OS-tan theories and disscusion

[Aurora Borealis]

Actually, there are already several drawings of Chrome-tan on nijiura.com, and the first ones were made the day on or after Chrome's release!

[NejinOniwa]

Now that's more like it! Care to share some with us, Aurora-dono?

[C-Chan]

Oh shoot, I forgot all about this thread?  ' ';

*starts typing*

Added after 1 hours 31 minutes:

You’ll have to excuse me because I haven’t researched Commodore history as much as I’d like to, so I don’t know what RL parallels this draws on. But you almost make it seem like Miggy-chan was to these corporate types what Lisa-chan to her Father…another ambitious system that never made it big…?

Kind of, although the big difference was that she actually DESERVED the attention, and she also made it big in some areas.  However, she WAS expensive relative to other systems, and she WAS very badly marketed.  I recall Pitkin's thoughts on the old Amiga advertisements being analgous to Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials marketing it as "Warm Dead Bird".

And the intention was to shift towards the Amiga line entirely (much like Apple II was displaced with Macintosh), although naturally that didn't go quite their way.  -v-

Awww, how sweet.  

You know, a few days back I was on eBay…looking for some photography equipment…when I got a bit distracted and started looking at vintage computers. My gawd I didn’t know there were so many C64s still out there! Not to mention the ZX Spectrums, the Russian clones, the Amiga computers, and the PDP-11 I found for sale…in NH! For only $800! A steal, I say!

Curse the lack of space in my home! XD

Well a Pan-chan (=C64) doesn't take up much space, ya know.  ^>^

*nudges Bella*

Couldn’t you just…lessen the luminescence or something…?

Nope.  -v-

And you still want to draw the BSDs?

Yep.  ^^

Ummm…was it a concert….?

Course.  Imagine AtariTOS-chan adlibing her songs as usual, and then having the track get replaced by something clearly not 80's music... or even distinctly feminine....  ^^;

Could have also been a game of sorts too -- she might have tried to showcase her skills wielding the legendary 7800 Light Gun, only to find it mysteriously replaced with a Nintendo Zapper.  ^^;

You know... standard rivalry humor.  I'm sure it worked the other way around too, what with AtariDOS-chan being a magician and all.  ^___^

Does Dr. Baltar enjoy long walks on the beach, poetry slams and acoustic guitar? ‘Cause I’m sure Emacs-kun would >

He might if he didn't spend the entire series in space.  ^v^;
On the other hand, I do doubt Emacs-kun would be as......... chronically promiscuous..... ^^;

What? You asploding for a sketch I doodled up in a few minutes? XD

Yeah!  And here's the medical bill for it too!  `v'

That's good too! Not only would it be cool to see that the present day (or near future) Amiga-tan still has her old uniform, it's much easier than replacing her whole outfit!

And just between you and me...........  I do kinda like the old uniform.  ^^;
She never wears it, though, as it's irreplaceable -- once it's damaged, it's damaged for good with no replacement available anymore.  -.-

On the other hand, she can buy boingball shirts by the gross.  ^.^

I do remember that Tramiel left Commodore in 1984, with other people taking control. Were these new people in control involved with the Amiga?

Yes, I would say so. Tramiel was still around when Commodore was still building its *Nix box, but still eyeing developments from the Amiga team.  But it was after Tramiel left that Commodore acquired it and embraced it.

It's an oversimplication, so you can read the whole dark and dirty history here...  ^___^

http://www.amigau.com/aig/ahistory.html

I also imagine that back then the Commodore-tans would have hated Atari TOS-tan because after Tramiel left, he formed his own company (Tramel Technology) that bought out part of Atari Inc. to form Atari Corporation which developed the Atari ST which was released shortly before the Amiga.

Which is akin to that the Mac-tans used to hate NeXTSTEP-tan because of Jobs leaving Apple (he was fired) and forming NeXT. Yet it is a different story because the NeXT machines did not actually compete with the Macs very much but rather the high-end workstations (there were a few Macintosh workstations released in the 90's) while the Atari ST directly competed with the Commodore machines and they were each other's main competitors.

More than that, Tramiel also sued Commodore (although only after it sued him and the team that left with him), so there might have been a feeling amongst the Commodore-tans that their father had betrayed them.  Since they operated under strict discipline, though, they never would have expressed their feelings any which way -- but in private, they would have felt hurt.

Had he stayed, maybe there would never have been an Amiga line, and subsequent Commodore systems would have simply continued the lineage (in fact, a successor WAS in the works already).

Them Commodore-tans... They sure were formidable but so short-sighted, unprepared for the worst and didn't shape up in time  

Profit-motives tend to be very intolerant to long-term projections.  ^.^
Ironically, the Commodore-tans are much more resourceful now than when they were still in the service.

