick*** granny!  Anyways, looking great so far and will be EPIC WIN when done! Great job with the dynamic pose and movement of the hair!

Awww crap!  I almost forgot.... yeah, she'd be Saba-chan's "Obaa-san".  Oh, that's just so weird on so many levels... @v@'

But yes,... potential shark food.  ^^;

AND YOU GOT TO GO TO AN APPLE STORE and look at the latest Mac stuff?!?! AAAAAUGH! You are so lucky! I have never gotten to see the latest Macs nor Leopard in person! DO WANT!

WAAAAAAAAAH?!!!!!!  @@

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.....

Well I figure there's more of a story to this, but how can the grrrrrrrrreat Aurora-hime miss out on current events in the Mac world?  ^^

In any event, that took quite a while to write.  ^^;
Better take a breather before continuing.  ^___^

*trots off*

[Bella]

Time for another installment of:

BELLA'S JOURNEY: The midwest is not beautiful, therefore it is...tollerable?

Oh dear lawd... O____O

You'll never believe where I am right now...backwater Michigan O____o

I'm here for four days, for a family function. The trip was borderline horrendous--and I feel so out of place here. I'm not a flatlander at all...If you haven't been to MI, this is a good way to visualize it. Imagine the flattest surface you can--and make it about 20 times flatter. It's pre-adolesent gymnatist flat.  Seriously, the mirrors in the Hubble telescope couldn't be as even and smooth as the surface of Michigan. The largest hill there is the curvature of the earth.

I've really only stayed in the suburbs of Detroit before (in a very classy neighborhood), but now I'm quite in farming country. Driving through the vast, expansive fields I just about had an emotional breakdown. Fun stuff. No, I kid, I kid, I like it here; I'm no stranger to this strange land, half my family and a fair amount of friends live here

In artwork news, I (think I) am done with the first 11-page "chapter" of my Linux-sama comic. It centers around Plan 9-san. Please to remember, I haven't had that many refereces to work with; just some notes n' stuff and a few web pages I saved. I ask you to ignore any blaring plotholes, and I really hope that it's fast paced, not rushed.

Anyhow, I think I've figured out what characters some of the other chapters might include:

-Chap. 2: VMS-sama and VxWorks-tan (in flashback, NT-tan, OS/2-tan, angry Microsofties. Nuff said.)
-Chap. 3: ITS-san, (in flashback, Multics and CTSS-sama.)
-Chap. 4: Leopard-tan (in flashforward, no wai, future Linux-tan!?)
-Chap. 5: The GNU people (think like a semi-cult, following their guru-like leader, Stallman). Maybe HURD-tan, perhaps an Emacs-tan/kun, too, maybe, if I can come up with one.
-Chap. 6: Some of the young Linux distro-tans, Apache-tan, angry Unixen (or their troops).
-Chap. 7: Not-so-angry Unixen who turn very fast (Solaris-tan, notably)
-Chap. 8: Unix-sama (in flashback, GECOS-san, UNICS-chan. You heard me right O__O)

*Has piano drop on head from above*

The fun part'll be keeping my inspiration up. Some areas (like chapters 3, 4, 7 and 8 ) I know what's going to happen quite well...other's I'm drawing a blank.

As for vector art, I'm ashamed to say I couldn't really think of a good pose to have WinServer2003-tan in, so I might cop out and just include a full sized version of eCos-tan in the VMS-sama fight picture (fighting back-to-back with her). I'd really love to draw that CIOST group pic as well--I want to try a very different style, though, very stylized and...I daresay...a bit less detailed all and all. Though it's meant to be a rather large group ensamble picture. I'd like to do all flat shading and highlighting and colored strokes, too.

I also want to do a full-sized picture of VxWorks-tan, though it may be included in the CIOST group shot. In that vein, I think I've found a good character inspiration for VxWorks-tan: Yoko Ritona from Gurren Laggan (granted, VxW-tan would be a lot less scantly-clad. And well-endowed. But both do tote around huge, awesome guns!)

In other news, I started on a WAITS-san and DTSS-san picture...I can't post them at this minute, but I'll try to ASAP.

In computer news, I'm dismayed to find that Windows has apperently turned on a number (okay...just 2...but still a number!) of OSS programs I had installed. This happened after the MS auto update, and after I uninstalled it, too. Long story short, Firefox and Kantaris won't even so much as open, even after reinstallations.

I'm still tossing around the idea of getting wireless broadband. I might try teathering...in other words, getting a new cellphone, and using that as the modem. This way, I won't have to sign up for any long-term contract; I can more or less turn the wireless broadband on and off as I please. I'm only going through all this because I'm going out to stay with some friends across the country this Autumn, and it's a known fact that, well, Teh Internetz are an Eastern phenomena only (no really, I don't know a soul west of the Missippi River who has, what we would know as, "the internet". All dial-up and WebTV o__O)

HOORAAAAAAAAY! Bella has returned! I was wondering what happened as the forum's activity has pretty much dropped in half since you left (incidentally, Smokey and Nejin who are also some of the most active members have not been seen much here either)!

Yes, we have all stayed out of trouble. Wow.. you were out travelling all this time? I envy you! I've been stuck at my house the past several weeks although I did go to a family reunion for a couple days early this month. But that was about it T__T

Returned...tsk tsk....nope, I'm just dropping by right now. And yes, travelling is a huge part of my life, I think, even if it's rather against my will...haha...it's mostly part of my job description.

Then again, I dunno if I could ever settle down...I think I will always have some wanderlust...

And thanks for the encouragement with my drawings!

Well,... I actually think she still kind of is... not awkward, but certainly antisocial.

