lately i have been reading this:
http://futureoftheinternet.org/

and in it the author writes about a shift from computers to appliances for accessing services and content online...

this makes me think of things like the cyberterminal (the corp approves variant of the cyberdeck), and low response comlinks.

think about it this way, compared to a low high rating comlink like what your runner may use, a low rating one is not much more then a AR/VR interface in a pocket. it cant run much in the way of heavy duty software, it cant connect to much at the same time, its more or less neutered in terms of matrix capability.

yet, this may be a benefit for the common wageslave, and the corps that employ them.

for one thing, basic content is done by way for data requests, not subscriptions. Another is that low rating software and agents can be provided by the corp on their nexi, for everyone to make use of. All this allows control, either from corp or from MSP's that will be running nexi of their own to provide search agents, editing tools and so on (think google).

Except computers like netbooks are so cheap that unless they get rid of them, there will still be general purpose computers. Hell, I got a $450 laptop that is a lot more powerful than my last two computers combined.

heh, there will always be GPCs out there, question is, will the common consumer buy them any more, or will they be left for the certified professional and gray market "criminal", given their apparent power to cause problems?

Try typing your term paper on a iPhone. Trust me, even though there are these new smart phones, Intel, AMD, ARM, and all the rest will still do quite well because the form factor of the cell phone does not lend itself to GPC.

It all just depends where you think the applications and computing power is going to be. It swings in cycles between centrally hosted and distributed, depending on whether bandwidth is cheap or expensive compared to computing power.

Hosting applications in the cloud etc posits that computing power will be centralised (which it IS on modern telephony devices.

However in shadowrun, computing power is decentralised - massively. Your coat has enough computing power to run half a dozen AI that accesses the SR version of google and finds stuff for you, thanks to the computing power that was casually discarded by a retail outlet in the form of RFID tags when it sold you said coat.

Which points to GPCs being the shadowrun model as computing will be done locally.

Conversly, the cheaper bandwidth is relative to computing power, the more centralised computing will be.

Now in shadowrun bandwith is so cheap as to be free, which would encourage centralisation.

As a result, shadowrun could go either way. Computing power is free, but so is bandwidth. In reality, you'd probably get the modern model, where virtualisation and cheaper bandwidth has lead to centralisation of some services, but desktop computing is still so cheap that it's done heavily there to.

However for shadowrun to actually work as described, there needs to be a decentralised model, because otherwise infomation could be to easily centralised to massively cheap supercomputing power, and therefore could be analyzed holistically. If all CCTV footage in the city can be pulled together and analyzed in one place allowing tracking of you across the city or country seemlessly from a million spy eyes, it becomes impossible to hide from big brother.

If it is literally impossible to pull all the CCTV infomation together in one place, let alone analyse it, then big brother cannot effectively watch you.

take a netbook with a iphone style interface and lockdown, then do that term paper.



but it still takes knowledge that said ai can run there. do the wageslaves know that? do the corps wants them to know that? how many do you know that can handle a os install on their own? how many can build a pc from shelf parts? how many can build a cluster using those shelf parts?



the quick trick, as shown in the book, is to sell the centralized system as "safer", or at least less of a hassle. See how apples genius bar support system makes many happy campers online. you make an appointment, drop your faulty gear of, and either go about your day and pick it up later, or wait while the "genius" do that magic thing that makes it work again.

think of a netbook hooked directly into google docs, so that anything typed will be up there in seconds, and backed up so that unless maybe half of googles data centers goes boom, your writing is still available, either thru said netbook, your new netbook, or a browser at some random other device.


thing here is that SR is a checkerboard of invisible borders. that mall downtown is not USAC land, its SK land, and SK do not care if lone star shows up with a UCAS issued search warrant.

Until you shift computer gaming to completely cloud computing (which is not happening with this generation of machines) you'll always have a market for GPCs

games consoles, steam? thing is that you do not need to shift it completely cloud, just lock it to the cloud...

There has been some demonstrations of a solution that runs the game on a remote server and streams the video output using a compression that's quick enough to compress/decompress and efficient enough to allow for real-time streaming (but probably at low resolution, or with artifacts). They plan on getting low-ping servers to get a latency low enough so that games are still playable.

According to the previews, it won't be enough for hardcore gamers who absolutely need 0 latency, but it's good enough for most casual players (a 150ms latency isn't critical to most people).

then expand that to being able to do the decompression in hardware (think simsense module) and things start to become really "interesting".

one box in your pocket or under the TV that can provide you with the latest and greatest audio, video, games and text at a moments notice, when you want it...

convenience like no other...

The processing power and speed for transmitting massive information has always been more than the speed necessary for generating that locally (except when you're looking for a single 'answer', an end result from the model). I would be very surprised if we reach either a point where gaming hits a processing 'peak' where further power isn't required, or if bandwidth speeds suddenly outpace local performance.

As for consoles... Consoles are indeed cheaper than PCs, and gaming PCs still are a very major industry. So clearly consoles aren't quite 'all that' (yet, anyway). Perhaps in the future consoles and PCs will merge more, but that doesn't defeat my argument - you're still talking about a dedicated, local box with lots of processing power.

true, but the concept is a local box thats controlled from head to toe by the corp running the services it connects to.

basically, the PS3 is controlled by sony, the wii by nintendo and the xbox360 by microsoft. just look at the number of tricks needed to be pulled to try and run non-controlled code on them (ok, the PS3 can run linux, but its still under supervision by the sony firmware).

also, i see more and more games designed for console first, and then ported to pc, vs being designed for pc first and then ported. thing is that for both gamer and coder alike, the console is a known quantity, rather then a random collection of parts, requiring special turning of the software to get satisfactory results.

and thats even more so now that all 3 consoles have a online element, for addons, full games, demos, videos and other content. this was something that was only possible on pc for 2 generations ago or there about.

i am not saying that the pc will go poof over night. what i am saying is that more and more people that only wants a "VCR" for the net will find a increasing range of devices that will do a specific collection of tasks, with a verified environment.

how big do you think it will be if one create a box that can do amazon, and that had its internal components verified by amazon, with backing from all the major credit card companies? want to shop, insert your card and presto. especially if amazon and the card companies tell people that this will be a fraud safe system (yea, we know that will be proven wrong, but then we are techies).

in the end, it may well be that devices that can run random code from random source will be either a special interest product, or only made available to certified individuals, based on the theoretical danger it poses for the nets operation...

this just like how having hacking programs installed on your comlink, or that masking chip of cyberdeck fame, will brand you a criminal if you cant present the paperwork...

Why would you build a PC or do an OS install on your own? Commlinks are seriously cheap. Just buy one of those. Every business will issue you with one to - just like I use my work laptop at home today, in the future.




This statement works against the objectives in your next statement



Look, seemless online services requires centralisation of data. But as you point out in the next point, Horizon and Renraku just want each other to piss off. Why the hell is Renraku going to do anything that makes it easier for Horizon people to use Renraku's service for something else?

Also, the game pretty much jettisons the idea of free services in the corporate jungle. Otherwise I could get a 'free' R6 system (*nix is a high end enterprise grade operating system used by the military), except I cannot. Plus, information is piss easy to delete to SR-verse. You can just scrub information on devices without even hacking into them (the erase/spoof datatrails crap).

The 'checkerboard' situation makes no sense for other reasons. If it's true, how the fuck do corporations chase you around. If you'd just firebombed renraku, you'd just go sit in an Ares hab complex for a while - or until the Renraku guys running around with assault rifles get arrested.

Also how does a license even work in that situation. Surely you'd need atleast 20 licenses to drive a car across town.

First of all, not all corporate property is extra-territorial.
Second, if SK shows up in hot-poursuit, SK will probably let them in and might even assist them.
Third, outside of hot-poursuit, they'll probably have bilateral agreements so that either LS will be allowed to investigate inside the mall or SK will do it for them. Sure it might slow down the investigation, and in some case will stop it right in its track, but I wouldn't count on hiding inside the mall.

1. while no corp will make it easy for you to use another corps services, each corp will attempt to make it easier for you to move from the competition onto their own services (see real life apple and palm dance around the palm pre syncing with itunes).

