Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject: Strip and Virtual Reality
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 10:49:48 -0700
Robert asked about this for Strip:

STRIP on Store-bought programs running on Store-bought MCP: No Change
STRIP on Store-bought programs running on Unique MCP: Rating x 2.5%
STRIP on Unique Program running on Store-Bought MCP: Rating x 2.5%
STRIP on Unique Program running on Unique MCP: Rating x 5%

This doesn't seem too bad, but actually I have a question that is relevent to
Strip that has not been mentioned. In Shadowrun, programming is more than an
exersize in code writing, it is also an artform. They talk about how the code
is written or sculpted to present a certain image. This implies that deckers
and program writers intensionally write in externious code for the purpose of
Art. If we use strip as you suggest we would eliminate this extra code and
compromise the integerity of the programs image. You might be thinking BFD, but
in the Matrix perception is everything. While this is not reflected by any
rules in the game, it is supposed to have a profound effect on the decker.

Therefore I must ask what you think of this? I don't think it should be blown
off.

See Ya in Shadows,
Jason J Carter
The Nightstalker
Message no. 2
From: Dave Sherohman <esper@*****.IMA.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Strip and Virtual Reality
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 15:51:26 -0500
Nightstalker asked:

>This doesn't seem too bad, but actually I have a question that is relevent to
>Strip that has not been mentioned. In Shadowrun, programming is more than an
>exersize in code writing, it is also an artform. They talk about how the code
>is written or sculpted to present a certain image. This implies that deckers
>and program writers intensionally write in externious code for the purpose of
>Art. If we use strip as you suggest we would eliminate this extra code and
>compromise the integerity of the programs image.

>Therefore I must ask what you think of this? I don't think it should be blown
>off.

Not a problem, because (in my version of how Strip works, which I've seen one
other person endorse, so I know I'm not the only one...) it doesn't determine
what's needed for the program to function and trach the rest, but rather it
goes through the program and says, "This routine to foo isn't needed because
there's a routine in the MPCP code which foos just as well." It then nukes
the program's foo routine and puts in an instruction to use the MPCP's foo
instead. I suppose this could result in some minor changes in program
function (a PC analog would be replacing BIOS calls with direct writes to
screen memory or vice versa - it does the same thing, but not in the same
way and there may be speed differences, etc.), but it wouldn't significantly
change the program's VR appearance. (Ah! Better PC analog - a PC Strip
could, among other things, throw out any 80x87 emulation routines in a
program if it was run on a machine with an 80x87 chip installed.)

esper@***.umn.edu

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Strip and Virtual Reality, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!