I would say she suffers from the dreaded "Sakaki" effect. She's a lone wolf who keeps to herself and has soft side that belies her imposing appearance -- and yet this attracts all SORTS of crazy followers, men and women alike, who swear this is cool. Hence they adore her and swoon much like I do with your pictures.

...Sounds like FreeVMS-chan, who won't leave poor VMS-sama's side

Well you have all the time in the world out hiking,... and by the sound of it, you are in the process of creating such a picture. ^___^

I imagine that, just like how her fighting skills have matured, so has her taste for formal wear. After all, as the de facto leader of such a powerful faction... she must dress to impress. ^___^

Plus you can never go wrong with VMS-sama tanktop fanservice, ne?

Tsk tsk tsk.... Silly Bella-hime, tricks are for kids. ^.^

No seriously,... when you're using modern Linux distros, you usually just end up chucking those Driver discs away when setting up stuff. 90% of the time, it will just work off the bat, or require some driver/application downloads from the repository (printers and wireless cards especially may require the latter). The remaining 8% of the time you'll need to search around for advice/instructions on how to get it to work and/or compile the drivers from the website (if offered), and only 2% of the time you'll end up with hardware that just refuses to work (and generally also has hostile Linux non-support from the vendor).

In all the hardware I've used, the only thing that absolutely didn't work off the bat was a new wireless card I helped purchase for a friend of mine that purchased one of my subsidized systems. The salesmen even insisted that the card was Windows-only, incompatible with anything else, and out-of-the-box that was true.

But with ndiswrapper, I got it to work anyway, and it's been going on strong for 6 months since. ^____^

The same person actually had trouble from the new ISP he subscribed to, who insisted that he use a Windows machine to setup the cable modem/router, since it required special Windows software to do that.

Not sure what they were paying those technicians, cause the same INSTRUCTION BOOKLET provided instructions on how to set up the modem/router manually from a browser. A little patience + Mozilla Firefox, and he was good to go (and again, for 6 months straight now).

Moral of the Story = There might be an "Only with Software, but there is never an "Only" with the Hardware. ^__________^

I'll have to look into this if and when I tether

Actually did hear that the weather in the New Hampshire area is particularly bed, with tornadoes and stuff. Do watch yourself now. O__O

Yeah, they had some tornados...not much damage, though @___@   

Worse comes to worse, detail can be added later,... much later. ^^
But fortunately, you're among friends who focus more on the story elements and character development above anything. ^^

This has kinda fallen through, too. In the end, I just can't help but do more detail. Now some of the shading is digital, though.

Uh....

...

...Aren't you supposed to be hiking and taking pictures and stuff? ^^;

But who am I to bottle up ambition? Go right on ahead. ^__^
I especially wouldn't mind seeing oodles of DEC chibis. ^__^

Still have yet to do any of these ideas...

*slits wrists with lettuce*

OMG, I just channeled the spirit of C-Chan for a moment!

Oooh,... haven't seen that before! It's hard for me to think of her as anything but a mackerel-based mermaid. ^__^'

I actually love this design compared to the fish-girl thingy...

Ehh,... it's just plain ol' entropy at work. Your own body will eventually balance things out. Believe me, I've been there. ^___^

*see above attempted suicide*

XD

Awww man,... if this is the nightgown, I wonder if she'd be even able to move with a gala dress. ^____^;

Hey, she has to be like Multics-sama, after all...

I like the idea of depicting her as a kind of physically-inverted Multics-sama -- the dark skin and light hair certainlylend her a very Urd-like quality. Her eyes look a touch dead without that reflection spot -- not sure if this is intentional, since I'm sure (like Multics-sama) she was hardly the happy camper. Also I have a bit of trouble discerning if that's jewelery or body art on her chest and neck. ^^

However, the dress is gorgeously draped, and of a very original design and color layout -- at this right, you'll be able to land a job as a costume designer for Square-Enix. Many kudos to her hair as well -- although it still has your standard frontal bangs, the inclusion of that clam-like "poof" in the forehead offers it a very unique look, ^___^

I don't remember now whether we said she was deceased or just repurposed...

Yeah, the eyes don't sit well with me, either...and that's skin-tight jewelery she's wearing.

She's for sure dead, though...TSS/360 went nowhere...

Fufu... now you see why I drew her in her full outfit in the birthday pic,... a lot less anatomy to expose. `v'

But in any event, this is still a very very very awesome drawing in the works! @v@
I think the comic has helped you practice static "dynamic" motion, as I definitely see it with her strong pose and the whiplashing of her hair. I also gotta love the expression (and see how much more cool and threatening that masks makes her look?), and aside from the outstanding drapework (kind of a given with you), I'm also very happy to see how well you posed the lower body in its bent position. I think you've come an incredibly long way since that Mac System 8-tan picture you worked on last year (and ultimately did not finish), but which had a very similar pose -- the proof is in the significantly improved foot proportion and angle.

Outstanding call with the hands -- especially when you're surrounded with all those cameras, it figured you'd eventually use them for modeling work after a while. It's definitely paid off as these are the best hands you've drawn to date -- slim, precise and bent superbly! ^.^

I do see some shading inconsistencies, though, especially in places where overlapping parts (such as her left bang with her left arm should cast a light shadow but it doesn't. That, and it'd probably be awesome to have a distorted reflection on her cleaver, to add to the realism. But you're not finished, so I might just be preaching to the choir here. Either way, this is an awesome action pic, and a quantum leap year from the original VMS vs Linux pic.

Go forth and conquer Bella-hime! ^v^

...

BTW the design of her knife looks familiar.... ^.^

Thank you! I do believe that today is the 1-year anniversary of my artistic rebirth into vector art, so I'm happy you guys like it, and that I've come so far...

