Read further. Basically technomancers are living commlinks who use weird skill-like programs called Channels instead of hacker programs. If it weren't for their ability to break off pieces of Matrix code to do work for them (sprites) they would really be nothing more than slightly underpowered meat-only hackers, that can't get datajacks because it makes them less in-tune with machines.

Can you tell I liked Otaku better?

Technomancers are a little off as far as I can tell. I debated a house rule rounding resonance up instead of down, so they could get a minimal amount of cyber (such as the ever useful datajack, for jacking in) but decided against it.

As I see it the big edge TMs get over regular hackers is the aforementioned sprites and the ability to thread programs to do whatever they wish on the fly. They also have a number of disadvantages though, such as taking stun damage when attacked in the matrix instead of just being dumped like a regular matrix user.

As far as reaching out and touching a computer, I'm assuming you meant with his mind, from a distance. That I would dissallow however, I would permit a TM to access a non-wireless machine through physical contact with it, giving them another slight edge over regular hackers (who would have to take the time to pull out their fibreoptic cable and jack in) and removing the need for the resonance eating datajack. Otherwise they simply can't access non-wireless machines which is quite a substantial nerf.

It's a bit of a shame that there aren't any ATMs in SR, as I now have the mental image of a TM going up to use one, touching it, hacking in and making it spit out all the money s/he wants!

I can't really see any reason a technomancer should ever need a datajack or any other mundane means of connecting to a device (like trodes). If you come up to a device with no wireless capabilities but which has an I/O jack you can connect your comm (or whatever) to, you just plug your machine into the device. Then you access your device wirelessly (because you didn't disengage your device's Signal) and you access the offending device through the wire connection. TMs are no worse off than mundane hackers in that sense.

Everyone seems to forget that trodes are just as good as a datajack now for hacking. No penalties, they're the same. So mages/technomancers don't need to worry about wasting essence on a datajack when all they need to do is pick up a trode net.

or just paint them on from a tube of goo...

If you wanted to... I just think a trode net would be easier overall than wiping paste on, then using a rag to wipe it off. Then later wiping it on again, and so on.

I don't believe a TM can use his technomancy when using a datajack or trodes (he could only use 'regular hacking').

Skinlink: I houseruled that TMs have inherit skinlinks capabilities. Makes sense, more fun and negates the disadvantage when using the commlink to hack into a wireless device in an area where wifi activity is monitored.

Only this:

I suppose I see where you're coming from (and thumbs up on the organic skinlink idea), but TMs developed from Otaku (and have a lot in common), and the latter could do their weird stuff through DNI. Had to, in fact.
I see the 'organic wireless link' as just that. No reason to think that that's the only kind of link to the matrix that they could use.

Oh, on the otaku part: I never read their rules, there never was one in games I was in. So it's not too hard for me to just ignore old rules and only use the SR4 ones.

I know some people have problems with that, but I can wrap my head around that kind of reality distortion .

Fair enough.

Iirc, we decided (in one of the other myraid TM threads) that the easiest & best way for a TM to access wired-only nodes was simply to plug in the commlink that she would likely be carrying.

I know, I know, TMs work like a commlink, why would they have to carry one around? Because they have no internal storage, & there are places you cannot go without broadcasting your SIN and junk, which a TM is not equipped to do.

So, the TM plugs their commlink into the jack for the wired node & then accesses the commlink wirelessly. Voila'.

I agree. I see the nanopaste trodes as something you put on in the morning and wear all day.

Yeah, but what if you wanted to put on a hat? Ski mask? Anything else that might screw it up? It just seems like far less hassle to me to have a net you can toss on and take off at will, easily, than a gooey gel.

Gooey gel? Okay, see, there's the problem. Without a clear description of exactly what it's like, we have formed very different ideas about what nano-paste is like.

indeed. like i said, i tend to think of it as makeup or facepaint. yes, a net is less hassle, and 'professional' types probably wear them rather than nanopaste in most situations. but i don't think nanopaste trodes would sell at all if they left your face wet and sticky.

Even makeup or facepaint can pretty easily get messed up by clothing, brusing up against something, or other things such as that.

Since the trode-paste doesn't require a certain pattern of application, mussing it up a bit from clothing or whatever won't impede its use.

In my games, the trode-paste is much like body art paint used for temporary tattooing and the like. Which once applied and dried, doesn't come off too easily. Clothing doesn't mess it up; it takes a real washing to get the stuff off.

God, I'd hope so.

Going back to question about TMs accessing non-wireless devices:
I imagine that you can just buy a dataplug with a wireless modem in it (like a wi-fi PCI card for a laptop). If you encounter a device that isn't wireless then it's bound to have a datajack in it instead, so just slot your doodad in, and you're away. I can imagine many TMs carrying these tiny things around with them in some pocket or other, just in case. Maybe they even decorate them and wear them as jewellry.
Seems like a cheap and simple solution. Don't even need a commlink. And the dataplug modems can be more or less disposable.

One of my PCs is a drone rigger with more-or-less exactly that. Of course he's currently playing in 2063, pre-wireless world, but with access to AI-created state-of-the-art wireless technology, and his drone has a fiberoptic splicer for getting into networks, but it's the same sort of thing.

You're a little fuzzy on the concept because the concept is a little fuzzy.