IMSAI 8080
| IMSAI 8080-tan | |
| |
| Character Information | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | IMSAI 8080-tan |
| Other Names | n/a |
| Appearance | |
| Design | |
| Creator | Aurora Borealis |
| First Appearance | July 2008 |
| Technical Information | |
| System Personified | IMDOS (OS), IMSAI 8080 (hardware) |
| Developer(s) | IMS Manufacturing Corp. (1975-1979), Fischer-Freitas Co. (1979-present) |
| Debut | Dec 16 1975 |
| Latest release | ? |
Technical details
The IMSAI 8080 is based off the MITS Altair 8800 (and regarded as the first 'clone' system) and is easily distinguished by its teal+black color scheme and three rows of brightly colored red+blue switches. The IMSAI 8080 was used in many fields, used for scientific, military, and government applications, data communication, small businesses, and personal computer systems. The IMSAI 8080 is the first computer to use CP/M developed by Gary Kildall who later formed Digital Research.
In the early 2000's, a modernized IMSAI computer called the IMSAI Series Two was created. The original IMSAI 8080 model from 1975 is still supported by its current company.
Character details
IMSAI 8080-tan has a resemblance to MITS Altair 8800-tan but short hair and dark purple eyes, her hair decorated by a teal headband, alternating red + blue hairclips and matching earrings. She wears a black T-shirt over a long, blue + red sleeved shirt, teal skirt, black leggings and teal boots. She carries around an old suitcase from her days in the military and government. While back then it contained top secret data, it now contains just her communication gear and office supplies, she carries that particular suitcase (with its chains, warning labels and Top Secret label) for intimidation factor.
IMSAI 8080-tan is a tough, hardy and slightly maniacal businesswoman and messenger who assists other independent OS-tans or hardware-tans to keep in contact with each other. While she is a bit maniacal and crazy with the recurring desire to return to her days as a super powerful military engineer, she is actually very unselfish and has adopted a kinder and humbler attitude in recent years.
IMSAI 8080-tan was MITS Altair 8800-tan's main competitor and mortal enemy back in their youth. Between the two, IMSAI 8080-tan had the advantages, being much stronger and hardier than her frail rival but mainly won because of Altair-tan's bad decisions that caused her own demise. More than 30 years have passed since their rivalry and their paths diverged so much, but they're no longer enemies and hope to meet each other some day.
Her friends are DR-DOS-tan (her first friend and her 'student' back in their childhoods), BeOS-tan, Apple III-tan and MenuetOS-tan.
OSC Notes
In her prime, IMSAI 8080-tan was an engineer for the military and government and had even devised schemes for mind control (a reference to hacking, which is also a reference to the movie WarGames in which the protagonist used an IMSAI 8080 to hack a military supercomputer). She resigned from her military and government career after her demise from the competition due to more popular and user-friendlier competitors (such as Apple II-tan ) as well as faulty 'upgrades'.
She knew that the competitors were inevitable so she tried to improve herself and make new inventions but her attempts failed miserably and lost support from the home users because her competitors were so much user-friendlier. Although she still did have a lot of support from the military, the government, top scientists, and high-ranking business people; they were only a small percentage of the people, with home users being the majority and she ultimately fell out of favor towards everyone except a few hobbyists.
She faded into obscurity in the 1980's and 1990's and felt hopeless as a wanderer, especially during the OS Wars of the mid-1990's but she didn't want to give up. She took up a career in business and data communication. While her career did not get her very far at all as a wanderer, she was recommended to join the Confederation of Independent OS-tans. 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.
Since joining the CIOST in the early 2000's, she has had renewed feelings of hope, along with the desire to improve herself, help others and return to the life of a hobbyist. And although she does not have as nearly as many supporters as she did in her prime, she is happy to still have corporate support all these years 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. She has also forgotten about her rivalry with Altair-tan and the two have reconciled and became friends in recent years.
See also: