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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
Subject: New respect for deckers
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 13:09:31 -0400
Well, I just started a new job working for a financial data services
company here in Ohio, and a few things shocked me and gave me some ideas
for SR.

To start with ... don't freak out now, but the largest Financial Data
company in the USA, and the 3rd largest in the world is run almost
completely on OLD 9 inch magnetic tapes!!
The entire system is sooooo old and decrepit, I'm amazed it doesn't come
crumbling down around me at work!
The hulking monstrous mainframes are so archaic and old it's ... boggling.

The other weird part, and the part that gives me ssome ideas for SR is that
fact that they are slooowwly updating the system to a CD style recording
system.

SO here's the SR part - most megacorps would likely operate somewhat
similar to this IMO.
Therefore, the next couple times I do up a host system, I plan on making it
rather fractured, with different parts of the system running on different
ages of equipment.
Maybe say that the initial main host the PC enters is SOTA, a sculptured
system with the latest in IC, but as the decker travels farther insystem,
he would encounter some seriously old stuff.
Maybe even switch back to VR1 style system mapping, rather than VR2's new
style?

I might even throw in a few ancient programs that would baffle the decker
unless he realizes what they are.

Steven A. Tinner
bluewizard@*****.com
http://www.ncweb.com/users/bluewizard
"Fire and T_ts! Fire and T_ts! All my favorite things!" - Tinner and Bull
Message no. 2
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@****.ORG>
Subject: Re: New respect for deckers
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 13:02:45 -0600
Steven A. Tinner wrote:
|
| SO here's the SR part - most megacorps would likely operate somewhat
| similar to this IMO.
| Therefore, the next couple times I do up a host system, I plan on making it
| rather fractured, with different parts of the system running on different
| ages of equipment.
| Maybe say that the initial main host the PC enters is SOTA, a sculptured
| system with the latest in IC, but as the decker travels farther insystem,
| he would encounter some seriously old stuff.
| Maybe even switch back to VR1 style system mapping, rather than VR2's new
| style?
|
| I might even throw in a few ancient programs that would baffle the decker
| unless he realizes what they are.

Use the rule about... <gah, brain failure> when a cyberdeck has a lot
of active programs but the line doesn't have a high enough
transmission rate. Assign a limit to an old computer system. Then
the PC's deck will get bogged down while the system's defenses are
running at speed (like trying to load Win95 on a 286 while DOS 2.0 is
deleting it cuz it thinks it's a virus (which is still in question
:)).

-David
--
/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ dbuehrer@****.org /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking
alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
~~~http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm~~~~
Message no. 3
From: "Mark E. Manhardt" <droopy@**.NET>
Subject: Re: New respect for deckers
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 18:05:47 +0000
> From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
> Subject: New respect for deckers

> The hulking monstrous mainframes are so archaic and old it's ... boggling.
> SO here's the SR part - most megacorps would likely operate somewhat
> similar to this IMO.

Yes and no. Divisions such as MIS and R&D will typicly have the
newest tech the corp can aquire. The corporate network and most of
it's workers will be on second generation equipment (castoffs from
MIS, likely.) And departments like accounting will STILL be hugging
those 9in tapes for fear of joining the 2050's like the rest of us.


--Droopy


droopy@**.net
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: New respect for deckers
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 11:35:11 +0100
David Buehrer said on 13:02/ 2 May 97...

> Use the rule about... <gah, brain failure> when a cyberdeck has a lot
> of active programs but the line doesn't have a high enough
> transmission rate.

Bandwidth.

> Assign a limit to an old computer system. Then the PC's deck will get
> bogged down while the system's defenses are running at speed

Bandwidth would probably be rather low for systems like the one we're
talking about here -- VR2.0 gives a normal access point (phone line etc.)
a BW of 20, but I'd say drop that to 10 or maybe even 5 for really old
systems that were among the first to be hooked up to the Matrix, and never
got updated.

> (like trying to load Win95 on a 286 while DOS 2.0 is deleting it cuz it
> thinks it's a virus (which is still in question :)).

I thought a virus does what it's supposed to do, and does it fast? That
rules out Win95 being a virus straight away... :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
I know that that sounds dumb.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 5
From: Harlequin <harlequin@*********.CA>
Subject: Re: New respect for deckers
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 08:32:19 -0400
> From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
> Subject: New respect for deckers
>
> The hulking monstrous mainframes are so archaic and old it's ...
boggling.
> SO here's the SR part - most megacorps would likely operate somewhat
> similar to this IMO.

Hmmmm to represent this, i think you can adjust the Data Density like
that a 5 Paydata points file will be 200 Mp of memory!
or a better idea :

A bulky old system will not accept HOT ASSIST interface....
and a the oldest of the system will not even accept COLD ASSIST...

so when you are running against them.... the decker must use his deck as a
tortoise! :)

Harlequin - The master of chaos
harlequin@*********.ca

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Thwap!