It seems to be the same thing, at least from what i'm reading in the BBB except that probing takes longer and doesn't seem to have any benifits. What am I missing?

On the fly: each time you make a test to hack, the node gets a free Analyze+Firewal (Stealth) extended test.

Probing: Node only makes the test when you make the actual intrusion.

There's less of a chance the node will detect your initial intrusion if you take your time since it's only making one test (probing) vs what could amount to several tests (on the fly).

Unwired also mentions that depending on various factors that you may be able to use the account or backdoor you hacked into while probing multiple times while when you brute force your way in you have to hack in again after you leave the node unless you create a back door.

But the real reason is, as mentioned above, that when probing the target the node only gets one check with a threshold equal to your stealth, while forcing your way in lets them work on their extended test, giving them a much higher chance of going onto active alert.

Thanks for the quick response.

Or in other words... for anything with reasonably serious countermeasures, hacking on the fly is out of question, unless you are braced for cybercombat.

Bye
Thanee

Hacking on the fly can be done in seconds-even in AR. Probing the target takes hours (or days via AR).

And if you've got a good security facility set up, where a hacker cannot access the internal nodes of the building from off-site... then probing doesn't do you much good. And laying inside a secured facility for a couple of hours (in VR) is likely to get you dead. In a combat situation, you don't have the luxury of taking a few hours to hack the opponent's commlinks.

So probing the target, while almost virtually guarenteed to succeed (and unlikely to raise alarms), trades the ease & stealth for time. And probing the target isn't possible at all times.
Hacking on the fly trades quickness for almost guarenteed cybercombat.