So I'm pretty sure that all of the stock operating systems are references to real operating systems or fictional ones. As such, I think that it is entirely possible to give each OS the look and feel that it was meant to have by tracking down that source.

Vector Xim: Or as we call it, the Invader Zim, the operating system is clunky, uses a lot of purples and greens. This is the OS of the Irkan Invaders.

Redcap Nix: To the casual viewer from 2005, this is Linux. A fully customizable interface, made by Scottish Canibals.

Renraku Ichi: I think this is a reference to the OS on the main character's computer in Neuromancer. Unfortunately I haven't read that book in a long time. Any ideas?

Mangadyne Deva: This one sounds really familiar, but I can't place it at all.

Iris Orb: This is the OS of HAL from 2001. Big red orb, reassuring voice, what's not to love?

Novatech Navi: It's from Serial Experiments: Lain, there's a big blue circle in the middle of the screen, and whatever you have under the cursor is displayed upside down. It might even put you in contact with the ghosts of the people who die playing Miracle Shooter and teach you a valuable lesson about self sacrifice and nihilism.


Anyone got info on the middle two?

-Frank

Mangadyne...Magnadyne... I know that name...it's a corporation in some movie, I think.

terminator?

Cyberdyne Systems was the name of the corporation in T2.

Let me get out my copy of Neuromancer real quick. Off the top of my head, I seem to remember Case using an Ono-Sendai deck, and later a complete homebrew system.

I thought it was skynet in Terminator?

Skynet was the program, yeah, but Cyberdyne developed it.

oops...

Both Case in Neuromancer and Bobby in Count Zero start out with an Ono-Sendai deck, graduating to nameless decks later.

On another note, "Nippon Ichi" is the name of the company that made Disgaea, La Pucelle, and similar tactical RPGs. Maybe they've got a fan aong the writers.

It may also be named after the title character from the Zatoichi films, although I'm not quite sure what kind of interface would simulate being a blind mercenary swordsman. Perhaps all sounds with no visual icons?

As far as the Renraku Ichi goes....maybe, just maybe, it's named that because of the fact that "ichi" is japanese for "one."

Crazy, that. Renraku One.

mangadyne, thinking on that all i'm pulling up is "Johnny Mnemonic" references can anyone elaborate on that maybe

Googling "maganadyne" turns up hits for an aftermarket car stereo & car alarm company.

I too, thought that Mangadyne was really familiar from some damn movie, until I realized I was thinking of Magnadyne, which really didn't find anything except car stereos and such. Only 1 hit for "Mangadyne Corporation", and that was off of Ancient History's site. Evidently Cale Winter owns a Mangadyne Corporation, and his Caroline owns Manadyne, which got 80 million nuyen from the late lamented Dunkelzahn.



.........I should go to sleep.

Got it: Megadynes are the robot women assassins from Silent Mobius. Thus, the "Mangadyne Deva" is the operating system of them, and every other Armitage/Bladerunner Clone.

-Frank

They should definitely have had something like this:

SPECTRE - based on the Bladerunner ESPER video-imaging system. It presents a perfect simulacrum of the real world, but interactive and cognitive in such a way that it can extract information from hidden places. It also has infinite zoom capability, but the printouts aren't so good.

This may be an unsatisfactory guess, but Sun Microsystems had their Open Net Environment (Sun ONE). Renraku is primarily a software company; so is Sun. Perhaps an employee snuck that in? Boring though, and not based on any anime/sci-fi/cyberpunk reference.

sun isnt primarily a software company, its just like ibm and apple, whole hog solutions.

Could it just be "Renraku A-Number One" ?

Yeah, not everything has to be a reference. Renraku could just have no imagination.

And besides, wouldn't the output of the system have more to do with a person's reality filter than his OS? I imagine that any display option would be compatible with Any OS, so long as you added the patch to make it work that way.

The Mangadyne Deva is going to be anime-themed since it's made by Mangadyne. Deva is a sanskrit word meaning "god". I think in Japan it refers specifically to the Hindu gods that were converted to buddhism. Based on: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tenbu-top.shtml

Then again, maybe it refers to a specific anime/manga character; my knowledge in that isn't that deep.

There's an SR company called "Manadyne" that turns up in Dunkie's will.
Tis here, somewhere in ye annotated will...

I suppose Mangadyne Deva could be some reference to the Evas in Neon Genesis Evangelion.