| From: | Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@****.SUNYSB.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Reflex Recorders and other drek |
| Date: | Tue, 27 Oct 92 17:04:19 EST |
reflex recorders to capture computer skill on a skillsoft.
The core of the problem is weather or not computing is an active
skill or a knowledge/mental skill. The rules, in my opinion are vague
and/or inaccurate in describing these categories (at least partially
innnacurate, otherwise there wouldn't be an argument). I will address this
problem since my realworld 20th century persona is a computer science major/
program designer. This view represents my interpretation of the subject
based on my own experience and judgement rather than on an obey-the-letter-of
-the-law-who-cares-what-the-spirit-of-the-law-is.
To understand this problem, we have to analyze just how much of
computing/decking is reflex (how fast can you type) and how much involves
clever thinking and planning (how well can you design a sleaze program).
In my experience, computing is almost entirely mental. How well you
work with a system depends on your knowledge of the system and programming
techniques. Being able to type fast is of little use when you want to figure
out which subdirectory contains the data file you want, or when designing a
complicated security-cracking program. People who type slow can easily make
up for this deficiency by using preset function keys or command aliases.
(ie when I compile my programming projects, instead of typing out
~stark/bin/gnucc -c context.c lexer.c main.c
then
~stark/bin/gnucc -o myprog context.o lexer.o main.o
I just have to type the command make!
I'm sorry, but no matter how fast you can type, just try typing the first
line, waiting for a response, then typing the second line and waiting for a
response in the time it takes me to type m-a-k-e , hit return and wait for
one response. No reflex recorder can capture the essence of tricks like
that especially since they vary from system to system, and even from person
to person)
Decking has some reaction-time built into it, but this is mainly based on
how fast and how accurately you can think. Decking is primarily done with
some degree of cybernetic interface. Most commands are entered through the
datajack directly from the users mind. This is augmented by keyboard use,
which can be minimized by knowing a few good tricks (I can do stuff like
that now, just think of how many more tricks there will be in the 2050s).
One way of gauging the quality of the deck is the ratio of keyboard to
cyber control, but this is minimal when you heap on the obligatory response
increases! Decking involves some minimal reaction/reflex based skill
(typing), but is primarily based on how much you know about what you're
doing and how clever you are.
One more issue, you might be able to make someone type faster by slapping
a reflex recorder on them, but how can you justify giving them the full
benefits of computer skill this way. How does recording someone's "typing"
reflex (which is what the reflex recorder would be picking up) allow you
to design programs, or know how to delete a time stamp, or track down an
LTG address. How does it help you figure out a decryption scheme for
scrambled data? These are probably more important aspects of decking than
just being fast (remember Blackbeard's comments about new and faster gear vs
knowledge and experience.
I could almost justify allowing a typing skillsoft that would give a
little reaction boost while decking, but notice the word ALMOST.
In the 2050's computers are a part of everyday lives, people use them in
one way or another from the day they are born until the day they die (with a
few exceptions in the magical communities). In a society like that, typing
is a skill you can take for granted. Everyone uses keyboards of some kind
in the course of their everyday lives, so everone is a fasy typist. Really,
the only way to improve a skill as commonplace as writing is today is to
do something really drastic (like wired reflexes) to get signifigant
improvements.
>>>>>>[ A pal of mine thought he could record and sell his computing
skill
with a reflex recorder! The damn fool recorded himself designing a
pretty big sleaze program and figured that it would capture the essence
of program design in the act. Well, he managed to convince some poor
slob to buy his "level 9 computer skillsoft". When the drekhead who
bought the first copy slotted the chip, he could type out a sleaze-9
program as fast as I could. Too bad he couldn't do anything else with
it. He found out the hard way, by going into the matrix armed with
the chip. He figured he was pretty invulnerable and got pretty far
by constructing sleaze-9's on the fly, until the IC (black variety)
found him. I could almost see the IC laugh as it fried the guy.
I guess it didn't like having someone try to induce a core dump with
a sleaze-9!!!! ]<<<<<<<
---Dark Elf <NO I DO NOT WORSHIP BIG SPIDERS!!!>