So you like the hands...? Haha, now we can see how freakishly proportioned my hands are. Everyone says I should be a violinist. I've tried drawing hands by looking at my hands in mirrors before (sometimes to work out certain poses I do try to do them and look at a mirror), but this wasn't working very well.

And the shading I had a heck of  a time with, too. I turned out doing highlighing more than shading (as C-Chan does); the knife looks like some copypasta from my VMS Birthday pic, but no, I just took a good long look at it and recreated it.

Told you Verizon sucks. Why did you keep trying to hang out with them lusrs? `v'

'Cause all cellular companies suck (I hate them Baby Bells). I heartell AT&T is a great deal suckier than Verizon...besides, all the Verizon users I know love the company.

I take that back... I love you Verizon! ^^'

Don't get excited, but I may have I chance to demo a live CD with a friends' computer (which is now lying in the corner, rotting).

Hmmm,... was that PCLOS 2007 or MiniME 2008? Hardware detection with the newer kernel and modules and latest graphic/wireless/everything drivers is gonna-be-dy-na-mite!! ^v^
Already Mandriva shows how well a modern PCLOS system can perform. ^__^

But yes, I worship thee now for trying it! ^.^

PCLOS 2007. And no, I worship thee, the venerable St. C-Chan IgGNUtius of the Linuxian order! (I read all about your Linux conversions in Aurora's thread a while back)

Ah yes, you weren't around when the articles flooded the web about retail Ubuntu in Best Buys. ^.^
It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to go into a Best Buy, but by then it already had a Mac section in it. I figure it's been there for a while, but I do know that wasn't the case at least 3 years ago. ^___^

WOOT! Now the world can experience the glory that is Ubuntu...at Best Buy, that is...

For laptops, I think the iBooks are better, since they're not OBSCENELY expensive, but still provide you with everything that you need. Pros are overkills, and Airs,......................... for showing off really. ^^;

Like that matters...my father has eyes for only one machine, and iMac be its name. ^_^

I'm surprised he didn't know that, what with all the alternative OS factoids we've been tossing on you for years now. ^________^

It's certainly not a new concept -- after all, the Commodore system was built into the keyboard. And when you look at the size of your typical laptop, and compare that to the requirements of an LCD display screen,... there's not much to just sticking the components of the laptop into the monitor and saving some space. ^.^

For some reason, though, this never became popular with IBM PC designs. Kind of is catching on with Linux PCs, though (not really, but generally involves attaching mini desktops to the backs of LCD monitors). ^__^'

Haha...apperently, my dad though Apple was still peddling those HUEG colored plastic iMacs >____<

Ooooh... shame shame shame. ^.^
Macs are like Vista machines,... few if any of them in retail stores are gonna come with anything else but the latest system. And besides, Leopards have a Dock with a "floor" underneath the icons. ^___^

That should be "OSX" as in "X", but from a geek standpoint both are technically correct. ^o^

I just hope Leopard isn't to Tiger what Vistard is to XP.

...Sorry for the slip, there. XD

I think you'll find that Mark Shuttleworth agrees with your Pop as well. ^^

http://www.pcretailmag.com/news/30231/Canonical-Linux-to-leapfrog-Apple-in-two-years

Time Machine looks awesome, but I remember drilling the presentation people (during Leopard's debut) with questions about it. It really could use a little more customization, but it's a'ight for the average uses.

I have to read that artical...

Awwww... that's so cruel. ;__;
Especially when the Mac dude in the Best Buy I mentioned earlier had about as much enthusiasm as a troubled teenager in a bingo tournament. I think I knew more about Macs than he did. ^^;

I didn't dare breath that OS X was a Unix decendant to Mac salesdude. I didn't want to either:

a) show him up, or
b) have him say "yeah. I know. We all do"

I dunno how much of a cover-up it is, honestly.

I hear. ^^

*Baaaaaawwwwls*

Poor Aurora-hime.

Yeah, I've been stuck with home renovations myself. Some traveling, yes, but unusually light. ^^

I feel like an astronaut who's just traveled to Mars...

I've had a taxing, expensive journey to an unfamiliar, vast wasteland of which I'd rather send a unmanned craft ;____;

*wails*

I know, I know, I'm such a drama queen

Awww crap! I almost forgot.... yeah, she'd be Saba-chan's "Obaa-san". Oh, that's just so weird on so many levels... @v@'

But yes,... potential shark food. ^^;

Mmmmm....sushi....

(I just had sushi yesterday XD)

I'll attempt to post some comic pages ASAP...till then, I'd love to hear any ideas as to an Emacs-tan (or kun).

I shall return...hoping the network here stays up long enough (using public wifi).

[Bella]

Though, something really isn't sitting right with me about them, WAITS-san especially. I think it's her nose...it's a bit off. So are her eyes, the right one looks lazy. And Mistress DTSS-sama's dress is too...blahhh...she should be a bit fancier, 'cause the pride of my state is at steak here!  

Her weapon, however, is electricity. (the DTSS machine at Dartmouth once electrocuted a squirrel. I kid you not.)

The sketch in the corner is Servant DTSS-chan; her weapon would be a hammer. And no, this is not a SAM-chan or System 1-tan reference; this is one of them hardcore NH references I was warning you about. It is, in fact, such a deep injoke that I don't even understand it completely (it has something to do with hammers being a popular NH weapon).

[C-Chan]

At "steak"?  Or we gonna have London Broil?  ^^'

*stares at Servant DTSS-chan*

Ooooh,... SAM-chan.... ^>^
Oh wait, no....  ^^

Anyway, only have a few minutes left so I have to decide quickly what I'm gonna do:

A)  Swoon
B)  Swoon HARD
C)  Swoon FAST

.....

