Lets say that some one some where is working on tech to replace what we currently call the internet. Sure it will be simular but the basic tech will be completely different. Next lets say that a year before they can bring it to market Al Quidea some how manages to destroy the infrastructure of the internet. They crash it hard. Something that will disrupt service for a year or more in some locations.

What do you think the priority is going to be? I'll bet interested parties are going to be concerned with time. How fast can we restore service? So, to do this quickly: do they replace the damaged equipment with the already existing tech that is in abundance or do they dick around waiting for that some, one some where to manufacture enough of their untried tech and software?

Thanos

Unless of course the tech was already in development.
Or even better waiting in the wings to replace existing tech anyway.

Depends on how badly fried it is. If it's so badly damaged that you're going to have to rebuild damn near the whole thing and something like the wireless network initiative had come out just before the incident, then the major hurdle against introducing it - the massive cost of it compared to an already working system - is neatly taken out of the equation.

Entirely depends on how much nuyen the patent holders of the new tech slipped into the pockets of the old politicians!

surfing under the influence? expect the Information Superhighway Patrol to stop by your residence shortly.

i'm not even sure the basic structure of the Matrix itself--the connections between the computers--will need to change much, if at all. they could still be using landlines for the massive data transfer that occurs between, say, RTGs (though as i understand it, that structure is going to take a serious hit from terrorist shenanigans), and just replacing the end-user connections with wireless. even without the terrorist attacks, WMI could have possibly outstripped hardline access within 5 years, and certainly could have done it in 10 (barring acts of god or Lofwyr).

Quote mfb

On average 5 years is not probably enough, but maybe this is not an average stiuation. Cell phones took a very long time to trickle down but PDAs did not. Now they are in the first gen of combos and leaping forward.

Maybe matrix 2.0 is a combo of WMI/Cranial Cyberdecks and display link/smart gun tech. One tech is just waiting to be mated with anther to really take off.

the VR overlay is just an application, though. everything the VR overlay can do is already possible with SR's existing technology, as long as you're willing to walk around with a mile-long fiberoptic cable attached to your skull (or your trodes) at all times. assuming that the WMI was produced with one or more lines of accessories in stores on the day of its opening--and since it's basically intended by its designers to be a cash cow, i can't imagine that it won't be--i don't see why five years is too short a time at all. without other factors, VR overlay-enabled stores/restaurants/subway stops/etcetera might not be ubiquitous, but they'll be common.

i'm not sure what they'll do with cyberdecks. the basic protocols will all be the same--you'll still be using ASIST--so i'm tempted to say that cyberdecks should work on WMI as well as they did on hardlines. however, they're going to completely rewrite the Matrix rules, so it's kinda hard to say exactly how--or if--the old will interact with the new. i think it should be possible to do something with the deck besides throwing it away.

In the picture for the promo the dwarf/hacker is holding a small box.

mfb and Pthgar. You do make very good points. However I remain unconvinced that 5 years is enough time for the new tech to become common. We've had cable and dsl for how long? There are still many places that use dial up and have no access to other modes of connectivity. Certainly most of the major corps in key areas will have this new tech but how many lower level R&D labs or just admin offices will have it?

Thanos

Well, I guess if you want to talk about tech penetration, I can see your point. How about Matrix 2.0 in the cities and military establishments and expensive rural estates with satlinks. Everywhere else, plain old matrix. Really, not even that because of lack of support and infrastructure degradation. Think of how Prodigy went when direct internet access through the ISP became common. Struggled for a while than gave up.

5 years is too short for full penetration of the market, but how about 50% or even 75%?

Yeah, but mobile phones were around since the 70's.

I'm not contending that they took less time, but that they both took a fair amount of time. Also, the contention that PDAs have trickled down is a seriously debatable one.

~J

I guess I phrased my originall point wrong. Try this:

Once two tehnologies that are complimentary find each other, the trickle dow time can be greatly reduced. Nearly everyone has a cell phone. Nearly every cellphone has a rudemntary PDA in it, thus reducing the trickle down time for PDAs (not cellphones) from decades to less than a decade.

there's also the marketing angle to consider. WMI has a lot of resources behind it, pushing it to make it a big thing. if they step in and offer their services at reduced cost to areas particurlarly hard-hit by the fall of the old Matrix, it'd be pretty easy for WMI to take over in only 5 years. basically, it's pocket jesus, and it's pocket jesus with a great marketing scheme and a huge opportunity dropped right in its lap. everybody's going to want their own.

I think part of what's missing here is that most people had Matrix access from their cars in 2060, simply not with ASIST. They've already had augmented reality in the form of virtual dashboards as well. Consider that the Athabascan Council already uses wireless repeaters and nothing indicates more places haven't already begun, at least nominally, to switch over. On the other hand, I tend to think 5 years is not enough time realistically.

However, I think the rate at which cell towers appeared, whether we were all using them or not, compared to the rate at which cable previously did is an interesting parallel. This massive tech upgrade is probably the desperate ploy pulled by Novatech, such as was done by Sprint and Verison, and should only appear in places you'd expect to see it: major cities in the UCAS, Japan, Europe, and to a lesser extent the PCC.

Not necessarily realistic, but a workable balance between too long and too short.

Since I don't plan on making the time jump, but rather actually running my game through it, I'll probably start the change over in 2062. Won't be too bad because I have no PC deckers or riggers.

Problem is that this is Pocket Jesus, and we're talking the Pharisees and Romans bringing him to power.

~J

Wow. I think it's a first that any body has been convinced of any thing other than their starting position.

When talking about dispersion amongst the population you also have to figure in cost and usefulness.

cellphone when they first came out were very expensive, minute charges were insane and service was awful.

If someone was to introduce a new technology today, as useful as a cellphone but very cheap and with good service it would take off much quicker.

And since we do not know enough of the storyline for the upcoming events we can not really say wether it will be realistic or not (in our sci-fi/fantasy setting).

But it would be easy to come up with reasons why people would switch so quickly from the Matrix to something else. Maybe a evil AI takes over the entire matrix making it impossible for people to use, so corps and citizens HAVE to switch to something else or be stuck back to using phones and fax machines. And if that something is released cheap then everyone will jump at it and start using it, because they really don't have a choice.

and maybe then a corp/gov. harness's an AI and forces it to run the new "virtual overlay", basically making it everyones bitch, but allowing business's to get back up and running?

Who knows? We could debate and come up with possible theories until the cows come home, but it until the system crash book and SR4 come out we won't know for sure.