A/UX
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| A/UX | |
| [[File:|250px]] | |
| Character Information | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | A/UX |
| Other Names | "Space Cadet", Apple Unix |
| Faction | Wanderer Class (formerly in the Apple Family) |
| Lineage | Unix, BSD-System V hybrid branch |
| Appearance | |
| Height | 175 cm (5'9") |
| Hair Color | dark blue |
| Eye Color | blue-green |
| Design | |
| First Appearance | 2007 |
| Technical Information | |
| System Personified | Apple Unix |
| Developer(s) | Apple Computer |
| Debut | 1988 |
| Latest release | v.3.1.1 (1995) |
Character details
General
A/UX is Apple's first attempt at a Unix-based OS with the Mac OS GUI. Is mainly used in servers, including one still used at NASA. A/UX-tan is represented as a tall, blue-haired pig girl with curly pigtails and wears part of a spacesuit as well as pilots a rocketship and loves to daydream, references to two of A/UX's codenames: Pigs in Space and Space Cadet. Her red bandana and fondness of wrestling are a reference to Hulk Hogan, another codename. Her other main interests are astronomy and space travel.
Personality-wise, A/UX-tan is very tomboyish, a daydreamer and although she is intimidating at a first glance, she can be helpful and is very straightforward, reference to the Commando utility in A/UX that allows for choosing command line options with simple controls. She affectionately calls the Mac-tans her 'kids' as a term of endearment because those older than her are rather short, no taller than 4'4 [132 cm] (except for Mac System 5-tan who is of average height but invisible to her) and as also part of an age complex she has.
Although she is a Unix-tan, she does not consider the Unices to be her family, but rather the Apple-tans who she lived with in her childhood and up to 1996. She has been a wanderer since then; she got evicted from the Apple family during the worst of the OS Wars because she was too costly to keep around and too much of a liability.
Despite eviction, A/UX-tan still has close ties to the family, is allowed to visit, and stops by every so often.
Family and relationships
Within the Unix Family
A/UX-tan is low-ranked on the Unix family social hierarchy, since A/UX wasn't commercially successful, failed to secure a large server market share, and faded into obscurity after the Unix Wars. Her being one of the first Unix OSes to value the GUI more than the command line also led to her hardly being taken seriously.
The Unix-tans are her biological relatives, but she doesn't care for most of them and doesn't consider them her real family. Ever since her debut, however, she attends the Unix Family (now Linux/Unix Consortium) meetings out of obligation to show that she has no intention of being a traitor. Knowing that they hardly take her seriously, or even seem to notice her, she makes the best of the meetings by being the group clown.
In the present day, UNIX tolerates her for her sense of duty and loyalty, but doesn't seem to acknowledge her very much.
User Space Gang
While nearly unacknowledged by the Unix-tans in the Linux/Unix Consortium, she is noticed by the User Space Gang. Although a proprietary OS and can never legally become open source, she's interested in their ideals and is an honorary member of their group.
Apple Newton
Newton-tan, a fellow Apple-tan that was also fired in the 90's, is frequently visits her.
The Apple-tans and Mac-tans
The early Apple-tans and the Classic Mac-tans are her stepsisters, and the Mac OSX-tans are estimated to be second-cousins. She considers the extended Apple Family to be her real family, and identifies with them the most.
History and background
In her youth, A/UX-tan was trained to be very strict and professional with very high standards held to her since so much money was invested in her. She was prohibited from mingling with the general public, only allowed to be around very high-end users. She enjoyed being around the Apple-tans (especially Mac System 6-tan, who she also has a friendly rivalry with) but was discouraged from 'childish behavior' and often too busy trying to fulfill what her company wanted from her.
Although her pro-Apple stance was obvious, she was not considered a traitor to the Unices since she remained unaligned and did not participate in the Unix wars at all. However, by not participating in the Unix wars, she avoided competition in the battlefield but was out-competed by the other Unices in terms of popularity, attention and sales which ultimately led to her eviction.
A/UX-tan saw her eviction as a mixed blessing. She was sad that she had to leave the Apple family and for being such a burden but was happy that the strict dress codes and very high standards she was held to no longer applied and she finally had the freedom to do the things she has wanted to do all those years.