Martin Banks, Personal Computer World 02/85 - checked

February 1985

She sat, as all good research microbiologists do, with one eye permanently fixed to the blunt end of a microscope. The sharp end was stuffed firmly into a very murky pond and she was trying hard to see the way forward.

After much tuning of her light source, she found something. 'It's growing fast at one end, which is what Professor Egast predicted, but it's not dying at the other. What's more, there seem to be some odd nodular growths all the way along it, especially at the growing end, and the whole thing seems to be under attack from a different species, a blue species of some kind,' she said. Had she discovered something? Would the blue species eat the other, and why was nothing behaving entirely as Professor Egast had predicted?

Our biologist was looking at the wondrous workings of the species Discus Operatum Systematis, DOS for short, a strange being that has a growing and profound effect on an increasing number of people. In particular she was studying the growth patterns of the sub-genus of this species, Personilium Computicus, which was not behaving in the way that the famed Professor Egast - the man who discovered the genus PC, as it is called - had predicted. In addition, it was now apparently under attack from a strange and as yet unidentifiable protagonist, which the microbiologist could only describe, temporarily at least, as a 'large blue blob'.

Professor Egast had discovered that Personilium Computicus Discus Operatum Systematis (known in microbiology circles as PC-DOS) was extending in a linear fashion from the long-discovered genus of the DOS species, Computatum Programmanium Microsqutum (CP/M). This genus was well known to have an internal structure based around eight chromosome clusters, normally referred to as bits. Its behaviour patterns were well known, although occasionally unpredictable. It was a slow mover, but usually managed to get there eventually.

Professor Egast noticed in 1981 that there was a genetic mutation at one end of the genus CP/M. This was at first thought to be a major genetic development, for it was discovered that its structure was now based around 16 chromosome clusters. The professor postulated that the PC-DOS end of the genus would continue to grow away from CP/M in a linear fashion, and that the original CP/M host would wither and die.

The arrival of MSX from the Far East is, researchers suggest, one reason for CP/M not withering and dying as had been predicted. CP/M is actually gaining sustenance from its apparent rival, mainly because of its established place and its wide range of single cell and multiple cell parasites. These have been essential elements in the survival of CP/M, and it's noted that MSX lacks similar parasites to any great degree.

Researchers have also discovered that Professor Egast's linear growth prediction is not completely accurate. A fundamental part of this prediction is that there will be little or no nodular growth from specific cells within the genus. The professor claimed that such growths, essentially clusters of minor cells all interconnected to a central 'controller' cell, would be separate entities, away from the mainstream. He even defined their inward-looking multi-cellular linking to the controller cell as Xenophobic Interdependent Extremities, or Xenix for short. For a time it looked as though he was right, for there was a mutual exclusivity about PC-DOS and MS-DOS single cells, and Xenix clusters.

Now the picture is changing. Another sub-genus, long assumed to have no relevance to the main thrust of genetic development, is allowing these single cells and cellular clusters to exist together. This is the simultaneous hyper-activated multi-cell genus with task multiplicity, normally referred to as the Concurrent variant of DOS. Researchers are still not sure exactly how significant this discovery is, although the team leader, Dr Kildare, feels that the genetic possibilities which stem from mixing both single-cell and multi-cell organisms will lead to a more balanced entity being developed in the long term.

Researchers are intrigued by the discovery that the Concurrent variant of the genus has developed the capability of forming itself into wonderful shapes of a graphical nature. These can be manipulated by the researchers with ease, and the entities and cells then seem to react as though communicated with. It is being suggested that these cells may possess far greater powers of communication than was previously thought possible, although it's expected to be some time before anyone discovers how to make use of this capability effectively. Professor Egast is confidently predicting that a similar discovery will be made for the MS-DOS genus by the middle of the year, and that it will be much more comprehensive in its capabilities.

But what is intriguing researchers most, however, is the appearance in the murky pond of this new species. So far it has been very hard to identify and researchers are being extremely cautious; they are unwilling to speculate on future discoveries in this area. It does appear, however, that what the microbiologist referred to earlier as a 'large blue blob' could indeed be a genus within the species Discus Operatum Systematis.

So far, all that has been seen with any degree of certainty is a poorly defined outline of one aspect of the genus. As one researcher put it: 'All we have seen so far is the top view, and even then we don't really know what that looks like.' There is considerable concern among researchers, however, that this 'top view' may be a precursor to something much more significant, something which has been seen in other species in the computer family, in particular the computer gargantuum species.

There, Indiscriminatum Brutalisio Machismium, as the large blue blob is actually known, has all but killed off the other species. Only a few genetic anomalies remain. The researchers are trying desperately to identify the top view to see if it's from the IBM family (most are sure of this in their hearts), and whether there are any other species from the same family that can be expected.

It's possible that the entire nature of the Discus Operatum Systematis species will be altered, if not destroyed, should the IBM genus gain a strong foothold. Experience of the genus says it will, and that the long-term effects could be significant.

The murky pond may never be the same again.

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