[X] My Assistant

[hermit]

And please note they DID call MS MicroDeck in their game.

I think you're on the right track there. Note that accessing a Dataterm (a public data terminal) is a pay service (see BBB p. 304, Common Costs). That dataterm probably is Google 2070, unfortunately.

I'd rather take this as an updated version of the internet café. A public computer.

In my games, all Megas and several smaller Companies operate their own search engines. All use soemthing like google's ranking algorith, but also, all promote sites that have ties with their mother company or pay them discreetly. Data Search tests refer not to finding web sites but to browsing theme fficiently and finding whatever snippet of information you seek.

[hobgoblin]

i suspect that most of the software of SR is written is interpreted languages. think perl, python, ruby, and to a lesser degree, java. hell, this is where microsoft is aiming with .net and silverlight right now. in a way, microsoft took the idea of java, and made it language agnostic by allowing just about anything to be "compiled" into something .net compatible.

also, old school SR had a whole lot of ideas lifted from phreaking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phreaking

as in, the corp do not want to tell you have the different levels of the matrix works, only that you should trust them in keeping it working. but the deckers of SR found the holes in the system, that allowed them to crawl around in the cracks and crawlspaces.

if your familiar with the arguments for and against net neutrality today, or termination fees payed when a phone call jumps between phone networks, then you have the SR matrix. it has less in common with the web as it has with the phone system. sure, there is AR now. but what still allows for the phone system concept. its just that if your within broadcast range, your hooked into the "lan". if you want to go beyond that you have to find a "phone central" that will route your traffic, putting the bill on your lifestyle tab. its just that it happens automatically so the common user dont see it much.

its only the hacker/decker/phreak that knows the exact number of centrals and switching stations the traffic hits before it reaches the goal.

how many have played around with the traceroute (tracert if your using windows) command/app? basically its a app that lists the dns address or ip of every router between you and whatever address you give traceroute as a goal.

now consider that each time the owner of said router changes, there is a fee for jumping between networks being levied...