IMSAI 8080
| IMSAI 8080-tan | |
| [[File:|250px]] | |
| Character Information | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | IMSAI 8080-tan |
| Other Names | n/a |
| Appearance | |
| Height | 142 cm (4'8") |
| Hair Color | White |
| Eye Color | Violet |
| Design | |
| First Appearance | July 2008 |
| Technical Information | |
| System Personified | IMDOS (OS), IMSAI 8080(hardware) |
| Developer(s) | IMS Manufacturing Corp. (1975-1978), Fischer-Freitas Co. (1978-present) |
| Debut | Dec 16 1975 (original IMSAI 8080), 1977 (VDP series), 2002 (IMSAI Series Two) |
Technical details
The IMSAI 8080 was released in December 1975. It adopted the S-100 Bus standard from the MITS Altair 8800, and was the Altair 8800's main competitor. The IMSAI 8080 was used in many fields, is the first commercial computer to use CP/M, developed by Gary Kildall, who later formed Digital Research.
In 1977, enhanced versions called the VDP series was released. They had a built-in monitor, keyboard and disk drives was released, but had several internal design problems. IMSAI line was discontinued in 1978, but remains supported, and in 2002, a modernized IMSAI computer called the IMSAI Series Two was released.
Character details
IMSAI 8080-tan has a resemblance to MITS Altair 8800-tan, but has short hair and dark purple eyes, and her hair decorated by a teal headband, alternating red and blue hairclips, and matching earrings. She wears a black T-shirt over a long, blue and red sleeved shirt, teal skirt, black leggings and teal boots. Her outfit is modeled after the IMSAI 8080's color scheme and its distinctive arrangement of bright red and blue switches, and she usually carries around an old suitcase from her days in the military and government.
She is a businesswoman and messenger who assists other independent OS-tans or hardware-tans to keep in contact with each other. She also builds equipment to help them. Her interest in building equipment is a reference to the IMSAI Series Two launch.
Owing to the IMSAI 8080's most famous role as the computer used to hack into the military supercomputer in the movie WarGames, IMSAI 8080-tan is a huge fan of the movie, and used to have plans of hacking and mind control.
She is an experienced tactician, and she has a recurring desire to return to her glory days, but has adopted a kinder and humbler attitude, and uses her skills to help others in need.
Abilities
IMSAI 8080-tan is physically strong and sturdy by design, and developed great survival skills from her years as a wanderer. Her magical abilities are very limited, but she is good at melee combat.
Family and relationships
Altair 8800
Although IMSAI 8080-tan respected Altair 8800-tan due to the IMSAI 8080's origins of being based off of the Altair 8800, but modified to be a more rugged commercial-grade system, they were each other's main competitors and mortal enemies in the 1970's. Their rivalry was slightly complicated over IMSAI 8080-tan helping codify the S-100 bus as a standard, which is a part of the Altair 8800's legacy, but Altair 8800-tan disliked IMSAI 8080-tan for not just being a competitor, but accusing her of being an intellectual property thief for many years.
Decades passed, and their paths diverged so much that they are no longer enemies, and they reconciled in the 2000's, and are friends now.
DR-DOS
DR-DOS-tan (then CP/M-tan) and IMSAI 8080-tan were each other's first friends. IMSAI 8080-tan was her mentor, and encouraged her to be highly ambitious and to succeed by any means. She meant to inspire DR-DOS-tan to greatness, but would later regret encouraging her cutthroat behaviors and tactics, when finding that DR-DOS-tan shunned her own children because she saw them only as competition.
OSC Notes
In the Annex Project, IMSAI 8080-tan is a member of the Confederation of Independent OS-tans, but was a wanderer for more than 20 years before she joined them.
She eagerly joined and is a valuable asset to them with her business skills, data communication skills and connections to important information networks. Although she is one of the oldest members of the CIOST, she still remains relevant even to the younger members.
History and background
Rise to power (1975-1977)
IMSAI 8080-tan can technically be considered Altair 8800-tan's clone, although they are not actually blood related. IMSAI 8080-tan was modeled after Altair 8800-tan, but was designed to be a lot stronger and hardier, and to be a commercial system. Her rise to success, required taking advantage of Altair 8800-tan's weaknesses, with some risk-taking of her own. Notably, she made promises that she was not ready to make, but would fulfill, and gain a lot of followers, referencing how some IMSAI 8080 kits were incomplete to keep up with the demand that MITS could not meet, a strategy that was successful.
In her prime, she was a successful businesswoman who also worked jobs with the military and government, but these careers would be short-lived when competitors such as Apple I-tan, and Commodore KIM-1-tan become more prominent. (see the "The Life and Death of Imsai" section). She knew they would be a threat, and their successors more so.
Decline (1977-1980's)
In 1977, she tried to keep up with them, and more advanced competitors such as Apple II-tan and Commodore PET-tan, to no avail. She tried to improve herself, and had multiple upgrades, but they had severe design flaws, and she lost a lot of her supporters. She retained some support from the military, goverment, scientists, and business, they were only a small percentage of her supporters.
She soon faded into obscurity, resented her competitors, and and felt hopeless as a wanderer, though she retained a small but loyal following, and company support. Because of the remaining support her from her company and followers, she didn't give up, and she fared decently as a wanderer.
1990's and later
She never had to struggle for survival living as a wanderer, but may have nearly gotten caught in the crossfire of the OS Wars in the mid-1990's. By this time, she saw other wanderers who were much worse off than she was, OS-tans that were abandoned or forgotten, or lost their factions after their companies went bankrupt, including some of her former competitors.
Seeing others worse off than she was led to her becoming a lot more humble, and to use her skills and resources to help others in need, and to let go of past rivalries.
She joined the Confederation of Independent OS-tans in 2003 to put her skills to further use. Although she does not have as nearly as many supporters as she had in her prime, she is happy to have corporate support all these decades, and takes pride in being the oldest active (or not-retired) OS-tan/early computer-tan from the dawn of the personal computer revolution and wants to keep this distinction for as long as she can.
See also: