http://www.shadowrun4.com/resources/faq.shtml




This is probably obvious to everyone else, but I only just realized, so sue me.

For every System programs running, Response drops by 1. A Meta Link running Vector Xim has System 1 and Response 1.

Does this mean that if a ML/VX tries to do anything, ever, it crashes? Wouldn't that make it absolutely useless? What's even the point of having it?

I think the disposable commlinks follow this same model, making them just as useless.

It doesn't crash, it just slows down really slow.

Like short bus slow.

Like eating lead-based paint chips slow.

Like "I spent $2500 and bought a 'New' Windows ME Laptop and a Wireless USB Dongle because the Salesman told me it was the best thing around!" slow.

It doesn't make them useless, it just slows down the line at the Coffee Shop in Seattle and causes one of the overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, overdrugged office drones to commit homicide and make the last part of the 10 O'Clock Newsflash.

Works perfectly fine if you don't want to do anything involving a rated program (i.e. you just want to surf the Matrix or see Augmented Reality and have no illusions about hacking or even complicated uses of personal computing whatsoever) or if you just want to run unrated programs (i.e. games, wallpaper, music player, etc.)

So yeah, Response 1/System 1 is essentially an iPhone. Puts things in perspective, dunnit?

Think about this, are you really going to walk around broadcasting a fake SIN and making everyday purchases with your "business" commlink? Modern criminals use prepaid cellphones to set up deals, then throw the phone away to avoid it being tracked or monitored later. Those commlinks are made to be just that, disposable. You don't need to really do anything with it that's more complicated than "hello my SIN is ### can I purchase a cheeseburger now?".

She'd have been a lot less underappreciated if she just gave me her contact info...

She wanted to, she really did, but she's got a boyfriend who's too possessive, and the last time she gave the eyes to someone she went to work the next day with a shiner. She wants to get away but she can't, she's afraid, afraid to make the first step. Afraid for her life.. her life and yours.

Some of them just aren't worth the garbage bag for their boyfriends.

Oh god. I'm a little bit worried by how much that made me laugh.

The thing to remember is that the base response remains the same, it is not reduced, you just have an effective response of 0 for running any additional programs. The commlink does not crash because you are running one rating 1 program, but if you try to run anything else...

Also, it's important to remember that Operating Systems do not count as systems that are being run for response purposes, IIRC.

I would just like to point out, modern criminals use disposable phones to do their criminal work (meet me here, bring the goods), we use disposable links to do our regular work (meat in here, buy the goods).

Yup, and then there's the whole client side vs. server side thing. If you use cloud apps for your legitimate day to day Joe Average computing, it doesn't really matter that you can't run programs on your 'link. All you need is a AR window.

That's the problem I have with commlinks. Almost everything process intensive for me runs through cloud applications. Xwindows and stunnel to the rescue. Very few times, do I need processor speed on my side.

But this is a question of commlinks are kewl, not where does all the processing power come from.

Responce is not just processing power, but also operational memory. It's really hard to get a decent swap file going when all you have for memory space in your PAN is your iBoxers.

Right, the processor intensive stuff runs on the server...when those apps (Programs in Shadowrun parlance, natch) are available on that server to be run.

Having a good 'link loaded with all those wonderful high rating programs, Common Use and Hacking, is for when you'd like to do a little bit of"computing" on a server (Node) that maybe wasn't necessarily intended for you to be doing it on.

Jim Wageslave doesn't ever need to do this, of course. He only cares that he can run Virtual Shooter, because that's what his buddies all play when they're not at work.

And sometimes when they're at work and think they can get away with it.

"Our code is compiling."