I'll go with B.  ^__^

*SWOONS HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!*  

.
.
.

PS:  Oh, about WAITS-chan.  Not the best person to ask about noses, as my universal solution is to make them small enough to asphyxiate them.  ^^'

For her lazy eye, you have one of two options: a), rotate her right eye a few degrees clockwise, or b) move its pupil a few clicks to the left.

And you also might wanna cover the top two edges of her head with some hair -- that was the first thing I noticed.  ^^;

Have nothing but love for DTSS-sama, though -- rightfully reminds me of CTSS-sama.  ^o^

Added after 15 hours 27 minutes:

Ooooooookay, we're ready!
Time for my own installment of:

C-CHAN'S OBSCENELY-LONG AND INTERMINABLE RESPONSES THAT COULD EASILY FILL TWENTY PRINTED ENCYCOLPEDIA VOLUMES!!

You'll never believe where I am right now...backwater Michigan O____o

Oooh,... probably not a good idea to suggest watching Roger & Me in case you're bored, huh?  ^^;

Imagine the flattest surface you can--and make it about 20 times flatter. It's pre-adolesent gymnatist flat. Seriously, the mirrors in the Hubble telescope couldn't be as even and smooth as the surface of Michigan. The largest hill there is the curvature of the earth.

Well I've been to MI myself a few times.  ^.^
It helps to go to Detroit and pretend the buildings are mountains.  ^___^'

Might also help to cross the border and enjoy some beautiful Canadian hospitality.  There's a nice coin shop I used to go to near the Windsor Casino... hopefully it's still there (or still nice).  ^__^

I've really only stayed in the suburbs of Detroit before (in a very classy neighborhood), but now I'm quite in farming country. Driving through the vast, expansive fields I just about had an emotional breakdown. Fun stuff. No, I kid, I kid, I like it here; I'm no stranger to this strange land, half my family and a fair amount of friends live here

Well I do recall that Michigan epitomizes the concept of urban sprawl.  There is literally no place you can travel to without a car or a VERY expensive taxi service.  That was my own little nightmare.  ^^;

Do have family and friends there myself. ^___^

In artwork news, I (think I) am done with the first 11-page "chapter" of my Linux-sama comic. It centers around Plan 9-san. Please to remember, I haven't had that many refereces to work with; just some notes n' stuff and a few web pages I saved. I ask you to ignore any blaring plotholes, and I really hope that it's fast paced, not rushed.

Poppycosh! Your comic was so brilliant, I had to douse my eyes and petrol and set them on fire for the heresy of not reading it with sufficient amount of AWE.  Bad C-chan.  >v<

Anyhow, I think I've figured out what characters some of the other chapters might include:

Should come as no surprise that my mouth is watering.  
However, should point out that the comic you posted is not small by a long shot.  You prepared to draw up all that paperwork?  @v@

Future Linux-tan?  I wonder if that has anything to do with that future OS-tan discussion we had months ago?  ^____^;

-Chap. 8: Unix-sama (in flashback, GECOS-san, UNICS-chan. You heard me right O__O)

*Has piano drop on head from above*

You had that coming.  ^.^;

The fun part'll be keeping my inspiration up. Some areas (like chapters 3, 4, 7 and 8 ) I know what's going to happen quite well...other's I'm drawing a blank.

Well you said the storyline is somewhat disjointed, so feel free to focus on whatever you're most inspired in.  You can always work on the rest later, especially once you're readily available and we can conduct some proper brainstorming.  ^___^

As for vector art, I'm ashamed to say I couldn't really think of a good pose to have WinServer2003-tan in, so I might cop out and just include a full sized version of eCos-tan in the VMS-sama fight picture (fighting back-to-back with her).

Nothing wrong with a little sparing.  I like that! ^v^
I wanted eCOS-chan to wear steel reinforcement slabs over the front of her boots (streamlined, not clunky btw), so it's quite possible for her to engage swords and other bladed without fear of having her legs chopped off.

I'd really love to draw that CIOST group pic as well--I want to try a very different style, though, very stylized and...I daresay...a bit less detailed all and all. Though it's meant to be a rather large group ensamble picture. I'd like to do all flat shading and highlighting and colored strokes, too.

IOW, like modern Anime cel-shading?  ''

How about a sample, when time permits...  *v*

I also want to do a full-sized picture of VxWorks-tan, though it may be included in the CIOST group shot. In that vein, I think I've found a good character inspiration for VxWorks-tan: Yoko Ritona from Gurren Laggan (granted, VxW-tan would be a lot less scantly-clad. And well-endowed. But both do tote around huge, awesome guns!)

Scantily-clad?  You mean Yoko actually wears CLOTHES?!!  @__@

Fufu.. I kid, I kid.  ^^
Granted, I hastily approve the decision to increment clothing and decrement bust size for VxWorks-tan, I think Yoko-san has a cute, feisty face [and hair] and certainly carries around a very LONG and unconventional gun.  C-chan Approved.  ^__^

My advice is to save two birds with one net, and just have her as part of the group shot.  ^^

In computer news, I'm dismayed to find that Windows has apperently turned on a number (okay...just 2...but still a number!) of OSS programs I had installed. This happened after the MS auto update, and after I uninstalled it, too. Long story short, Firefox and Kantaris won't even so much as open, even after reinstallations.

hmm... interesting.
In the Start menu, go to Run..., then try to type in any of the following:

firefox.exe -p

firefox.exe -safe-mode

And see if that does anything.  'Fraid I can't do anything about Kantaris, since I didn't even know about the program till now (if you don't mind the plain appearance, VLC should hold you up till we get the former starting).

