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Message no. 1
From: William Monroe Ashe <wma6617@****.TAMU.EDU>
Subject: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 14:06:01 -0500
Note: there are NO spoilers here. Feel free to read and make any
comments that you feel are appropriate. I am not going to cross post
over to the list for the Newbies Guide yet. I'd like to work out some
more of the kinks first. In the game that I currently play, none of us has
bothered to do anything involving the matrix. So, our moderately evil GM
gets to have lots of fun by whipping up NPC's to mess with our heads.

(although after what happened last night he's moving up the evil GM
ladder pretty darn quick :-) )

Well, I've gotten an chance to do a little GM'ing. This run will be a
"downtime" run so I decided to offer the characters a chance to go into
the matrix in a relatively risk free fashion. As I was leafing through
VR2.0 it occured to me that this book never addressed how the average
person (NOT a decker) accesses the matrix. Since the matrix is supposed to
provide the user with "all the information they need", I wondered how the
average Joe sued it. This got my rusty gears grinding, and I cranked out
the stuff below. So I will give this (or a resonable facsimile thereof)
to the player to introduce them to the way I think that it works.

So all you matrix experts out there let me know if I have messed anything up.

Regards

Bill

*****************************************************************************

The Matrix:
Getting In:
The matrix provides a person with all of the information
that they need. It provides everything including TELECOMM to
SERVICE, FLAT-VID, TRIDEO, LEGAL SIMSENSE, MUSIC, and ACCESS to
thousands of *Hosts* all over the world. These services can be
broken up into two major groups.
1.The Telecommunication Grids: Your Local Telecommunication
Grid (LTG) provides you with full access to all of the above
services. It does this by assigning your device (i.e. a
Personal Secretary, a Trideo/Telecom unit (TTU), Cellular
Phone, Home Computer etc. etc. etc.) a *Passcode*. This
passcode allows you access to the various features of the
matrix that you desire, and provides you with a convenient,
and trustworthy method of billing.
2.Computer Hosts: These powerful computers store the data
that you want to access. Anything from the latest
music-trids, to public libraries, to the sales and marketing
divisions of almost every corporation in the world are at
your fingertips. Your LTG provided passcode allows you
instant access to all of these services.

Now the LTG/Passcode system is sensitive to the type of
device you connect to your comm. port, and the type of access you
desire. For example, it would not be correct to charge you for
full access to the matrix if you only had a personal secretary
plugged into your comm. port. However if you replace your
Personal Secretary with a home computer with the proper matrix
software, you will be billed for full access (including any
charges incurred on any hosts you visit.) This system insures
that all users are billed correctly for the services that they
desire.

WARNING: The LTG/Passcode system must not be tampered with.
This is a violation of the CAS Telecommunications Act of 2049.
Equipping a system with software designed to fool the Passcode
recognition software is illegal and dangerous. Many hosts
contain very sensitive data. This data allows them to use
intrusion countermeasures (IC in the common-speak), that can
damage your equipment, or even cause you physical harm. These
systems are well marked and are harmless to users with legal
passcodes, provided they do not try to circumvent their legally
proscribed access and venture deeper that their passcode allows.

**************************************************************************

That's all I could think up last night. Feel free to enlighten one so
unworthy as I.
Message no. 2
From: "... ..." <Brother-1@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 11:29:45 -1000
hmmm....IC won't cause you physical harm if you aren't really decking,
unless it's trace, and that's indirect. My feelings are that accessing
the Matrix is pretty similar to the way it was before the Crash, if you
aren't using a datajack, or 'trodes. You could probably still hack a
system, although you'd have to know everything about that system and set
it up in advance. If you didn't, you'd be traced and burned before you
could logoff.
Message no. 3
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 11:45:04 +0100
William Monroe Ashe said on 14:06/30 Jun 97...

> As I was leafing through VR2.0 it occured to me that this book never
> addressed how the average person (NOT a decker) accesses the matrix.
> Since the matrix is supposed to provide the user with "all the
> information they need", I wondered how the average Joe sued it. This
> got my rusty gears grinding, and I cranked out the stuff below. So I
> will give this (or a resonable facsimile thereof) to the player to
> introduce them to the way I think that it works.