I know that the rights and trademarks to the Amiga have been bought out by other companies, but did it first happen shortly before Commodore's demise?

That I don't remember (probably dug in that link I posted above), but more than likely it was sold off before.

Wow!
PET-chan much friendlier than she used to be?! (she used to be mean?! And misbehave a lot?!) Now I wonder how she reconciled with Amiga-sama!

Perhaps strict and austere is better than "mean", but considering Amiga-san's personality, PET-chan realizes now how inappropriate her behavior might have seemd to the young cadet.  Imagine a young Amiga-chan trying to decorate PET-chan's cabin with flowers, but then receiving a scolding by her for A) putting up stuff that was against regulations, B) entering her cabin without permission, C) abandoning her post, D) being late, E) saluting the wrong way, F) not wiping that stupid smile when told to, G) pretending to not know where the brig is, H) etc.

PET-chan, however, would have changed a lot on her own as a Wanderer -- certainly seeing how old and helpless she was on her own during the OS wars might have humbled her considerably.  Once she met Amiga and ][-chan, she would have already been quite willing to put the past behind her along with them and start fresh.

Uhh... I don't know! X__x

FYI, I don't liken QDOS-chan to Osaka (from Azumanga Daioh) for no good reason.  ^___^
Remember that part where she's shoveling coal?  ^.^

That just gave me inspiration for a ZS mini-arc! A staring contest tournament!  

And yes the finalists would be Unix-sama and PET-chan!

Now now!  There are still TONS of scary-eyed OS-tans lying around.  ^____^
GECOS-sama for one....  z/OS-sama as another......  -v-

I want to see PET-chan with scary eyes!

You and me both.  In time, ma dear.  In time.  ^.^

Well... PET-chan's got the scary eyes. Apple ][-chan is very mature and wise beyond her years and uhh... not sure about Atari DOS-chan though (she was the breadwinner of her family?) But then again, her surprisingly mature trait is the least obvious!

It has to do with her trade -- she's a surprisingly competent magician, even though she always gives the impression she's a timid, bumbling beginner.  In fact, she often works that into her act -- struggling (with pouty face and everything) to pull a bunny out of a hat, letting some more hilarity ensue, and then finishing with an epic finale where a whole HERD of bunnies swarm out of the hat.  Or a polar bear with bunny ears.  Or a television with Plan9-sama wondering why the hell there are TV cameras in her bedroom.  ^^'

She knows all the rules of the trade, and knows how to entertain everyone young and old with magic that, while not particularly modern or flashy, is very effective and thought provoking.  ^^

On the other hand, she has a nasty habit of misplacing her Prestige notes, so a lot of ad-libbing is required.  ^____^;

Actually, there are already several drawings of Chrome-tan on nijiura.com, and the first ones were made the day on or after Chrome's release!

Oooh!  Those I gotta see.  ^___^

Added after 43 seconds:

Okay, cap reached.  Will continue tomorrow. ^___^

[NejinOniwa]

It does seem as if there is a heightened influx of IE-tan imagery as well. Interesting...

[Bella]

What? No theories for over one month? The resident theorist/OS-tan cultural anthropologist greatly disapproves T__T

Oh well, I'm here to fix this.

--Berkeley Timesharing System (will be called "BTSS" to cut down on typing)-tan

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

What we know about the OS: BTSS was used from 1964-67; it was the product of UC Berkeley's Project Genie, an ARPA-funded computer research initiative similar to MIT's (Multics-producing) Project MAC. It was a part of the new wave of academic timesharing OSes, and was written on a SDS minicomputer, making it one of the first successful timesharing systems built for a minicomputer. Unix co-creator Ken Thompson worked on the Berkeley Timesharing System, and I've read Unix borrowed a few process control features from this OS. One flaw, however, was that while typing a command, BTSS would automatically fill in the rest of the command after a few characters were typed. This seemingly time-saving feature ended up being a pain for most, and is said to have been a cause of its downfall.

The character: Due to the Genie reference, I see BTSS-tan as being vaguely Middle-Eastern themed.  I see her as having very powerful psychic (specializing in telepathy) powers, being able to see what those around her will say while they're still thinking it. I don't know if she would have an ability to see the future; but it would be interesting to conjecture that she saw a lot of major events that would occur in her time, and that this knowledge drove her to an early death. Somehow I think BTSS-tan should share a few physical similarities with Unix-sama; perhaps she should join the ubiquitous "scary eyed OS-tan" club?

--Tenex (aka TOPS 20)-tan

What we know about the OS: Tenex was an OS created in 1969 by a Boston company, BBN. In 1973 DEC bought Tenex and renamed in TOPS-20. It was sold by DEC until the 1980s, when they phased it out; but it still continues to have a cult hobbyist following. Tenex's main influences include Berkeley Timesharing System and Multics (in fact, Multics programmers helped advise in the construction of Tenex-- and suggested the developers make it less complex!). After it was bought by DEC, TOPS-10 contributed to its design. Tenex was considered to be very user friendly and to have an intuitive CLI; users need only type a portion of their command, hit the esc key, and have either the command executed or a list of possible choices presented.

What I think about the character: I see a good inspiration character for Tenex-tan as Euphemia from Code Geass. Sweet, kindly, but perhaps a bit naive and notably out-of-place in a military setting. A natural people-person, she would have a slight clairvoyance inherited from BTSS-tan; only she has the control over her powers BTSS-tan lacked. She would have loved Multics-sama and would have been trained by her in matters of manners and etiquette. After being "recruited" into the DEC military, Tenex-tan would have drifted toward TOPS 10-sama and come to look at her like a mother or sister figure. While quite successful, she never would have been the greatest fighter (choosing to avoid conflicts when possible). She would have been discharged from the military, after numerous political and social conflicts with VMS-sama and her followers.

In "let's dredge up the past" news, I'm thinking of making -tans for two certified CIOST members and barely-beta OS-tans, Argante and Unununium-tan. Just a passing thought, though.

[Aurora Borealis]

BTSS-san + Tenex-san: I agree with your proposed backstories and personalities for both! I think they are spot-on! ;010 Sadly, I don't have anything to contribute

Argante-tan: I did want to draw her but I did propose some ideas for her personality and appearance.  

Argante is a virtual open source OS and a fully virtual environment so Argante-tan would be friendly and diplomatic with others. Being focused on security, stability and efficiency as top priorities, she is very pragmatic and mainly fights only for defensive purposes. And is a system with no compromises, she is very stubborn! She would be the CIOST's main diplomat, however a lot of diplomatic meetings don't go well when she is in charge because is so stubborn and does not believe in compromises at all! XD

She is either a sorceress or cyberspace traveller, carries a staff, has wavy hair (elements from the Argante logo) and she wears traditional Polish attire in blue and white (Argante's main developer, MichaÅ, Zalewski is from Poland) and also wears a white hat (because MichaÅ, is a "white hat" hacker- a nonmalicious hacker for security purposes)

Unununium-tan: I know that she was mentioned before in this thread. I could try and dig that post up for you if you want.

---

I have an idea for a new character: EnGarde Secure Linux-tan

EnGarde Secure Linux is a server-only distribution focused entirely on security and oddly enough does not include the X Window system, does not include many desktop functions, and requires a second computer to configure it. Backlash ensued when developers charged a $60 fee for users to continue using EnGarde Secure Linux.

She is a bodyguard and soldier that is tough, stoic and loyal yet disagreeable and difficult at times. While she offers her services to any server or high-end OSes, she is affiliated with the Linux/Unix Consortium and was hired by Linux-sama and Unix-sama to break up any fights that ensue. She carries an assortment of weapons but primarily uses a stun-gun, has wavy white hair, purple eyes and wears an old-fashioned French military uniform (circa 18th century).  Oh, and "EN GARDE!" is her catchphrase!

[C-Chan]

What? No theories for over one month? The resident theorist/OS-tan cultural anthropologist greatly disapproves T__T

The resident theorist and OStan cultural anthropologist also incorrectly assumed that everyone was also OODLES more productive without her.  Mayhap this is reality coming back to bite ya.  ^__~

The character: Due to the Genie reference, I see BTSS-tan as being vaguely Middle-Eastern themed. I see her as having very powerful psychic (specializing in telepathy) powers, being able to see what those around her will say while they're still thinking it. I don't know if she would have an ability to see the future; but it would be interesting to conjecture that she saw a lot of major events that would occur in her time, and that this knowledge drove her to an early death. Somehow I think BTSS-tan should share a few physical similarities with Unix-sama; perhaps she should join the ubiquitous "scary eyed OS-tan" club?

Ahha... early psionics, I like that.  ^^

Given how much obscene media attention the predictions of Nostradamus gets, I wouldn't be surprised if BTSS-sama left her own musings recorded somewhere - in a format few can read anymore, of course - and that has been used by certainly more than a handful of cultistically-inclined OS-tans to retroactively predict disasters that BTSS-sama cryptically foresaw.  That would at least offer an opportunity for the name to appear more often than not.  ^^

As for the eyes, why not?  If you think about it, scary-eyed OS-tans are still in the minority.  ^^'

What I think about the character: I see a good inspiration character for Tenex-tan as Euphemia from Code Geass. Sweet, kindly, but perhaps a bit naive and notably out-of-place in a military setting. A natural people-person, she would have a slight clairvoyance inherited from BTSS-tan; only she has the control over her powers BTSS-tan lacked. She would have loved Multics-sama and would have been trained by her in matters of manners and etiquette. After being "recruited" into the DEC military, Tenex-tan would have drifted toward TOPS 10-sama and come to look at her like a mother or sister figure. While quite successful, she never would have been the greatest fighter (choosing to avoid conflicts when possible). She would have been discharged from the military, after numerous political and social conflicts with VMS-sama and her followers.

