From:	Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.UMICH.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Some question on memory.
Date:	Tue, 12 Sep 1995 12:40:30 -0400

On Mon, 11 Sep 1995, Dustin Wood wrote:

> Let's try a different analogy. If you compare a program, say an attack
> program, to another program, this one written to run on skillwires through a
> skillsoft system, say firearms, both have to be interpreted by the hardware
> (processors), right? And have to have room in which to work (RAM) in one
> case the ram is active memory, in the other it is a chip (or headware
> memory). In the case of a chip, all that data still has to flow through the
> chipjack.

No. The data doesn't "flow" through the chipjack. It's just
sitting there. That's like saying that data "flows" through your disk
drive. The chip is only storage. The actual part that is the "RAM" in
this case is either your skillwire system in the case of active softs or
your encephalon or datasoft link in the case of knowsofts. The chipjack
itself is merely a receptacle to read the data off the chip and keep it
safe during use. It doesn't do any real computation of its own. This is
important. The chip is not *running* the program. The skillwires are.
To illustrate the point, a softlink III by itself is totally
useless. Without skillwires (for active skills) or and encephalon or
datasoft link (for knowledge skills) you have no way to access the data
on the chip in a useful fashion. A display link lets you view raw chip
data in your field of view, but that's it. So the softlink itself is
basically just a floppy-drive in your head.
The confusion may result from the fact that originally, the
encephalon was not part of the overall equipment in SRII. Thus, when
Shadowtech came out, they said that the old chipjacks had a rudimentary
"level 0" encephalon built in. That's probably why they cost more
Essence than a 1-port softlink. But either way, its that 0-level
encephalon that's actually doing the work, not the chip. When you stick
your brand new CD-ROM game into your CD-drive, the CD is not running the
program. Your computer is. Skillsofts work the same way. The chip is
not doing the work, the skillwires or encephalon are.
Does *this* make any sense?

Marc