I was thinking of the same thing not long ago, mostly because one of my
players wanted to search for info using his telecom...

A computer network like the Matrix would IMHO be set up for users who
_don't_ have a cyberdeck, since it would likely be too much to ask to
equip every wage slave with a legal cyberdeck. I just did some
calculations (well, my program did it for me) and for an MPCP-1/1/0/0/1
tortoise deck with 50 Mp active and 200 Mp storage memory, an I/O speed
of 1, and a vidscreen I got a cost of 3,033Y including the 10% reduction
for buying a deck off the shelf. Without the active memory (since these
decks won't need to carry decker programs) the cost drops to 2,696Y.

That's still a huge sum for someone like most of us here. Only people
who'd make the Matrix their hobby, or need access to it for their
profession, would be willing to spend that kind of money, I think.

What I'm now thinking of is making the Matrix more easily accessible using
normal computers (which are mostly window dressing in SR anyway because
there's hardly anything useful you can do with them) by running some
communications software. It should be possible to try and perform illegal
operations with them, but doing that should also be a lot more difficult
than with a cyberdeck. Not to mention the user is _always_ a tortoise.
Hmm, I'll have to think about this some more...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
All I need is a little oblivion.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 4
From: Greg <greg@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 10:20:43 -0400
At 06:45 AM 7/1/97 -0400, Gurth wrote:
>A computer network like the Matrix would IMHO be set up for users who
>_don't_ have a cyberdeck, since it would likely be too much to ask to
>equip every wage slave with a legal cyberdeck. I just did some
>calculations (well, my program did it for me) and for an MPCP-1/1/0/0/1
>tortoise deck with 50 Mp active and 200 Mp storage memory, an I/O speed
>of 1, and a vidscreen I got a cost of 3,033Y including the 10% reduction
>for buying a deck off the shelf. Without the active memory (since these
>decks won't need to carry decker programs) the cost drops to 2,696Y.
>
>That's still a huge sum for someone like most of us here. Only people
>who'd make the Matrix their hobby, or need access to it for their
>profession, would be willing to spend that kind of money, I think.
>
Well, the nuyen of shadowrun is supposed to be basically equivilant to the
value of an American dollar today. The way things are in business TODAY
there is a $2,600-$3,500 computer on every desk. Given the added
importance that the Matrix has in 205X in the everyday dealings of business
relative to the importance that a receptionist be able to surf the web
today I can't see why your average wage-slave wouldn't be equiped with at
least the level of tech that you calculated. Especially since what the
purchasers really are concerned with is productivity and the use of decking
would boost the productivity of the average worker greatly. Another aspect
is that even a moderately sized office is going to be needing equipment for
more than one are two people; the mass-order discount on tech items is
usually really good as it is not the manufacturing of an individual unit,
but the R&D of the original design which is expensive. Now, the cost of a
datajack is there, but really; outside of the shadowy world of the SINless
there would not be many people who didn't have a jack (how hard is is to
get through college today without EVER using a computer? <Note to self:
consider making datajack "essense-free" with proper background>)
On the other hand, if just for world completeness, I do think that one
should flesh-out the non-decking matrix access in one's game. It adds a
certain atmosphere of frnzied hacking and late-night crunching that a bunch
of drooling wireheads staring off into space just doesn't. Also it gives
the deckers one more trick to use; it should be much easier to hide your
identity from a dumb (or even not so dumb) terminal than when you've jacked
the whole shebang directly into your brain.