Fufufu... I remember you mentioned her a while ago.  ^^
Not much to say here -- I think the Euphemia figure fits her perfectly.

Interesting how her involvement in DEC parallels that of Amiga-san in Commodore -- woefully unsuited for military life, she lacked the ability to carry on their time-honored traditions and created some friction between her and a good number of her family members.

Argante is a virtual open source OS and a fully virtual environment so Argante-tan would be friendly and diplomatic with others. Being focused on security, stability and efficiency as top priorities, she is very pragmatic and mainly fights only for defensive purposes. And is a system with no compromises, she is very stubborn! She would be the CIOST's main diplomat, however a lot of diplomatic meetings don't go well when she is in charge because is so stubborn and does not believe in compromises at all! XD

She is either a sorceress or cyberspace traveller, carries a staff, has wavy hair (elements from the Argante logo) and she wears traditional Polish attire in blue and white (Argante's main developer, MichaÅ, Zalewski is from Poland) and also wears a white hat (because MichaÅ, is a "white hat" hacker- a nonmalicious hacker for security purposes)

Hint: if it's virtual, always choose the less substantial power.  The ability to manipulate telecommunications grids a la Ghost in the Shell - or even Macross Frontier - is probably more appropriate for her, and in this day and age could actually gain her more benefits than traditional eye-of-newt sorcery.

The fact that she's a hacker only cements that further -- the ability to incapacitate her enemies (either by herself or a more trained CIOST member) and then "hack" their minds to extract their memories would be an invaluable skill.

Even better, she wouldn't have to do it to the actual OS-tan -- a virus-tan who recently infiltrated an OS-tan would make for an easier and traceless target.

Unununium-tan: I know that she was mentioned before in this thread. I could try and dig that post up for you if you want.

The actual Ununuium project is dead, so if the OS-tan will continue to exist she'll be little more than an uber prototype not unlike Windows Neptune.

I had in mind that she doesn't speak or interact very much -- her sole contribution to the CIOST is an amazingly powerful ultrasonic or antimatter attack that's capable of vanquishing even a well-entrenched Solaris-sama.  The drawback, however, is that it requires more power than her prototype body can withstand, so it can only be used once -- hence, she's more a living weapon of last resort or tide turner.

Appearance-wise, she's probably albino but still rather elegant and graceful looking -- yet her true physical appearance is rarely seen as she is almost always wearing a large and elaborate armor that makes her look thrice as large.  That's why I likened her more to a Dolem from RahXephon in previous preconcepts.  -.-

She is a bodyguard and soldier that is tough, stoic and loyal yet disagreeable and difficult at times. While she offers her services to any server or high-end OSes, she is affiliated with the Linux/Unix Consortium and was hired by Linux-sama and Unix-sama to break up any fights that ensue. She carries an assortment of weapons but primarily uses a stun-gun, has wavy white hair, purple eyes and wears an old-fashioned French military uniform (circa 18th century). Oh, and "EN GARDE!" is her catchphrase!

That sounds about spot on, so not much to say here.  ^.^

==========

Still got a few rounds to take care of elsewhere, so I'm disappearing for a while.  But I'll be back.  ^^

[Bella]

Argante is a virtual open source OS and a fully virtual environment so Argante-tan would be friendly and diplomatic with others. Being focused on security, stability and efficiency as top priorities, she is very pragmatic and mainly fights only for defensive purposes. And is a system with no compromises, she is very stubborn! She would be the CIOST's main diplomat, however a lot of diplomatic meetings don't go well when she is in charge because is so stubborn and does not believe in compromises at all! XD

She is either a sorceress or cyberspace traveller, carries a staff, has wavy hair (elements from the Argante logo) and she wears traditional Polish attire in blue and white (Argante's main developer, MichaÅ, Zalewski is from Poland) and also wears a white hat (because MichaÅ, is a "white hat" hacker- a nonmalicious hacker for security purposes)

I was thinking if I make an Argante-tan, much of her look would be taken from the actual logo. But I do approve of the color scheme and white hat.

I have an idea for a new character: EnGarde Secure Linux-tan

EnGarde Secure Linux is a server-only distribution focused entirely on security and oddly enough does not include the X Window system, does not include many desktop functions, and requires a second computer to configure it. Backlash ensued when developers charged a $60 fee for users to continue using EnGarde Secure Linux.

