TX-0
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| TX-0 | |
| |
| Character Information | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | TX-0 |
| Other Names | Tixo, Transistorized Experimental computer zero |
| Faction | MIT Society |
| Lineage | MIT, DEC (ancestor) |
| Rival(s) | N/A |
| Appearance | |
| Height | 5'3" |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Green |
| Weapon(s) | N/A |
| Design | |
| First Appearance | 2012 |
| Technical Information | |
| System Personified | TX-0 |
| Developer(s) | MIT, Lincoln Labs |
| Debut | 1955 |
| Latest release | Circa 1960s |
Technical details
TX-0 is a transistorized version of the Whirlwind mainframe, and the PDP-1 was derived from it.
Character details
General
TX-0-tan is Whirlwind-tan's second daughter, created from the results of Whirlwind's experimental surgeries. Physically-speaking, TX-0-tan has light skin, shoulder-length dark brown hair with long, side-swept bangs, green eyes and thick-rimmed glasses. She resembles a physically smaller and younger version of her mother; honest, intelligent and dignified, she has inherited many of her mother's personality traits as well. Her outfits are simpler than her mother's, but she still retains a strong sense of style - preferring contemporary 1950s and 1960s clothing, in particular a brown and tan pinstriped two-piece outfit with hat. Like her sisters, she inherited Whirlwind's love for hair ribbons and computer part jewelry.
Mentally-speaking, TX-0-tan has roughly the maturity of a late teen - she is more sophisticated than her little sister, PDP-1-tan, but not quite as shrewd as her mother or elder sister, SAGE. Nevertheless, she is well-educated and highly creative, having a particular knack for visual arts, drafting and design. One of the first interactive computers, TX-0-tan is capable of interacting directly with users, instead of needing operators as intermediaries. This lends her something of a reputation as a people-person, although less so than the extravagantly social timesharing systems that postdated her.
Family and relationships
TX-0 tan is derived from Whirlwind-tan (primarily) and Memory Test Computer (secondarily), although she treated both parents with respect and kindness, she was particularly reverent toward Whirlwind. Her sisters are SAGE, CTSS and PDP-1-tan, although there is some uncertainty involving her relationship to the latter - genetically-speaking, PDP-1-tan is partially derived from TX-0-tan, causing some to suggest that PDP-1-tan may if fact be her daughter rather than sister. However, it is quite clear that TX-0 considered PDP-1-tan her sister and Whirlwind her mother.
Because of scant documentation and speculation, little is known of TX-0-tan's relationship with Whirlwind or SAGE. Judging by Whirlwind's treatment of other daughters, we can safely assume that she had a mutually-affectionate relationship with TX-0-tan; TX-0 likely spent more time with Whirlwind than SAGE or CTSS did, due to a shared geographic location and similar fields of work. As well, TX-0 and PDP-1-tan spent much time together, being employed in the same laboratory and working with many of the same users on similar projects. Fans of model trains and amateur electrical engineering, the two frequented the Tech Model Railroad Club and their work laid the basis for the hacker culture which would emerge at MIT several years later.
TX-0-tan's relationship with SAGE is a subject of speculation. It seems inevitable that SAGE and TX-0 interacted as children, given that SAGE spent much of her childhood at Lincoln Laboratory, the place of TX-0's birth and early life. Yet there are no canon accounts of SAGE and TX-0-tan interacting, something that seems inconsistent given SAGE-tan's apparently clear recollection of her childhood and tendency for writing about her early life and family. It has been suggested that SAGE-tan blamed TX-0-tan for the eventual death of Whirlwind-tan and purposefully excluded TX-0-tan from written accounts out of spite.
Although TX-0-tan is only genetically-related to the PDP-1 bloodline, she is ancestral to the DEC Faction, having directly inspired the creation of that group.