greg
Famous fantasy rpg moment:
GM: as you crest the ridge you see a gazebo on the hill
Player: Has it seen us?
GM: well... I mean. No... it's a gazebo.
Player: Good, can I sneak up behind it.
GM: Man, it's a gazebo!
Player: I know, I know; can I sneak up behind it.
GM: (Resignedly) Sure, I guess.
Player: Now, can I determine enough from it's general anatomy whether it's
possible to Backstab it?
GM: BUT IT"S A FREAKIN' GAZEBO!!!
(not mine actually; our SR GM, Zach Bush, told this stroy to me a few
nights ago.)
Message no. 5
From: Tim Cooper <z-i-m@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 22:41:01 EDT
On Tue, 1 Jul 1997 11:45:04 +0100 Gurth <gurth@******.NL> writes:
>William Monroe Ashe said on 14:06/30 Jun 97...
>

>A computer network like the Matrix would IMHO be set up for users who
>_don't_ have a cyberdeck, since it would likely be too much to ask to
>equip every wage slave with a legal cyberdeck. I just did some
>calculations (well, my program did it for me) and for an MPCP-1/1/0/0/1
>tortoise deck with 50 Mp active and 200 Mp storage memory, an I/O speed
>of 1, and a vidscreen I got a cost of 3,033Y including the 10% reduction
>for buying a deck off the shelf. Without the active memory (since these
>decks won't need to carry decker programs) the cost drops to 2,696Y.
>
>That's still a huge sum for someone like most of us here. Only people
>who'd make the Matrix their hobby, or need access to it for their
>profession, would be willing to spend that kind of money, I think.

Huh? 2.7K is only about $1,000 more than what the average person pays
for a decent computer in the US. (Also figure that the stuff used in
Deck's is probably a bit more "top 'o the line" than what would go into a
standard tortise - so you could probably shave off a few more yen with
"cheaper" memory, a slower cpu, etc.. the "pc speaker" equivalent of
an
ASIST set up?) Tack on 60 years of inflation and you'll probably have
it. Hell, for about $30 a month you'll be able to get internet access
from a standard cable TV provider, and given how Trid and telecom
service runs, I don't think it would be too unreasonable to provide
something on the order of "Web TV" (or "Matrix Trid") as part of the
package in SR.

(Also, Couldn't you also effectively drop the MPCP ratings to something
like all 0's?)

~Tim
Message no. 6
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 10:50:51 +0100
Tim Cooper said on 22:41/ 1 Jul 97...

> (Also, Couldn't you also effectively drop the MPCP ratings to something
> like all 0's?)

So you end up with an MPCP-0/0/0/0/0 tortoise with Active Memory 50,
Storage memory 200, I/O 1, plus a vidscreen? That'd cost 1,535Y, which
isn't unreasonable IMHO. Without the Active memory (which you don't really
need if you dont plan to run any programs to affect the Matrix), it even
drops to 1,197Y.

However, it still doesn't solve the problem of accessing the Matrix
through an ordinary computer or a telecom.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Without lies, there'd be 100% divorce rate, a lot of discontented
children, and no advertising industry.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 7
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Using the Matrix w/o "Decking"; My thoughts
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 10:50:51 +0100
Greg said on 10:20/ 1 Jul 97...

> Well, the nuyen of shadowrun is supposed to be basically equivilant to the
> value of an American dollar today. The way things are in business TODAY
> there is a $2,600-$3,500 computer on every desk.

Either that, or one that cost that much 5 years ago :)

> Given the added importance that the Matrix has in 205X in the everyday
> dealings of business relative to the importance that a receptionist be
> able to surf the web today I can't see why your average wage-slave
> wouldn't be equiped with at least the level of tech that you calculated.

In offices, sure. I was more concerned with the computers people have at
home -- if the current trend continues, it looks like by 2058 every
household will have at least five computers :) Would you spend US$2500 on
a computer? I know I wouldn't, at least not in one go. Mine cost about
half that when I bought it 1 3/4 years ago, and since then I've spent
the equivalent of around US$500 on it for some new hardware (scanner,
CD-ROM drive, that sort of thing). Not an expensive system, but not every
family spends their money on a computer either -- they only do that if
they feel they need one, in my experience, except for hobbyists who want
but don't need one :)

(BTW, could you try and divide your text into smaller paragraphs to make
it a bit easier to read?)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Without lies, there'd be 100% divorce rate, a lot of discontented
children, and no advertising industry.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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