She is a bodyguard and soldier that is tough, stoic and loyal yet disagreeable and difficult at times. While she offers her services to any server or high-end OSes, she is affiliated with the Linux/Unix Consortium and was hired by Linux-sama and Unix-sama to break up any fights that ensue. She carries an assortment of weapons but primarily uses a stun-gun, has wavy white hair, purple eyes and wears an old-fashioned French military uniform (circa 18th century). Oh, and "EN GARDE!" is her catchphrase!

I can believe it doesn't include X Windows, actually...

Anyhow, I like the proposed ideas-- giving her an old French military look will certainly give her some distiction. And considering the rows that go down among the Unixen and Linuxes, I'd think they'd need a whole team of bodyguards...^^

Hmmm...I remember once making, or at least proposing...some concepts for some sort of Linux-tan security guard. I don't think it was EnGarde, though... I think it was some router distro.

Ahha... early psionics, I like that. ^^

Given how much obscene media attention the predictions of Nostradamus gets, I wouldn't be surprised if BTSS-sama left her own musings recorded somewhere - in a format few can read anymore, of course - and that has been used by certainly more than a handful of cultistically-inclined OS-tans to retroactively predict disasters that BTSS-sama cryptically foresaw. That would at least offer an opportunity for the name to appear more often than not. ^^

As for the eyes, why not? If you think about it, scary-eyed OS-tans are still in the minority. ^^'

Well, I don't know if she'd be scary-eyed in an intimidating sense...but I am sure she would look as if she was staring right into somebody's soul and reading their mind...cause in a way she would be.

Hint: if it's virtual, always choose the less substantial power. The ability to manipulate telecommunications grids a la Ghost in the Shell - or even Macross Frontier - is probably more appropriate for her, and in this day and age could actually gain her more benefits than traditional eye-of-newt sorcery.

The fact that she's a hacker only cements that further -- the ability to incapacitate her enemies (either by herself or a more trained CIOST member) and then "hack" their minds to extract their memories would be an invaluable skill.

Even better, she wouldn't have to do it to the actual OS-tan -- a virus-tan who recently infiltrated an OS-tan would make for an easier and traceless target.

This sounds about right! Dually noted if I decide to make an Argante-tan.

Though really, I'm in more of a conceptual mood than an artsy mood right now. I can't even imagine working with Inkscape at the moment : \

The actual Ununuium project is dead, so if the OS-tan will continue to exist she'll be little more than an uber prototype not unlike Windows Neptune.

I had in mind that she doesn't speak or interact very much -- her sole contribution to the CIOST is an amazingly powerful ultrasonic or antimatter attack that's capable of vanquishing even a well-entrenched Solaris-sama. The drawback, however, is that it requires more power than her prototype body can withstand, so it can only be used once -- hence, she's more a living weapon of last resort or tide turner.

Appearance-wise, she's probably albino but still rather elegant and graceful looking -- yet her true physical appearance is rarely seen as she is almost always wearing a large and elaborate armor that makes her look thrice as large. That's why I likened her more to a Dolem from RahXephon in previous preconcepts. -.-

Perhaps she is dead by now, but that doesn't mean I couldn't still draw a -tan for her (come to think of it, most of my favorite OS-tans...and OSes...are dead). I remembered reading she'd be in something of a vegetative state 90% of the time...'course, if I drew her, it'd be in a rare moment of lucidity O__o

When I envisioned her, I thought she would have long, wavy white hair and silver eyes. And be very pale. I don't remember a color scheme being proposed, so maybe I have some psionic skills of my own, eh? Nah, must have been the Ununuium site that gave me the idea.

As for you likening her to the Dolems...I haven't watched RahXephon, but knew they were some sort of mecha-like creature. If I do draw her, it'll likely be in her inner-suit or whatever.

[C-Chan]

This sounds about right! Dually noted if I decide to make an Argante-tan.

Though really, I'm in more of a conceptual mood than an artsy mood right now. I can't even imagine working with Inkscape at the moment : \

Le sigh... Have to say I've been the same way myself.  -.-'
Not for lack of trying, though -- when I do get inspiration, it's usually at my most busiest times.

Plus my programming ideas keep fluctuating back and forth like a yoyo... lately, I've rekindled my interest in a small Japanese language learning game.  Not as complicated as my earlier idea -- but still heavily Anime-inspired.

I suck, I know.  -___________-'

When I envisioned her, I thought she would have long, wavy white hair and silver eyes. And be very pale.

AKA, albino.  ^.^

I don't remember a color scheme being proposed, so maybe I have some psionic skills of my own, eh? Nah, must have been the Ununuium site that gave me the idea.

True that.  Got it from the same place myself.  -v-

As for you likening her to the Dolems...I haven't watched RahXephon, but knew they were some sort of mecha-like creature. If I do draw her, it'll likely be in her inner-suit or whatever.

FYI, there's no shortage of the more kind-hearted CIOST-tans who would try to get her out and about every once in a while without her outer-suit (MenuetOS-tan comes to mind).