Don't want to assume the breakage was intentional, but it's not like there wouldn't be a Qui Bono.  Â¬__¬

I'm still tossing around the idea of getting wireless broadband. I might try teathering...in other words, getting a new cellphone, and using that as the modem. This way, I won't have to sign up for any long-term contract; I can more or less turn the wireless broadband on and off as I please. I'm only going through all this because I'm going out to stay with some friends across the country this Autumn, and it's a known fact that, well, Teh Internetz are an Eastern phenomena only (no really, I don't know a soul west of the Missippi River who has, what we would know as, "the internet". All dial-up and WebTV o__O)

Aah now, surely California is more wired than New England combined (not that it helps much with rolling blackouts).  ^^'

Be sure to carefully research cellphone broadband access, btw.  Given the much greater amount of data transfer involved in standard web browsing when compared to mobile-friendly internet pages, you don't want to inadvertently rack up a huge bill.  '';

...Sounds like FreeVMS-chan, who won't leave poor VMS-sama's side

Correct.  ^^
If she had a penny for every time she heard some young sap say "When I grow up, I want to be JUST LIKE YOU!", she'd have enough money to launch a hostile takeover bid,... for Microsoft.  @@;
(guess that would be like buying back her daughter+grandaughters)

Plus you can never go wrong with VMS-sama tanktop fanservice, ne?

*replaces blood bucket with fresh one*

*continues nosebleed*

Wha?  Huh?  Whayousay?  XvX

This has kinda fallen through, too. In the end, I just can't help but do more detail. Now some of the shading is digital, though.

And mighty fine job you did with it, btw.  It really compliments the hand-drawn style of your comic.  (you did use it in the Linux comic, right?) ^.^

I just hope Leopard isn't to Tiger what Vistard is to XP.

...Sorry for the slip, there. XD

At first the comparison was made often, given the number of bugs that were discovered at Leopard-chan's release.  But she's gotten her act together since then and is quite stable.  

Not much praise for some of the new iLife applications, though.  Especially with iMovie, it's often recommended to use the '06 version since it offers more power and less "kiddie hand-holding" then the latest version.

I didn't dare breath that OS X was a Unix decendant to Mac salesdude. I didn't want to either:

a) show him up, or
b) have him say "yeah. I know. We all do"

I dunno how much of a cover-up it is, honestly.

Not much of a secret when it's actually a selling point.  ^^;

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/unix.html

I'll attempt to post some comic pages ASAP...till then, I'd love to hear any ideas as to an Emacs-tan (or kun).

I shall return...hoping the network here stays up long enough (using public wifi).

Funny you should mention -kun.  Since both Emacs and Vi are applications [editors], I actually would make the case for them to be -kuns, if only because they would draw the kind of huge following of fangirls as real life song idols or actors would.  Course, these are Linux/Unix-tans you're primarily talking about, so Vi-kun and Emacs-kun probably draw their fame from being literary savants -- witty, suave and highly [if not overly] educated.  Though both have a lot in common, their underlying philosophies diverge enough for there to be polarization among their respective fans, which has become more,... "ceremonially" over the years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor_war

Course, the obsession is hardly at the level of futbol rioting -- after all, very few Linux/Unix-tans read from only a single author and the Linux-tans are especially enouraged to read from various authors, columnists and playwrights.

[Bella]

I'm gonna have to reply later here, but all suggestions have been duly noted!

I look forward to designing a Vi and Emacs-kun, it'll be my first try at anime style boys! ^_^

[Bella]

Hello everybody! I'm back...at least for a while...
...
Lesse, what did I miss while I was I was out with the anemia...?

At "steak"? Or we gonna have London Broil? ^^'

Damned undiagnosed dislexia >___<

*stares at Servant DTSS-chan*

Ooooh,... SAM-chan.... ^>^
Oh wait, no.... ^^

Don't worry, a lot of NHites could be mistaken for SAM-chan.

PS: Oh, about WAITS-chan. Not the best person to ask about noses, as my universal solution is to make them small enough to asphyxiate them. ^^'

Ah, your noses are very anime-esque, that's all. Mine are the insanly huge ones that's all

For her lazy eye, you have one of two options: a), rotate her right eye a few degrees clockwise, or b) move its pupil a few clicks to the left.

I think I may have fixed it...I'll have to post a pic. I hope I did, as for a minute there she was looking too...Thom Yorke-esque XD

And you also might wanna cover the top two edges of her head with some hair -- that was the first thing I noticed. ^^;  

Weeeeelll, duh! I was gonna fix that. I just hadn't thought of the proper hair arrangement

Have nothing but love for DTSS-sama, though -- rightfully reminds me of CTSS-sama. ^o^

This is intentional. I do suppose her attitude would be rather like CTSS-sama, as well; but somehow I see DTSS-san as being a bit more in-touch with the common people. DTSS was built almost entirely by students at Dartmouth, and was used by something like 80% of the students at the colledge--even non-scientific and technical students were expected to know some programming :O

Oooh,... probably not a good idea to suggest watching Roger & Me in case you're bored, huh? ^^;

....?

Well I've been to MI myself a few times. ^.^
It helps to go to Detroit and pretend the buildings are mountains. ^___^'

Might also help to cross the border and enjoy some beautiful Canadian hospitality. There's a nice coin shop I used to go to near the Windsor Casino... hopefully it's still there (or still nice). ^__^

Ah, Detroit...I've seen some crazy dirvers in my day, but it's like they funneled all the boldest from around the country into that city and gave them a pass to go as fast as they want....

As for Canada, the closest I've been is Niagra Falls, NY, peering over the boarder. ZOMG I saw a TGI Friday's in Canada! No wai!!!

Well I do recall that Michigan epitomizes the concept of urban sprawl. There is literally no place you can travel to without a car or a VERY expensive taxi service. That was my own little nightmare. ^^;

Yep, driving though the farmland was pretty scary for me. I'm not used to such...flatness and ruralness O______o

Do have family and friends there myself. ^___^

Ack, I wish I had a lot of family in Hawaii or some other exotic place. Then I'd have a good reason to go there

Should come as no surprise that my mouth is watering.
However, should point out that the comic you posted is not small by a long shot. You prepared to draw up all that paperwork? @v@

Future Linux-tan? I wonder if that has anything to do with that future OS-tan discussion we had months ago? ^____^;

Well, each chapter is only supposed to be 10 to 15 or so pages long...it's not...that bad...even though it'll add up quite quicky (80 pages at the least @____@).
And future Linux-tan will really just be our present Linux-tan. I think...?

You had that coming. ^.^;

Hell I'm just happy an orchistra didn't fall from the sky.

Well you said the storyline is somewhat disjointed, so feel free to focus on whatever you're most inspired in. You can always work on the rest later, especially once you're readily available and we can conduct some proper brainstorming. ^___^

I've kinda foregone Chapter 2 and started on Chapter 3; what I really need to work on is filling out the different plots a bit better. I'd love to hear your input...I'll elaborate in the comic thread, though.

Nothing wrong with a little sparing. I like that! ^v^
I wanted eCOS-chan to wear steel reinforcement slabs over the front of her boots (streamlined, not clunky btw), so it's quite possible for her to engage swords and other bladed without fear of having her legs chopped off.

*hands C-Chan his nosebleed blood-bucket back*

IOW, like modern Anime cel-shading? ''

How about a sample, when time permits... *v*

Uhmmmmm....I don't know if this counts or anything...but I mean...



I decided, "Hey, I've been dragging my feet to long on the DEC-tans; if I'm gonna draw them, I'm gonna go big!"

Left to right, that's Tru64, Vaxeln, RT-11, RSTS, Ultrix, RSX-11, and TOPS-tan. Tru64, Vaxeln and TOPS-tan were barely preconcepts, so I'm still open to character sugestions for them.

And I'd like to add a (the ghost of) Batch/11-tan(?!), and an OS-8 and TSS/8-tan to this picture. Of course the latter two have no known designs...but I seem to have a really strong mental picture of what I think they'd be like...

Scantily-clad? You mean Yoko actually wears CLOTHES?!! @__@

Fufu.. I kid, I kid. ^^
Granted, I hastily approve the decision to increment clothing and decrement bust size for VxWorks-tan, I think Yoko-san has a cute, feisty face [and hair] and certainly carries around a very LONG and unconventional gun. C-chan Approved. ^__^

Now I know why MisterCat started that Appreciation Club. On that note, I watched episode 6 a while back...OMG...that episode was bursting with Gainax mindf#$kage.

I seriously lol'ed at the killer bunnygirls.

My advice is to save two birds with one net, and just have her as part of the group shot. ^^

When this happens...

hmm... interesting.
In the Start menu, go to Run..., then try to type in any of the following:

firefox.exe -p

firefox.exe -safe-mode

And see if that does anything. 'Fraid I can't do anything about Kantaris, since I didn't even know about the program till now (if you don't mind the plain appearance, VLC should hold you up till we get the former starting).

Don't want to assume the breakage was intentional, but it's not like there wouldn't be a Qui Bono. ¬__¬

Notta. Firefox won't work no matter what I do. Even with a system restore to May, it doesn't work.

I think it has something to do with the M$ .NET framework...long story, though...

Aah now, surely California is more wired than New England combined (not that it helps much with rolling blackouts). ^^'

Be sure to carefully research cellphone broadband access, btw. Given the much greater amount of data transfer involved in standard web browsing when compared to mobile-friendly internet pages, you don't want to inadvertently rack up a huge bill. '';

No, I know Californians...and none of them have high-speed internet @___@

Broadband access I know quite a bit about, they actually spelled it out very carefully. It's actually note bad as long as you don't try to download huge files, or view videos.

Correct. ^^
If she had a penny for every time she heard some young sap say "When I grow up, I want to be JUST LIKE YOU!", she'd have enough money to launch a hostile takeover bid,... for Microsoft. @@;
(guess that would be like buying back her daughter+grandaughters

Haha! XD
I've actually had the time to think about FreeVMS-chan and her relationship with VMS-sama. At first I thought she'd be rather like a fangirl; but now, somehow, I think she'd be more like the daughter VMS-sama never had...

Oh, I suppose it would have started with FreeVMS-chan hitching a ride with the CIOST (or being rescued by them). While very skillful at her given trade (?) and playful, she would have been more of an annoyance to the group than anything; but VMS-sama, intrigued by the young girl's adoration of her, and their uncannily alike personalities, would have prevented any plans to rid her from the group.
OZONE-chan's story would be similar, and I suppose her and FreeVMS-chan are something of "sisters".

*replaces blood bucket with fresh one*

*continues nosebleed*

Wha? Huh? Whayousay? XvX

You gonna be attracting the vampires, C-Chan...

At first the comparison was made often, given the number of bugs that were discovered at Leopard-chan's release. But she's gotten her act together since then and is quite stable.

Not much praise for some of the new iLife applications, though. Especially with iMovie, it's often recommended to use the '06 version since it offers more power and less "kiddie hand-holding" then the latest version.

