Photo story about os-tans
這是為了繳英文課口說作業寫的稿，所以是全英文文章。大主題是 Photo story
正文
OS-tans are anthropomorphic version of operating systems. Their looks often represent the operating system feature. Such as memory usage, GUI style.
The amazing thing is that most of these characters weren’t created by Microsoft or any operating system distributor. They are ‘doujin works’—it means they are created by fans and for fans.
They give us a shared visual language. A way to connect through familiar experiences: the frustration of a crashing system, the stability of a reliable system, or the quirky features of an old OS. They turn cold code into a shared, relatable story.
They give us a shared visual language,
a way to connect through familiar experiences and turn cold code into a story we can all relate to.
Os-tans originated from 2chan, a Japanese discussion forum. At the time discussions focused on Windows ME’s bug, compatibility issue and overall poor performance. Those conversations inspire a 2chan user draw an anthropomorphic image, and Me-tanswas born.
Me-tans is a ditzy and in clumsy maid in green hair. She directly personifies Windows ME itself: a system that was unstable, prone to crashes, and often more trouble than help.
Me-tan’s image quickly spread worldwide,and after that, other operating systems fans also gained anthropomorphic counterparts. Next, let me introduce some other popular os-tans.
XP tans is based on Windows XP. She has long black hair, adorned with a hair clip shaped like her name, “XP.”. Windows XP look great, but use too much RAM. So her character was always shown eating, causing her clothes to be tight on her.
There is an unspoken rule where the more RAM that os used ,the bigger their breast would.
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With the release of Windows 7, this fan-made culture was officially recognized when Microsoft introduced Madobe Nanami.
Her character is a computer shop employee, and her appearance marked the company’s first public embrace of this community-created tradition.
Unlike Windows, Linux is an open-source operating system developed by community. It also has a vibrant fan-made OS-tans culture.
I feel more like the Linux-tans — because, like the operating system itself, most of Linux tans stand for efficiency, flexibility, freedom, and the spirit of building something unique from the ground up.
Remember the unspoken rule I mentioned before? Well, Linux-tans follow it too. Most Linux-tans are depicted in loli style. For example, Arch Linux-tan is a naughty little loli wearing a hoodie.
There are many other Linux distributions and their OS-tans in the community, like Ubuntu-tan, Debian-tan, Mint-tan, and more.
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OS-tans connect people who love these operating systems, letting them share their experiences through imagery. Which OS-tan do you like, or what is your favorite operating system?
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