My first post, I don't know if this has come up. Could not find it in the forums.
My biggest problem with sr (any edition) is the matrix.
Even buying stuff for your hacker is difficult. To make this more simple I would make program packages. With these, you basically buy the four packages, and an attack program.
The packages also comes with a 20% discount (roughly).
Looking at the programs I made four packages:

"programming" (skills using computer) includes
Analyze
Edit
Encrypt
Medic
Track

rating and cost
1: 200 2: 400 3: 600 4: 1600 5: 2000 6: 2400

"Hacking" (skills udsing hacking) includes
Defuse
Exploit
Sniffer
Spoof
Stealth

1: 2000 2: 4000 3: 6000 4: 16000 5: 20000 6: 24000

"System" (programs that basically defines your system)
Armor
Reality Filter
Biofeedback
ECCM
Firewall

1: 800 2: 1600 3: 2400 4: 8000 5: 1000 6: 12000

"Info" (having to do with the information detection and stuff)
Browse
Scan
Decrypt

1: 550 2: 1100 3: 1650 4: 4400 5: 5500 6: 6600

So, would this be the right groupings? Is the cost rediculous?

You'll notice the packages specifically avoid bundling together the ALL the programs everyone needs all the time. They are not meant to be wholesale discounts for Hackers. They are meant to be slighlty trade-offy. They bundle some programs not used as often with some used more often.

So no, it's a bad idea to just package everything you need and slap a discount on it. It's the same principle as the cyberware packages.

Also, there are already program suites available in Unwired. So this has already been done.

Oops. That slipped my attention.
However, the suites are confusing for newbies. They still leave me with a lot of work trying to figure out which programs are needed.
You might say that if I don't know which programs I need for what, that I should not go there. But as my group are all virgins in relation to the matrix rules, we need all the help we can (and my packages help me doing just that, especially if they are gruoped "correctly", which is part of my question).

Ahh, I see.

Well, in that case, I'd say do something like this for grouping:

Basic Use
Analyze, Browse, Edit, Scan

Advanced Use
Command, Encrypt, Reality Filter, Purge

Basic Cybercombat
Armor, Attack, Stealth, Nuke

Advanced Cybercombat
Biofeedback Filter, Black Hammer, Blackout

Basic Hacking
Exploit, Spoof, Decrypt, Corrupt, Disarm

Support Hacking
Databomb, Defuse, Medic

Signal Hacking
ECCM, Sniffer, Tracking

That's all the programs from core and unwired. I tiered them so there are no duplicates, but that means a "hacker" would need to pick up Basic, Support and Signal hacking programs to cover everything. All the common use programs are in the first two groupings.

Normally I tell everyone to buy up all the common use programs, but really, for those players not really getting into the matrix they can get by with the Basic Use grouping I have and never need anything else.

Well, this isn't the "perfect" groupings, but they make sense to me and in my games.

I just remembered SR4A also has basic commlink package discounts.