Course Leopard-chan isn't stable...what time-traveling esper is? >

Not much of a secret when it's actually a selling point. ^^;

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/unix.html

Wow...now they can actually sell it as a Unix since Leopard meets the Single Unix Specification...

Funny you should mention -kun. Since both Emacs and Vi are applications [editors], I actually would make the case for them to be -kuns, if only because they would draw the kind of huge following of fangirls as real life song idols or actors would. Course, these are Linux/Unix-tans you're primarily talking about, so Vi-kun and Emacs-kun probably draw their fame from being literary savants -- witty, suave and highly [if not overly] educated. Though both have a lot in common, their underlying philosophies diverge enough for there to be polarization among their respective fans, which has become more,... "ceremonially" over the years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor_war

Course, the obsession is hardly at the level of futbol rioting -- after all, very few Linux/Unix-tans read from only a single author and the Linux-tans are especially enouraged to read from various authors, columnists and playwrights.

I haven't gotten around to making a vi or Emacs-kun yet...though I have thought of their characters and their physical looks.

vi-kun I see as younger looking (as vi is simplistic). I think he'd have short, light hair and glasses; I think he'd be friends with Unix-sama, BSD-san, and the older Unixen.

Emacs-kun would be just as old as vi, but would be older looking and perhaps a bit more handsome. Somehow I see him as a little on the shaggy, hippie-looking side (just a bit). He'd love ice cream (as an untrue legend says Emacs got its name from a chain of Boston ice cream shops), and be an adent follower of Stallman and his GNU crusade. I see him as more friendly with the Open Source types, but he also like to mingle with the OSXes.

On this note...does Ruby on Rails deserve a -tan yet...?

[Aurora Borealis]

ANOTHER BELLA SIGHTING! *deploys a bunch of traps, hoping she will stay*

I've been to Michigan too (two times), to go to NASCAR race both times. Unfortuneatly, one of the least-liked drivers won both of the races I went to! >_<

Whoa... You're not used to farmland? I guess I cannot relate to that because I live in the Midwest and I have my whole life! ^^;

I agree with DTSS-sama being like CTSS-sama but more in tune with the people! And still speaking of DTSS-sama, the mistress looks beautiful (her dress is really pretty too. The best I can think of for fancying it up is to add moar frills) and the servant is very cute with an expression to match!

Ooh! eCOS-tan is looking super kick*** in that latest picture of her!

The DEC family picture is looking good so far! Ha ha! Even though the DEC-tans are supposed to be professional, that doesn't stop them from a little family shenanigans here and then! ;012

Tru64-san and TOPS-sama look really cool (especially TOPS-sama, the hat especially makes her hip and trendy!) and Vaxeln-tan is really cute and I can't wait to see them in full-color glory! RT-11-san's first appearance in color! Cute and tough, and apparently not too pleased by RSTS-san glomping her!

Heheheh... Poor Ultrix-san, wedged in between so many people! And of all of the different appearances of RSX-11-san, that is one is my favorite! (looks like a great combination of both earlier designs of her- looks very wise, still has that Izumi Curtis [did I get that name right? The teacher character from FMA?]  influence but very distinguished!)

[Bella]

ANOTHER BELLA SIGHTING!  *deploys a bunch of traps, hoping she will stay*

*gets stuck in Bella trap*

Uh...oh...

*starts gnawing on trap*

I've been to Michigan too (two times), to go to NASCAR race both times. Unfortuneatly, one of the least-liked drivers won both of the races I went to! >_<

....Jeff Gordon?

Hey, I know a bit about NASCAR ^///^

Whoa... You're not used to farmland? I guess I cannot relate to that because I live in the Midwest and I have my whole life! ^^;

Yeah, I've mostly lived in either very oceanic settings or mountainous, nothern ones, so I feel most at home either near the sea or in the mountains...though, honestly, I feel safer in the latter.

I agree with DTSS-sama being like CTSS-sama but more in tune with the people! And still speaking of DTSS-sama, the mistress looks beautiful (her dress is really pretty too. The best I can think of for fancying it up is to add moar frills) and the servant is very cute with an expression to match!

I also have to add some plaid to DTSS-sama's design. XD

Ooh! eCOS-tan is looking super kick*** in that latest picture of her!  

You mean this litterally, no?

The DEC family picture is looking good so far! Ha ha! Even though the DEC-tans are supposed to be professional, that doesn't stop them from a little family shenanigans here and then!  

I guess not. And this picture doesn't even include the really nutty ones (like Batch 11-tan)--yet

Tru64-san and TOPS-sama look really cool (especially TOPS-sama, the hat especially makes her hip and trendy!) and Vaxeln-tan is really cute and I can't wait to see them in full-color glory! RT-11-san's first appearance in color! Cute and tough, and apparently not too pleased by RSTS-san glomping her!  

TOPS-sama I want to look a ***hint*** like Cornelia from Code Geass-- both are respected, skilled fighters and commanding leaders, but I suppose Cornelia would be a lot more agressive.

Vaxeln-chan I wanted to look a bit like her older sis (VMS-sama), but very different.

I was having trouble with Tru64-tan's color scheme. As first I thought or making her blonde, to tie in the fact that Tru64 uses the same kernel--Mach--as Mac OS X. But I guess I ended up with the ol' Unix standby: DARK.  >__<

And RT 11-chan is angry because everybody treats her like she's much younger than she is, because she looks it. RT 11 is considered smaller than most versions of Unix in use in the 1970s

Heheheh... Poor Ultrix-san, wedged in between so many people! And of all of the different appearances of RSX-11-san, that is one is my favorite! (looks like a great combination of both earlier designs of her- looks very wise, still has that Izumi Curtis [did I get that name right? The teacher character from FMA?] influence but very distinguished!)

