I really have no exposure to this stuff, just want to get a ball park on it.

If you're new, always go for the mundane first. Fewer rules to deal with.

this is highly dependant. they are each good at different playstyles, and either of them could be better for any given situation.

for example, if you're looking at a long, drawn-out siege of a system, you definitely want a hacker. if you want someone who won't be a liability to the team that has to get inside a corp facility before they can start hacking, you want a hacker.

if you need someone to brute force something, you want a technomancer, on the other hand. especially if that something is an extremely difficult target due to high ratings (again, if it's difficult because of layers, you get back to wanting a hacker).

essentially, if it's a situation where you need a ginormous dice pool once or twice, you want a TM. if you just need a respectable dice pool over and over and over, you want a hacker.

I agree that for a new player, going with the mundane character is a good plan. However, Technomancy plays out closer to magic than anything else, so it's a good compromise for a guy who kinda likes magicians but ends up with a hacker.

Also, Sprites can just be incredibly vicious. A properly-constructed Technomancer can, without really screwing themself up, summon a couple of high-rating Sprites to abuse the hell out of just about any system. Find a System 6/Firewall 6 system with Analyze 6 that you're just having trouble breaking into? Sic a rating 10 Crack sprite on it, and it'll breeze through like you wouldn't believe. The fading from the compilation and registration can be painful if the Sprite gets lucky, but once you have him hanging around, not much can stop him.

Where's the vote for the physad?

...mundane, because you are not such a wuss in the meat world. Remember there are things like bullets, grenades, and spells and having even one extra IP outside of the matrix can be a lifesaver. TMs take too much of a hit from implants, more so than a mage or adept for the latter two have other ways to compensate for the reduction in power.

...I beg to differ, pardner...

--Kyoto Kid

The builds I saw for an Adept hacker kicked the crap out of Technomancers and mundane hackers.

True enough, Buster. Although with machine sprites, an otaku can probably run rings around the average rigger, adept or otherwise.

...yeah and Otaku could also get 'ware to deal with the meat word without sacrificing ability as their talents were not linked to an Essence based attribute like TMs.

An Otaku nearing the age for fading could be a very dangerous individual both in and out of the matrix, especially if she went with Bio implants.

Better at actual hacking/rigging, techno, all the way. Better at anything else also? Mundane.

...KK doesn't have any technical skill outside of rating 1 in computer (commlink) so she can at least make a phone call. Her only application of the Improved Ability power is for her athletic skills. She does not have Kinesics or any "Social Adept" powers. All of her adept powers are directly related to physical actions/situations. Ergo, KK is a real Physad.

...but we digress. Back to the original topic.

Speaking of idiotic not-real words, I always have to laugh when I see the word 'otaku' which actually means 'fanboy' in Japanese.

Whats the "mark" of a good hacker? Of a good rigger? We should quantify these things first.

Not enough options.

Uberally with AR goggles and gloves.

*runs*

Seriously, for general work, take the hacker. For heavy mojo and special abilities that can't be replicated, take the TM. Note, however, that the TM will have more weaknesses than the hacker.

...call them what you wish, I still prefer the old school Otaku over TMs even though they didn't make very good characters for physically psrticipating on a run. Given enough Karma and a good tribe, eventually, they had the potential to become just as good as any runner in the physical sense without sacrificing their prime abilities like TMs do. Before I retired Akima, she had increased her natural Body and Quickness and also received 2 levels of Muscle Toner from her tribe and a rating 1 Synaptic accelerator.

One of the things mentioned about Otaku is that after they faded they usually became some of the hottest deckers around. Had this been a long running campaign, Akima would have most likely developed to the point of being able to handle life running in the meat world. She also would have actually been able to build her own custom deck and write her own software (something many Otaku did in preparation of the fading).

The effectiveness of a TM is directly proportional to how well they use their Sprites. I have yet to see two players of equal skill hack equally well when one is a well played TM and the other a well played Adept Hacker. The stealth program rating threaded and aided by a Registered sprite alone makes the TM worlds better. The fact TM's get things like the Hash encryption and Electron Storm power (which affects non-VR targets!) is all just gravy after getting a stealth of 12 or 14.