OS-tans are moe anthropomorphic personifications of popular operating systems, originating on the Japanese imageboard Futaba Channel. The designs of the OS-tans, which were created by various amateur Japanese artists, are typically female; for example, the personifications of Microsoft Windows operating systems are often depicted as sisters of varying ages. The -tan element in the term is a hypocoristic suffix in Japanese that implies extremely youthful endearment.
Though initially appearing only in fan works, the OS-tans proved popular enough that Microsoft branches in Asian countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan used the OS-tan personification concept as the basis for advertising campaigns for Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer (now known as Microsoft Edge) and Microsoft Silverlight, respectively.
History
The concept of the OS-tan is reported to have begun as a personification of the common perception of Windows Me (Released in 2000 by Microsoft as the 9x counterpart to Windows 2000) as unstable and prone to frequent crashes. Discussions on Futaba Channel likened this to the stereotype of a fickle...
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