Ultix-san is PO'ed because...well...I don't think an Unix would want to be wedged between a bunch of DEC-tans XD

Anyhow, here, have the latest version of the DEC picture:



Now to note on TSS 8-tan and OS/8-tan. Both of these designs, like a lot of the DEC-tans, just kinda came to me...

TSS 8, what we know:
-Was a small timesharing system started in the late 1960s.
-Ancestor of RSTS
-Ran on the PDP-8

Yeah, not a lot of info to go on.

What I pulled out of this air:
-Somehow I see her as small, mousy, with light hair and glasses (maybe). Being something of a peacenik-type (XD) dislikes being in the DEC military, and probably has a low rank (maybe even just being some kind of worker)

OS/8, what we know:
-Ran on PDP-8
-Used Concise Command Language, which gave in an operating enviroment similar to TOPS-10. CCL was considered a very advanced language, even compaired to some modern ones. Some commands made their way into VMS.
-Could boot in under one-half a second
-Could be reconfigured without rebooting
-Practiced no form of timekeeping. Y2K problems came early for OS/8!

OS/8-tan, what I pulled out of the air:
-I see her as having dark, short hair. She's closest with TOPS-sama. While an excellent orator, she has no capasity for keeping time (IOW, she has no internal clock). She's a bit on the lanky side and is very fast.

[Aurora Borealis]

*gets stuck in Bella trap*

Uh...oh...

*starts gnawing on trap*

Oh you! I knew I should have coated the traps in habanero sauce to prevent that!

I've been to Michigan too (two times), to go to NASCAR race both times. Unfortuneatly, one of the least-liked drivers won both of the races I went to! >_<

....Jeff Gordon?

Hey, I know a bit about NASCAR ^///^

Greg Biffle, actually. Of course Jeff Gordon was not liked either!

I also have to add some plaid to DTSS-sama's design. XD

Is that another NH injoke?

You mean this litterally, no?

Pun somewhat intended- she looks like she is ready to kick somone's *** and she simply looks great!

I guess not. And this picture doesn't even include the really nutty ones (like Batch 11-tan)--yet

Oh... I forgot about DOS Batch 11-tan and her psychoness!

Vaxeln-chan I wanted to look a bit like her older sis (VMS-sama), but very different.

I see... the blue hair is a throwback to her older sister (and I assume she has blue-purple eyes too?)

I was having trouble with Tru64-tan's color scheme. As first I thought or making her blonde, to tie in the fact that Tru64 uses the same kernel--Mach--as Mac OS X. But I guess I ended up with the ol' Unix standby: DARK.  >__<

Hmm... How about giving her some blonde streaks in her hair?

And RT 11-chan is angry because everybody treats her like she's much younger than she is, because she looks it. RT 11 is considered smaller than most versions of Unix in use in the 1970s

But she's so cute! Who wouldn't want to go up to her and hug her or pinch her cheeks? ^_^

Ultix-san is PO'ed because...well...I don't think an Unix would want to be wedged between a bunch of DEC-tans XD

...Especially given all the conflict the DECs had with the Unices, VMS-sama vs. Unix-sama in particular!

I just hope that Ultrix-san doesn't hate the DEC-tans and vice-versa!

Anyhow, here, have the latest version of the DEC picture:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/BellasOS-tans/dec-2.png

Ooh! Very nice! (sorry, I cannot think of a more original comment at the moment. )

And seeing the first version of this picture, I saw some of the techniques you use and I think I can learn from them (most notably- your technique for drawing pleated skirts is more efficient than the technique I use)

Now to note on TSS 8-tan and OS/8-tan. Both of these designs, like a lot of the DEC-tans, just kinda came to me...

Cool! You are great at designing OS-tans and devising personalities for them even when there is not much info on the characters you want to design! (I on the other hand am not so good at that )

TSS 8, what we know:
-Was a small timesharing system started in the late 1960s.
-Ancestor of RSTS
-Ran on the PDP-8

Yeah, not a lot of info to go on.

What I pulled out of this air:
-Somehow I see her as small, mousy, with light hair and glasses (maybe). Being something of a peacenik-type (XD) dislikes being in the DEC military, and probably has a low rank (maybe even just being some kind of worker)

See? Just like that!

Mentioning that she has a low rank brings up an interesting question: What is the hierarchy among the DEC-tans? Who is the highest-ranked, lowest-ranked or in-between?

OS/8, what we know:
-Ran on PDP-8
-Used Concise Command Language, which gave in an operating enviroment similar to TOPS-10. CCL was considered a very advanced language, even compaired to some modern ones. Some commands made their way into VMS.
-Could boot in under one-half a second
-Could be reconfigured without rebooting
-Practiced no form of timekeeping. Y2K problems came early for OS/8!

OS/8-tan, what I pulled out of the air:
-I see her as having dark, short hair. She's closest with TOPS-sama. While an excellent orator, she has no capasity for keeping time (IOW, she has no internal clock). She's a bit on the lanky side and is very fast.

Boot time in HALF A SECOND... OR LESS?! That is just incredible! Wow! I think she would be the fastest OS-tan around (and with great stamina to match)!

But no form of timekeeping? Uh oh... That's not good at all! Especially with scenarios like this:

some person: Congratulations, OS/8-san! You are the winner of our grand prize! To claim your prize, sign here!
OS/8: Sure! *signs name* But what is this other line for?
some person: You also need to put down the time too.
OS/8: AAAAAAAUGH! I don't know! I never knew the time! AWWWW DARNIT!