However, I'm not sure if it's necessary to have her be depicted as dead, since she was barely even alive to begin with.  With incomplete emotions and no way to conceptualize the notion of "socializing", she behaves perhaps more android than humanoid.  Not to say she couldn't have a moment of lucidity,... but it would likely be from the most unexpected thing.

[Bella]

Oh, hai, it's BTSS and Unun...Ununuium-tan.



BTSS-tan I wanted a bit mysterious and exotic, so I based her outfit loosely on tribal belly dance costumes. She has wavy/curly hair, cause, well, you don't see a lot of curly haired people in anime (I'm sure this in part comes from the fact that straight hair is easier to draw). As a part-Mediterranean with crazy curly hair, I feel my people need more exposure. lawl.



Now for Unun...Ununun...Ununuium-tan. What can I say, I'm on a futuristic suit kick (must be watching too many Mecha series). Somehow I also envisioned Ununuium-tan as being on the youngish side...

Oh, and look at what interesting tidbit I found...

http://multicians.org/mepap.html

Milord! Multics Emacs?! Whoa, we knew Emacs-kun was one swingin' cat, but who'd of thought he'd have worked for...the Queen Mother (is that her pet name? I forget). Actually, I've found there's a whole range of Emacsen, even a version for VMS and Windows. We could probably get away with more than one character, but I've always thought less was more when it came to our OS-tans or App-kuns.

Actually, visiting the Multicians site reminded me that it was about a year ago that I started to research Multics, after some offhand comment C-Chan made about the system. I consider this discovery the turning point in my research of OSes, as well as my "career" as an OS-tan artist. Up until then I had intentionally blinded myself to anything older than Unix, deeming any older systems too uninteresting to research, much less make OS-tan personifications of. (This was really just history repeating itself, as I, for a long time, didn't want to research anything older than Windows and Mac). I remember looking through the Multicians site...at first I felt mild bemusement at the gaul of these people, for propping up the legacy of such a long-dead system; then a bit of resentment for their apparent disdain for opposing systems and (what I thought to be) their general attitude of arrogance. But the more I read, the more I started to sympathize with their plight (that sappy story of C-Chan's involving Multics and Unix-sama probably helped, too ).

That said, it wasn't for some time and quite a bit of reading later that I realized the real tragedy was, for all their time and effort, the fact that Multics never could have made it off the ground; at least as a commercial success.

And in my research of other systems, I have found most of them can claim some tie back to this OS. Multics may have nearly collapsed under the weight of its own complexity, but from that collapse a great many OSes sprang. It may not be the "mother of all systems", but it did, and does, stand as a source of ideas and inspiration for more OSes than I can list here.

Sorry, for the speech. I was feeling a bit sentimental there.

Le sigh... Have to say I've been the same way myself. -.-'
Not for lack of trying, though -- when I do get inspiration, it's usually at my most busiest times.

Plus my programming ideas keep fluctuating back and forth like a yoyo... lately, I've rekindled my interest in a small Japanese language learning game. Not as complicated as my earlier idea -- but still heavily Anime-inspired.

I suck, I know. -___________-'

You don't suck, you just have too many ideas (this can't be a bad thing, though).

I've always felt inspiration was something that couldn't be forced. I usually let it find me, and I try to harbor it until there's use for it. This must sound very silly, but that's just the way I've always thought of it.

As for your programming ideas, do as the ancient Unix Gurus say: Keep it simple. Less is more. Etc, etc. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

FYI, there's no shortage of the more kind-hearted CIOST-tans who would try to get her out and about every once in a while without her outer-suit (MenuetOS-tan comes to mind).

However, I'm not sure if it's necessary to have her be depicted as dead, since she was barely even alive to begin with. With incomplete emotions and no way to conceptualize the notion of "socializing", she behaves perhaps more android than humanoid. Not to say she couldn't have a moment of lucidity,... but it would likely be from the most unexpected thing

Oh lawd. Sucks to be her. @@;

[C-Chan]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  I can't see the pictures!!!!  ^0^
What is it with Photobucket lately... or is it just this machine....  -.-

Okay, will have to wait until I get home to see the rest -- do have to take a small break anyway.  -____-

Added after 21 minutes:

Milord! Multics Emacs?! Whoa, we knew Emacs-kun was one swingin' cat, but who'd of thought he'd have worked for...the Queen Mother (is that her pet name? I forget). Actually, I've found there's a whole range of Emacsen, even a version for VMS and Windows. We could probably get away with more than one character, but I've always thought less was more when it came to our OS-tans or App-kuns.

