IMSAI 8080: Difference between revisions

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{{OSinfobox
{{OSinfobox
|tanname= IMSAI 8080-tan
|tanname= IMSAI 8080-tan
|image= IMSAI8080.png
|image=  


|cname= IMSAI 8080-tan
|cname= IMSAI 8080-tan
|alias= n/a
|alias= n/a
|creator= Aurora Borealis
|debut= July 2008
|debut= July 2008
|height    = 142 cm (4'8")
|haircolor = White
|eyecolor  = Violet


|osper= IMDOS (OS), IMSAI 8080 (hardware)
|osper= IMDOS (OS), IMSAI 8080(hardware)
|osdev= IMS Manufacturing Corp. (1975-1979), Fischer-Freitas Co. (1979-present)  
|osdev= IMS Manufacturing Corp. (1975-1978), Fischer-Freitas Co. (1978-present)  
|reldate= Dec 16 1975
|reldate= Dec 16 1975 (original IMSAI 8080), 1977 (VDP series), 2002 (IMSAI Series Two)
|lastrel=?
|lastrel=  


|fnote= represents the IMSAI 8080, its main OS IMDOS and the modernized IMSAI Series Two (released in 2004)
|fnote= represents the IMSAI 8080, its main OS IMDOS, and the modernized IMSAI Series Two (released in 2002)
}}
}}


==Technical details==
==Technical details==
The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080 IMSAI 8080] was released in December 1975. It adopted the S-100 Bus standard from the MITS Altair 8800, and was the Altair 8800's main competitor. The IMSAI 8080 was used in many fields, is the first commercial computer to use CP/M, developed by Gary Kildall, who later formed Digital Research.
In 1977, enhanced versions called the VDP series was released. They had a built-in monitor, keyboard and disk drives was released, but had several internal design problems. IMSAI line was discontinued in 1978, but remains supported, and in 2002, a modernized IMSAI computer called the IMSAI Series Two was released.


The IMSAI 8080 is based off the MITS Altair 8800 and is easily distinguished by its teal+black color scheme and three rows of brightly colored red+blue switches. Still like the Altair, it was a system that uses switches for input, and blinking LEDs for output. The IMSAI 8080 was used in many fields, used for scientific, military, and government applications, data communication, small businesses, and personal computer systems. The operating system the IMSAI 8080 used is IMDOS, a variant of Digital Research's CP/M.


==Character details==
==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 as well as alternating red + blue hairclips and also wears red + blue earrings. She wears a black T-shirt over a long, blue + red sleeved shirt, teal skirt, black leggings and teal boots. She also 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 has a resemblance to [[MITS Altair 8800 | MITS Altair 8800-tan]], but has short hair and dark purple eyes, and her hair decorated by a teal headband, alternating red and blue hairclips, and matching earrings. She wears a black T-shirt over a long, blue and red sleeved shirt, teal skirt, black leggings and teal boots. Her outfit is modeled after the IMSAI 8080's color scheme and its distinctive arrangement of bright red and blue switches, and she usually carries around an old suitcase from her days in the military and government.
She is a businesswoman and messenger who assists other independent OS-tans or hardware-tans to keep in contact with each other. She also builds equipment to help them. Her interest in building equipment is a reference to the IMSAI Series Two launch.
 
Owing to the IMSAI 8080's most famous role as the computer used to hack into the military supercomputer in the movie WarGames, IMSAI 8080-tan is a huge fan of the movie, and used to have plans of hacking and mind control. 
 
She is an experienced tactician, and she has a recurring desire to return to her glory days, but has adopted a kinder and humbler attitude, and uses her skills to help others in need.


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. Although she usually does not have a lot of money, she strives to help small businesses in need. 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.  
===Abilities===
IMSAI 8080-tan is physically strong and sturdy by design, and developed great survival skills from her years as a wanderer. Her magical abilities are very limited, but she is good at melee combat.
 