2. its not a case of dodge into SK turf and stay, its a case of using it as a blind spot or smoke screen, in the same way as switching getaway car in a alley while out of sight. you dodge in, and while the guards argue turf at the gate and call in "diplomats", you reverse your jacket, drop something in your shoe, put on some shades, spoof the access id and then slip out another exit.

as for why licences work, because of 1. that is, the corps do not want to make it hard on a potential customer, so the accept each others licences. And on the issue of getting a R6 system. not in your hands, no. but access to one? See programming time on a nexi, unwired...

Considering it is legal to have a rating 6 Response chip (though damn tough to get) and a Rating 6 OS (easy as pie to get) I don't think it's too impossible for Runners to get one.

never said it would be either.

I must be a dullard (a dullard aiming, reasonably, for a First in a CompSci degree) but I have no clue what a "GPC" means, nor what an app in "the cloud" looks like. It's okay if you can't rigorously define them - give examples.

I would like to contribute, but I can't when the language appears so nebulous.

GPC or Generative Personal Computer, is a term from the book i linked to. basically its your avarage home pc as of today. its the authors term for a computer that the user (or anyone else) is free to program for, without any approval from a third party.

the cloud is another term for the web, where the best example of a app in the cloud being googles gmail email service, or maybe google reader, their rss reader. Basically, its about using scripting in the pages to have them behave like desktop software, including inserting new stuff into a page without having to reload the whole (like say when a rss feed is updated or new email come in).

I have a friend in the industry, and he sees the era of cloud computing as virtually inevitable, given the rediculous amount of processing power sitting idle in your average data center. Even running a half dozen virtual machines, each representing an entire professional website, a single quad-processor (note: not quad-core) blade runs on average at under 20% processor utilization. The advantage of that kind of computing is that a person could literally buy a computer less than half the size of a Rubick's Cube (they actually exist as small as 1.5" on a side as a cube) utilizing a USB memory storage medium or a flash memory card for personal file storage offline. The actual device has minimal video processing capability, a rudimentary OS whose only purpose is to support a web browser, and in theory you could run the entire device (without need for ANY bootup process) from non-volatile memory.

The advantages for an individual is that they can have their own "desktop" anywhere with a working internet connection, a visual presentation device, and some kind of input device. The PROBLEM with this kind of setup, as you might have already guessed, is security; You're handling 100% of all your data manipulation on a server who-knows-where owned and operated by your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine. Recently a company executive who kept their passwords on a public cloud (Security is only as good as your stupidest user) and when that got hacked, sensitive corporate doccuments were posted on the web. Now, the biggest advantage is to be had by major corporations; All they need to invest in is a monitor and a keyboard and pointing device, plus the cube. No obsolescence, no network-wide software upgrades, patches or reinstalls. If a "terminal" dies, there's nothing to back up or recover; Toss the cube in the trash and install the new one. Security is actually BETTER on a system like this because the corp can keep everything on INTERNAL servers that can more easily be closely policed and protected.

But for the individual user, storage of even tremendous amounts of data has become cheap and tiny: I saw a preview (at over $3,000) of a quarter-terabyte USB stick. The day when we can store our entire media collection, personal files and other personal files (read: mostly porn, if the internet usage statistics are even close) on a piece of jewlery, much less in a "comlink". Processing power has also become small and efficient enough that having an sub-notebook class independent-operation-capable computer that can run "all day" isn't very far off, either. So if we get to the point that we can go for 24 hours off a battery that lasts 5 years (anybody ESLE catch Apple's latest gizmos???) in an enclosure that is weatherproof and not much bigger than a modern smart phone (minus input and output devices), I see no reason for consumers to save the miniscule amount going to "cloud" computing would save, especially if the increasing trend in "freeware" continues to drive down entry level software prices (MacroSquish is even giving away basic versions of Office 10?!). Output can be in the form of glasses - they are already breaking into the low-end of HD resolution with prices comparable to mid-range desktop monitors. Input can be anything from a roll-up keyboard to a laser projected work surface, to who-knows-what in the not-too-distant future.

In summary, I think businesses will make the leap to cloud-based-computing on secured or internal servers for cost, upkeep and functional control benefits (The SERVER is running the browser; Think they can come up with a good way to keep you from screwing around at the office? They wouldn't even need to watch over your shoulder or port in through a back door; They just duplicate the output to another screen!). I believe the individual user may see SOME of their aplications go online, but given recent occurences involving ownership of private content stored on somebody's servers (think picture hosting services; recently people have noticed wording changes in user-agreements that open the door for them to claim ownership and/or usage/sale rights of anything stored on their servers. For now they have gone back to original agreements, but it's not been isolated, and they can change the agreements without notice; User beware, because there's no such thing as Free 'ware.) I don't see people giving up their ability to operate in an independent (and secure) mode at will just to save a few (and I don't mean a few hundred) dollars, especially if they can take it with them as easily as they do their cell phone... and if it happens to double as an IGadget, that will seal the deal for the average consumer. As the last of the pre-internet generation(s) age and pass on, their decendants will grow up with computing as common as breathing and eating, a fundamental right; I expect them to want to show off their status and style and "individuality" as much as today with their unique IGadget cases, apps and accessories.

Cloud computing... Ha! Nice to know we want to go back to the old mainframes and dumb terminals... We just gave it the shiny new name of "cloud"

Originally it was because you simply couldn't shoehorn a meaningful amount of processing capability into a "desktop" sized unit. There is SOMETHING to that idea with the newer cloud computing proponents, but by the time the public is ready for it, most of the "price" benefits to the consumer will have diminished to the point of being trivial. The benefits that I mentioned above to BUSINESS (and military?) users would be significant.

Seriously, the new iTouch from the people at Applesauce *shudders at saying this* may have their finger on the short-term answer for many users in their new (and as yet still conjectural) tablet: a device that is intuitive (you can finger paint, right?), has decent storage, some expandability, and enough processing power to act as a media device without a 'net connection. It's 9" diagonal (reportedly) which is plenty large to use to watch movies or read a book (watch out Kindle). Myself, I was thinking about buying one just to use as a PDF reader for all my game books... Think about THAT one for a second. It can handle LIGHT email and other duties as assigned, but with the addition of bluetooth accessories (say a roll-up/laser keyboard?) you could really use the thing at least as effectively as a netbook but with more general applicability. It will probably never not replace desktops or full laptops any time soon, but if the processing power continues to expand while it shrinks and non-volatile memory continues to impove in density, MOST of what we all do in the internet would be completely doable on an iTouch or it's decendants and clones.

There's just too much the standard user is going to want to potentially do while not on the 'net (untill the wireless ISPs get with the program and start offering better speeds - coming - and trully unlimited plans - don't hold your breath) to consider going totally cloud. And who wants their family financial data stored (and MORE than it already is) out in cyberspace?

Rather than getting something from Apple, how about something else. The Touchbook, it's $299 for the slate and that has 2 hours of power. Add in the keyboard and you got 10 hours of power.

Why? Because (in case you couldn't tell from the way I referred to the company by name) despite my feeling about their image and price points, I have to admit that when they first appear, the engineering, design and concepts of the new iProducts are absolutely cutting edge, occasionally bleeding-edge (the MacBook air, which omits nearly ALL external connectivity, has been surpassed by other lighter, almost-as-thin - think .03" thicker - computers with more power, full ports AND a removable optical drive: see the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s) for their class, when they aren't opening up an entirely new class to begin with. The iTouch isn't a typical "tablet" computer as we've seen them before. This is MUCH more what a netbook wants to be in terms of market appeal and functionality, with the exception of a keyboard, but if you've ever tried typing a paper or a book on a 9" netbook keyboard, they're not really intended for "heavy duty data entry" either to paraphrase the spoilers form the fruit-company. People want simple web browsing that they can read, older people would appreciate a multi-function eBook reader rather than a single function Kindle^TM, something that they can put on their desk in a stand and use as a digital picture frame when it's not doing its primary function(s), a dully capable media player for full-quality DVD movies (600 lines?). Let me put it this way: if the keyboard is at least as usable as the one on a 9" netbook ad you add cellular wireless capability, then by adding a BlueTooth^TM 2.1 EDR stereo headset with a microphone or a BlueTooth^TM earpiece, you have the first functional comlink. It's all there but the VR. Drek, with wireless wideband HDMI making an appearance, the next generation of the thing could theoretically tie into a set of HD Stereoscopic sunglasses to give you a true immersive experience with no loss of movie/sound quality if you do it right.

That's why I chose them, despite having to pick the bone out of my throat.