And with your drawing slump (and well, mine too), yeah... better just give him more appointments than a home-call doctor.  ^^;

Actually, visiting the Multicians site reminded me that it was about a year ago that I started to research Multics, after some offhand comment C-Chan made about the system. I consider this discovery the turning point in my research of OSes, as well as my "career" as an OS-tan artist. Up until then I had intentionally blinded myself to anything older than Unix, deeming any older systems too uninteresting to research, much less make OS-tan personifications of. (This was really just history repeating itself, as I, for a long time, didn't want to research anything older than Windows and Mac). I remember looking through the Multicians site...at first I felt mild bemusement at the gaul of these people, for propping up the legacy of such a long-dead system; then a bit of resentment for their apparent disdain for opposing systems and (what I thought to be) their general attitude of arrogance. But the more I read, the more I started to sympathize with their plight (that sappy story of C-Chan's involving Multics and Unix-sama probably helped, too ).

Fufufu... admittedly, while I never wanted NOT to research old systems, I was always afraid that I wouldn't be able to call Unix-sama the Queen Mother of all OSes for much longer.  But thanks in huge part to your own interpretation of OS-tan Lore of Yore, UNIX-sama's place in the world is actually more interesting.  If anything, it makes the evolution from "young pup" to "Queen Mother" more of a curse to her, an everlasting reminder that all good things do come to an end and that immortality is always accompanied by the ever-present threat of loneliness.

And in my research of other systems, I have found most of them can claim some tie back to this OS. Multics may have nearly collapsed under the weight of its own complexity, but from that collapse a great many OSes sprang. It may not be the "mother of all systems", but it did, and does, stand as a source of ideas and inspiration for more OSes than I can list here.

Sorry, for the speech. I was feeling a bit sentimental there.

Take solace in the thought that I eat sentimental orations for breakfast.  But it was very beautifully put, btw.  ^^

As for your programming ideas, do as the ancient Unix Gurus say: Keep it simple. Less is more. Etc, etc. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

So back to the Concentration Game it is!  ^___^

That's the only thing that looks even remotely possible given my current fledgling knowledge of PyQt4.  ^.^

===========

I'll return more with good words regarding the drawings.  -v-

[Aurora Borealis]

BTSS-san is very beautiful and exotic-looking and still very fanciful like the other timesharing OSes of the era!

The futuristic style suit looks great on Unununium-san! The long bangs and the visor strongly remind me of Rider from "Fate/Stay Night", which adds on to Unununium-san's awesomeness!

When browsing through computer history articles, I found inspiration for a new conjecture to add to the list: BeOS-tan's personality, backstory and why she failed against the competition in the 90's

technical info from here: http://lowendmac.com/myturn/02/0403.html (and somewhat contrary to Low End Mac's name, the site specializes in Macs but there is a lot of interest in other OSes, particuarly BeOS!)

BeOS had superior abilities to the competition but was not properly marketed, attempted partnerships not founded until it was too late. Trying to be proprietary like the Mac (only runs on company-made hardware) failed because a market wasn't created for it. Be had poor planning and poor understanding of the market: Appealing only to hardcore geeks (hardly profitable because it is a small niche), not coming in the form of a server (was a personal computer operating system in a time where server OSes were on the rise), and nearly lacked internet connectivity. Apple at first tried to make Mac OSX based off of BeOS but was much too difficult.

The later Classic Mac-tans, Windows-tans and NeXTSTEP-tan are commonly blamed by others to be BeOS-tan's demise, however BeOS-tan actually brought her demise on herself. Her skills and efficiency are top-notch, she is a genius with excellent potential but failed because she did not show off her abilities to the general public.

So I think that BeOS-tan is very quiet, overly modest and seeks isolation from most others and because of her isolation, she was largely uninformed about the competition and underestimated it. She would not like working in groups and much prefers working with one person at a time and her favorite kind of people are the 'geeky' type. (I think she'd be friends with 4K-tan, BBSpot-tan, Slashdot-tan, QNX-tan and IMSAI 8080-tan. And maybe TRON-sama.)

It has also been speculated that she does not see her daughters [Haiku-tan and ZETA-tan] very much or at all.

[C-Chan]

YES!!!  NOW I can finally see Bella-hime's creations in all their glory!  ^.^

BTSS-tan I wanted a bit mysterious and exotic, so I based her outfit loosely on tribal belly dance costumes. She has wavy/curly hair, cause, well, you don't see a lot of curly haired people in anime (I'm sure this in part comes from the fact that straight hair is easier to draw). As a part-Mediterranean with crazy curly hair, I feel my people need more exposure. lawl.

Fufufu.  Being hungry, now you just inspired me to seek something preferrably-laden in olive oil and assorted cheeses.  Mmmm... Mediterranean munchies... ^.^

Do I even need to go over the clothing?  Has not Bella-hime proved time and time again that she's the Goddess of OS-tan Fashion around here? ^^

....

Aw, screw it, I have no self-control.  Let me just swoon, dammit!  ^___________^

*SWOONS*

...

*revives*  Like it, love it, worship it,.... reminds me of Sakura's dress from Tsubasa Chronicles, only on steroids and trust me that's a good thing.  ^.^

I see it as a merge of CTSS-sama's pre-Victorian sensitivies and Multics-sama's love of accessories and decorations, and yes with a gorgeous splash of the exotic.

Never really thought of belly dancing being my thing, but she might change my mind.  ^.^
(or might've,... I forget, is BTSS-sama around?)

Curly hair will be a challenge, though, but so was Multics-sama's IMPOSSIBLY-intricate dress, and yet you pulled it off.  ^^

Now for Unun...Ununun...Ununuium-tan. What can I say, I'm on a futuristic suit kick (must be watching too many Mecha series). Somehow I also envisioned Ununuium-tan as being on the youngish side...

Considering I actually draw child-type characters regularly (enough to turn the Binteji Renmei into a borderline preschool), it surprises me that I never considered UUU-chan to be one.  It actually makes sense given the young, prototypical nature of the system -- plus the fact that children, especially in Anime/Japanese movies, are often depicted as being particularly attuned to ESP and special powers.  ^^

It even makes her role more interesting -- on the field everyone assumes she's an adult due to her large scary-looking outer armor, the awesome power of her attacks, and the eternally emotionless and speechless face, which victims just assume is some form of lone-wolf arrogance.

Those closest to her, however, get the privilege of seeing what's behind the armor: a young, vulnerable, emotionally-handicapped girl who nevertheless exhibits great curiosity and a reverence for all things that people take for granted.  She would bend down and gape in interest at the sight of an aphid sucking dew off a leaf, or of concrete turning from a slushy substance into something as hard as stone.

If you really want to get sappy (or soapy?), she might actually be able to compile memories and emotions through this and over time grow more and more to be like a regular girl.  But due to her incompleteness, all those memories and emotions are wiped out every time she uses her power, and thus she'd have to start from scratch completely unaware of her previous "lucidity".

Though this was an acceptable sacrifice in the early days, it wouldn't be long before friction would exist between members who have grown fond enough of UUU-chan to protect her from being used in this manner.....

...and those, like GECOS-sama, who can't really consider harm done to this "barely-sentient being" as a "sacrifice".  I doubt the list of such members would be very long, but it might include a few unexpected surprises.  @__@

The futuristic style suit looks great on Unununium-san! The long bangs and the visor strongly remind me of Rider from "Fate/Stay Night", which adds on to Unununium-san's awesomeness!

What a Coin-ci-dence.... ^.^
Fate/Stay Night is actually on my upcoming Anime Queue.

Work, my beloved EeePC!  Work hard so I can finally watch that series!  ^^

So I think that BeOS-tan is very quiet, overly modest and seeks isolation from most others and because of her isolation, she was largely uninformed about the competition and underestimated it. She would not like working in groups and much prefers working with one person at a time and her favorite kind of people are the 'geeky' type. (I think she'd be friends with 4K-tan, BBSpot-tan, Slashdot-tan, QNX-tan and IMSAI 8080-tan. And maybe TRON-sama.)

It has also been speculated that she does not see her daughters [Haiku-tan and ZETA-tan] very much or at all.

I don't recall at the moment if I suggested ZETA-tan be a CIOST member or not, but even if she were it would still make sense that her mother rarely ever sees her.  Especially if BeOS-chan is overly modest, it would not be unlike her to wallow in shame, to afraid/ashamed to face her daughters, and preferring to hide in the comforting presence of fellow geeks.

Funny how the demise mirrors Commodore's failure to properly market Amiga-san.  ^^

However, having recently been given the opportunity to witness how horribly neglected the latest AsusOS is and how botched Dell's deployment of Ubuntu in the Inspiron Mini 9 was, I can say that poor marketing and planning is still quite pandemic.

Or rather, I think it's intentional -- although perhaps they may not realize it.  In an attempt to lock-in a system that's inherently open, they just end up botching the whole thing -- but that's better for them profit-wise.  Because by offering an inferior product like this, especially netbooks which threaten their margins, they either chide people into getting the XP models, or they make them eager to purchase the newer [hopefully better, in the consumer's mind] models.

It's very rare these days for a company to create a true exceptional and flawless product -- that's because it may very well be more profitable to create something inherently flawed.

[Nuker]

I was browsing the net and I found out about Calmira, which is an open-source 16 bit shell that brings 3.1's interface up to date with that of the 'modern' windows. I think it's pretty neat. Ok, maybe a bit useless, but still neat. It'd be interesting to see the implications of such a project in the OS-tan universe.

[Aurora Borealis]

Making a Calmira-tan may be hard (I have no ideas!) but a reference to Calmira could be made by drawing a picture of 3.1-tan cosplaying as 95-tan (or one of the 95 OSR 2.x sisters!)