From:	David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject:	Re: Weird Campaigns
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 08:56:07 -0600

Wafflemeisters wrote:
/
[snip: VR2 and system security system tally]
/
/ So, supposedly, the system traks TOTAL security tally, and also the
/ amount genrated by each "illegal" user? (disignated HOW, as opposed to
/ those using "validate passcode", or those "invalidated" by an
intruding
/ decker?)
/ HMM, so an easy way for a corp decker to make things tough for an
/ intruder would be to perform some illegal opps, uppin the tally. A
/ system crash would piss off the corp, but so would stolen data... And
/ "invalidating" somebody would be a potential assasination technique...

Or, set the tally settings low. IIRC Red systems have pretty low
tallies, where as Green systems have high tally levels.

/ I'm pretty damn sure I found a passage in VR2 that confirms that
/ Tallies are NOT global, but I loaned out my anotated copy and only have
/ the "collectors edition" here. I can't find anything that says they ARE
/ global, or refers to deckerS, plural, when referencing security
/ tallies. If tallies are global, frames would be a LOT less useful,
/ generally having dreck for detection factors...

I got the impression that system tallies are global. Which makes sense,
IMHO, given the data paranoia of SR 205x.

In SR information is a very real comodity. The Crash of 29 wiped out a
lot of data (let's not get into how that happened, please :). After
the Virus was defeated everyone horded the data they had left and
locked it behind the tightest security they could.

As time passed the security was lifted on less sensitive data (library
catalogs, encyclopias, etc) but everyone kept a tight lid on sensitive
data.

But, the Crash of 29 created an environment that fostered the hording
and protection of data. Before the crash just about anyone could check
out patents, designs, and basic knowledge. After the crash even basic
information was very restricted.

If, after the Crash, you had a viable copy of basic chemical process,
then it was very probable that you had the *only* copy, due to the
effectiveness of the Virus. As a corp you would probably keep that
process close to your chest and not let anyone near it. It gives you a
monopoly on the process. And it gives you a major head start on doing
research on more advanced chemical processes.

As time passes the corps tend to specialize, depending on what data
they started out with after the crash. Sure, geniuses would allow some
corps without that data to rebuild their knowledge base, and create
competition. But most of the corps have to steal it, or die, or find a
nitch that no one is exploiting (the knowledge was completely wiped
out) and start from scratch (relatively speaking).

Given that kind of environment I, as a corporation, would have no
problem paying for lost time due to system shut downs resulting from
attempted intrusions into my data to protect my monopoly.

That kinda rambled, but I think I got my point across :)

-David
--
"If I told you, then I'd have to pull a Shadowrun against you. Sorry."
--
email: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm