“	It's the ISOs, man! Isomorphic Algorithms.	”
—Kevin Flynn[src]

ISO
Biographical information
User	None
Compile Date	Various
Derezzed Date	1989 (mostly) (The Grid)
Status	Endangered (except Quorra) (The Grid) Alive (Arq Grid)
Physical description
Circuitry Color	Various; namely, White and Green
Gender	Various
Description	Normal program appearance
Other information
Allies	Anon Kevin Flynn Tron
Out of universe information
Appearances	TRON: Legacy TRON: Evolution TRON: Betrayal TRON: Uprising TRON: Identity TRON: Catalyst
Gallery

Isomorphic Algorithms (better known as ISOs) were a race of programs that spontaneously evolved on the Grid, as opposed to being written by users. Their existence was considered a miracle by Kevin Flynn; however, Clu considered them an obstruction in his mission to create the "perfect" system.

The ISOs differed from Basic programs not in their appearance and capabilities, but in the uniqueness of their code base. They were said to be different due to them not being programmed or controlled by functions, protocols, and the need for purpose. While regular programs often conform to the rigid structure defined by their users, the ISOs had evolved and possess an advanced code that even Kevin Flynn could scarcely comprehend. This inner structure of their code would potentially have allowed ISOs to develop beyond the capabilities of regular programs.

History

1984

The first ISO to be born was Ophelia, who later became known as Radia.^[1] Kevin Flynn and Clu discovered her in 1984^[2] at the edge of Tron City.^[1] More ISOs were birthed from the Grid, and they astonished Flynn with their abilities.^[3]

As the ISO population continuously grew, ISO cities, such Arjia City and the Bostrum Colony^[2], were established within the Grid. A district for the ISOs was also placed in Tron City.^[4]

New system

Flynn eventually created a New Grid and for ISOs to inhabit,^[5] and promised to return to this Grid. However, he ultimately never returned, and its Arq server was left to evolve without him. A society was soon forged within this new system, and the area that stands center within it is The Repository.^[6][7]

1989

A group of System Monitors led by Tron and Dyson headed to the ISO district of Tron City to stop discriminatory Basics from harassing the ISOs, though things soon took a turn for the worse when a riot against the ISOs occurred after the death of a single program within the crowd of furious Basics. Multiple ISOs were Derezzed during the chaos and Dyson, a long time partner of Tron, was disfigured. Crowds of ISOs later surrounded Flynn's Arcade while waiting for Kevin Flynn to arrive.^[4] Ophelia, now known as Radia, was soon to become a system administrator alongside Clu 2 at the same time, though her installation ceremony was interrupted by a viral attack.^[2]

The Purge

Main article: Purge

Clu 2 later declared war on the ISOs by destroying the End of Line Club, an ISO safe haven. The war became known as the Purge.^[3][2]

Appearance

The ISOs have a glowing symbol on their arm, and some depictions also show other markings on their skin. Their color circuitry is usually white, but the Bostrumites, such as Gibson, modified their circuitry to glow bright green. In the Arq Grid, some of the ISOs, such as the Automata, apparently no longer resembled users, with some like Sierra adopting a modified humanoid appearance to make others more comfortable.

The symbol in their arm represents their gender. The female ISO symbol is a hexagon, followed by a "T" shape, while the male ISO symbol replaces the cross with a sideways "V" shape. In TRON: Evolution - Battle Grids, the male/female choice is distinguished by each of these symbols.

Known ISOs

Tron System

• Ada (Uprising)
• Calchas
• Gibson
• Giles
• Jalen (Later reconfigured into the Virus Abraxas)
• Ophelia (later known as Radia)
• Quorra (The last ISO)
• Unnamed ISO (Named by the player in TRON: Evolution - Battle Grids)
• Demas
• Hamilton
• Nestor
• Johnson
• Varignon
• Debian
• Tasram
• Deacon
• Panos

Arq Grid

• Ada (Identity)
• Cass
• Grish
• Query
• Proxy
• Prinz
• Sierra

Trivia

• The male and female ISO symbols each include a hexagon, a symbol widely used on Kevin Flynn's Grid and possibly symbolic of organic life, since the hexagonal benzene ring is present inside the four building blocks of DNA. The sideways T is the logical symbol for implication; thus the female symbol could be read as implying organic life. The symbols also resemble the traditional symbols for male and female, ♂ and ♀, stylized with a hexagon for the circle, and the protruding arrow and sideways T each detached to stand separately. The symbol for a female ISO can be made using the UNICODE characters for "Software-Function Symbol" (U+2394) and "Assertion" (U+22A6): ⎔⊦. The symbol for a male ISO can be made using the UNICODE characters for "Software-Function Symbol" (U+2394) and "Medium Right-pointing Angle Bracket Ornament" (U+276D): ⎔❭ . Different fonts will render the characters with different sizing and spacing so try different fonts to make it look perfect.
• A key to intelligence, according to Godel, Escher, Bach, is analogy. ISOs' ability to quickly grasp patterns such as analogies, swiftly building knowledge despite lacking preprogrammed directives, may have lent to Kevin Flynn's perception of them as "unimaginably wise".
• Flynn speculated that ISOs differed from Basics through possessing free will, which could not be programmed. However, many Basic programs have been seen to possess initiative, choice, and both will and ability to change, leaving Flynn's criteria questionable. This may also mean that they differ because they cannot be programmed or controlled and require no purpose or function in their systems. 
• ISO has several possible meanings in the context of TRON. Iso is a prefix in the English language derived from Greek meaning "equal". ISO is also a term in computer science and describes an archived file of an optical disk or disk image. ISO is also a common abbreviation in personals ads that means In Search Of. ISO is so versatile as a word, acronym, and prefix in English and other languages that it accurately reflects the nature of the ISOs in the TRON universe.

References