VMS

VMS-tan
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Character Information
Common Names	VMS-tan
Other Names	OpenVMS, Virtual Memory System, VAX Monitor System
Human Name(s)	Vanessa Cutler
Faction	CIOST (leader/founder), formerly from the DEC Military
Lineage	DEC, PDP-11/VAX line
Appearance
Height	173 cm (5'8")
Hair Color	Dark blue w/ silver streaks
Eye Color	Lilac
Weapon(s)	shark-toothed broadsword/cleaver hybrid
Design
First Appearance	2007
Technical Information
System Personified	VMS (OpenVMS)
Developer(s)	Digital Equipment Corporation (1977-1998), HP
Debut	Oct 1977
Latest release	OpenVMS 8.4 (21 Jun 2010)

Technical details

OpenVMS – popularly shortened to VMS – is a server, mainframe and (super)minicomputer OS that runs on the VAX, Alpha and Itanium architectures. Originally released by DEC in 1977, VMS is notable for having among the best security, stability, clustering/networking and fault-tolerance features of any modern operating system. It maintains a small but dedicated userbase in the high-end server, scientific and hobbyist markets.

Character details

OpenVMS-tan is depicted as a mature woman with long navy blue hair, usually tied in a ponytail, and two silver forelocks (bangs). She has blue-purple eyes and typically wears a half-face mask to protect her identity in public. Her typically attire is dark in colour and consists of a shirt, vest, pants, knee-high boots and a trenchcoat; she carries a variety of knives on her person, and wields a longsword/cleaver hybrid with sharks teeth caved into its blade.

OpenVMS's demeanour is outwardly stoic and composed, although her few friends – and adoptive children – are treated to a warmer side. She is often mistaken for a socio- or psychopath, but her mind is perfectly sound and not lacking conscience; this misconception comes from her fascination with swordplay and merciless treatment of virii, hackers and other security threats. Possessing a strong sense of justice she feels no qualms about partaking in vigilantism – protecting herself and making the world a safer place for all OS-tans. Leaning toward the paranoid side, OpenVMS is a master survivalist and prefers to stay mobile at all times, traveling on her boat or submarine (the latter of which acts as the CIOST's headquarters). She loves being on the ocean and scuba-diving, especially with sharks – her favourite animal.

History and background

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.

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 dual, 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.

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.