===Family and relationships===
====Altair 8800====
 
Although IMSAI 8080-tan respected Altair 8800-tan due to the [http://www.pc-history.org/imsai.htm  IMSAI 8080's origins] of being based off of the Altair 8800, but modified to be a more rugged commercial-grade system, they were each other's main competitors and mortal enemies in the 1970's. Their rivalry was slightly complicated over IMSAI 8080-tan helping codify the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-100_bus  S-100 bus] as a standard, which is a part of the Altair 8800's legacy, but Altair 8800-tan disliked IMSAI 8080-tan for not just being a competitor, but accusing her of being an intellectual property thief for many years.
 
Decades passed, and their paths diverged so much that they are no longer enemies, and they reconciled in the 2000's, and are friends now.
 
====DR-DOS====
DR-DOS-tan (then CP/M-tan) and IMSAI 8080-tan were each other's first friends. IMSAI 8080-tan was her mentor, and encouraged her to be highly ambitious and to succeed by any means. She meant to inspire DR-DOS-tan to greatness, but would later regret encouraging her cutthroat behaviors and tactics, when finding that DR-DOS-tan shunned her own children because she saw them only as competition.  


==OSC Notes==
==OSC Notes==


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.  
In the Annex Project, IMSAI 8080-tan is a member of the [[CIOST | Confederation of Independent OS-tans]], but was a [[Wanderer Class | wanderer]] for more than 20 years before she joined them.
 
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.
 
==History and background==
 
===Rise to power (1975-1977)===
IMSAI 8080-tan can technically be considered Altair 8800-tan's clone, although they are not actually blood related. IMSAI 8080-tan was modeled after Altair 8800-tan, but was designed to be a lot stronger and hardier, and to be a commercial system.
Her rise to success, required taking advantage of Altair 8800-tan's weaknesses, with some risk-taking of her own. Notably, she made promises that she was not ready to make, but would fulfill, and gain a lot of followers, referencing how some [http://www.oldcomputermuseum.com/imsai_8080.html  IMSAI 8080 kits were incomplete] to keep up with the demand that MITS could not meet, a strategy that was successful.
 
In her prime, she was a successful businesswoman who also worked jobs with the military and government, but these careers would be short-lived when [http://www.pc-history.org/imsai.htm competitors such as Apple I-tan, and Commodore KIM-1-tan] become more prominent. (see the "The Life and Death of Imsai" section). She knew they would be a threat, and their successors more so.
 
===Decline (1977-1980's)===
In 1977, she tried to keep up with them, and more advanced competitors such as Apple II-tan and Commodore PET-tan, to no avail. She tried to improve herself, and had multiple upgrades, but they had severe design flaws, and she lost a lot of her supporters. She retained some support from the military, goverment, scientists, and business, they were only a small percentage of her supporters.
 
She soon faded into obscurity, resented her competitors, and and felt hopeless as a wanderer, though she retained a small but loyal following, and company support. Because of the remaining support her from her company and followers, she didn't give up, and she fared decently as a wanderer.  


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 as well as faulty 'upgrades'.  
===1990's and later===
She never had to struggle for survival living as a wanderer, but may have nearly gotten caught in the crossfire of the OS Wars in the mid-1990's. By this time, she saw other wanderers who were much worse off than she was, OS-tans that were abandoned or forgotten, or lost their factions after their companies went bankrupt, including some of her former competitors.  


She knew that the competitors were inevitable but thought the faulty upgrades were a ploy by her second company to eliminate her for falling behind and losing 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.  
Seeing others worse off than she was led to her becoming a lot more humble, and to use her skills and resources to help others in need, and to let go of past rivalries.  


IMSAI 8080-tan then took up a career in business and data communication. While her career did not get her very far at all as a wanderer, she eagerly allied with the independent OS-tans, seen as a valuable asset to them and agreed to be their messenger and assist them with finances and business transactions. In return, other independents would come to her need when she's in a dire situation.
She joined the [[CIOST | Confederation of Independent OS-tans]] in 2003 to put her skills to further use. Although she does not have as nearly as many supporters as she had in her prime, she is happy to have corporate support all these decades, 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.  




See also:
See also:
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080 Wikipedia article on IMSAI 8080]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080 Wikipedia article on IMSAI 8080]
*[http://www.imsai.net/ Official site]




[[Category:Vintage]]
[[Category:Vintage]]
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