VMS

This article is a work in progress. …well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editors’ notes.

VMS-tan
Character Information
Common Names	VMS-tan
Other Names	OpenVMS, Virtual Memory System
Human Name(s)	Vanessa Cutler
Faction	CIOST DEC Military (formerly)
Lineage	DEC, PDP-11/VAX line
Rival(s)	UNIX-tan
Appearance
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Hair Color	Navy blue & silver
Eye Color	Lilac
Weapon(s)	Swords, knives
Design
First Appearance	Described and drawn in 2007,, though pre-concepts existed in 2006
Technical Information
System Personified	VMS (OpenVMS)
Developer(s)	VMS Software Hewlett-Packard (2002–14) Compaq (1998–2002) Digital Equipment Corporation (1977–98)
Debut	1977-10-25
Latest release	OpenVMS 9.2-2 (2024-01-25)

Technical details

OpenVMS (VMS) is a server, mainframe and minicomputer OS that runs on the VAX, Alpha, Itanium, and amd64 architectures. Originally released by DEC in 1977, VMS is notable for security, stability, clustering/networking and fault-tolerance features, and maintains a dedicated niche in commercial and hobbyist communities.

Character details

Physical

OpenVMS-tan is depicted as a mature, athletically-built, light skinned woman with lilac-colored eyes. Her hair is navy blue with two silver locks at the front, held in a high ponytail with strands loose at the back of her head.

She wears a high collared dark blouse with blue vest, sometimes exposing her midriff, a black leather trenchcoat with silver fittings, black cargo pants, fingerless gloves and knee-high boots. She wears leg-holsters holding throwing knives, and carries a broadsword/cleaver hybrid carved with shark's teeth. Additionally, she dons a futuristic gray half-mask both to hide her identity and allow her to breathe underwater.

She resembles Windows NT-tan, albeit taller, older, and covered in battle scars.

In her youth, she wore the typical uniform of the DEC Faction. Her hair was solid blue, worn shorter.

Personality

VMS-tan is stoic, quiet and serious. She wasn't formally educated, instead relying on street-smarts and common sense. Though she is generally level-headed and pragmatic, she has a rather paranoid approach to self-defense.

She is outwardly expressionless, an impression bolstered by her face being partially covered. Combined with her weapons and attire, she is considered intimidating by others, a reputation that she gladly cultivates. Her cool exterior hides a strong sense of justice and duty to keep others safe. She's never effusive with affection, but warms up around friends.

She loves the ocean, swimming and diving especially. She owns a futuristic boat that serves as headquarters for the CIOST, and many "pet" sharks. She likes playing games, especially scrabble.

Powers

Befitting an OS-tan of her might, VMS-tan has been depicted with power over water. However, she eschews sorcery for the most part, instead favoring physical weaponry. As with many of her DEC-tan peers, she is a trained swordsman, especially favoring sabers in her earlier years.

Family and Relationships

VMS-tan had a fraught relationship with her DEC peers. She was closest with her mother RSX-tan, VAX, as well as RSTS-tan and the eternally-affectionate PDP-1-tan. She has a younger sister, VAXELN-tan, but they are separated by social circles and distance.

While antagonistic toward the Unices, she and UNIX-tan view one another as worthy enemies. She and Ultrix-tan started off as enemies, but found common ground as outcasts within their faction.

As leader of the CIOST, VMS-tan guides a large and varied following of OS-tans. She gets along best with VME, Primos and VOS-tan, although they are more akin to comrades-in-arms than friends in the traditional sense of the word. Her old rival TOPS-20-tan is also part of the faction.

VMS-tan has a few close friends. She and VAX-tan have a strong bond, despite drifting apart in recent years. eCOS-tan is her companion and self-proclaimed bodyguard. She was adopted by two children/followers, FreeVMS-chan and OZONE-tan, although she is clueless about raising kids and leaves the majority of the work to RED-kun, her loyal text editor.

History and background

Early life and rise to power

OpenVMS-tan debuted 1977, under the name VMS. Born to RSX-11 during the golden era of the DEC society, she was a reserved and responsible with a dry sense of humour – and a habit of snarking. Trained extensively in swordfighting (by her mother) and the art of geomancy (by Multics), she was inducted into the DEC military that year as a colonel. By 1988, she was a major general.

Her meteoric rise through the ranks ruffled the feathers of several of her coworkers and endangered the livelihoods of a few others, notably Tenex; outside of DEC, her popularity led to ITS's eventual deposal from MIT. While she viewed these “betrayals” as strictly a matter of business and something not in her own control, her rivals weren't as understanding; although recently she has made good with her old coworkers.

During the early 1980s VMS and unix became locked in fierce rivalry, one that continues to this day through BSD and her children. Unlike many rivals, VMS and Unix don't hate each other; their relationship is marked by good-natured, if not somewhat antagonistic, jousting.

Witnessing DEC's decline

Her name was changed to OpenVMS is 1992, but she continued to use her old moniker out of convenience. The first major trauma in her life occurred in 1993 when Windows NT was born and VMS subsequently discovered that she was, in part, a genetic copy of herself. The cloning was purported by VMS' creator who, after leaving DEC, was hired by the rising Microsoft empire to create their next generation of OS-tan – one capable of seizing the then-elusive server and minicomputer market. Taking advantage of the disarray of the Unix and OS Wars, NT was able to conquer already divided nations and secure the Windows empire in the professional market.

One of NT's targets was the already-weakened DEC empire; she faced off against VMS in a duel, completely unaware that her opponent was her mother. VMS, holding back for fear of injuring her daughter, was defeated; this experience made her rethink her life and pushed her toward her current-day mentality.

Post-DEC years

In 1998 the tattered DEC society was conquered by HP, and its -tans scattered to all corners of the earth. VMS, too powerful to be let go of, was kept on; she was one of only two ex-DEC officers not deposed of. Their stepsister is HP-UX, whom VMS doesn't get along with.

Feeling no allegiance to her new company, VMS set to wandering the world, gathering disparate OS-tans of all cultures and races together to fight the mainstream powers. This was the beginning of the Confederation of independent OS-tans, an underground group of technologically-advanced, but largely unknown OS-tans.

VMS's mother is RSX, has one sister, VAXELN, and two adopted children – OZONE and FreeVMS. She occasionally meets with her old DEC comrades, but lives on her own for the most part.

Theories and notes

General

VMS-tan's asexuality (and likely, aromanticism) has been more or less confirmed, in various comics, proposed storylines as well as two character interviews. While most of VMS' coworkers and friends know of - and accept - her orientation, her text editor assistant RED-kun tried for many years to win her affection, to no avail.

It has been speculated that VMS-tan was the most psychologically-affected of all the DEC-tans by the breakup of her company. In fear of becoming without a house or homeland once again, she took up residence on her ship - an old military vessel named DECADE - knowing that nobody would ever be able to put her out of her home again if she made a life on the sea.

Fanfiction

• Far From Home, pt. I
• Far From Home, pt. II
• Far From Home, pt. III
• Mertvaya Ruka@STORY, chapters 7 and onwards

Fanart

• C-chan's OpenVMS Portrait
• "Street Spirit", VMS-tan Portrait
• NejinOniwa's VMS-tan Birthday Drawing
• VMS and eCOS-tan