[Reaver]

First off, all work on an industrial site is "Skilled". The only unskilled are the guys emptying the trash in the trailers and other janitorial duties (but different from janitors, who are skilled).

Drones would help a lot depending on just how indepth the actual knowledge and training is for a skillsoft (I would imagine it would be pretty extensive)

a "Dirty" setup is a bit of misnomer. Its more of a construction term. Basically the operation will work just fine, but it is not a finished product. They are usually lacking is safety features (like railings, skirts, covers, etc), and you have hanging cables and wires, H-VAC is not enclosed, steel is uncovered, cement is untreated.

The only time you build like this is when you need to get something up and running quickly (so the mining sector is famous for this), then you go back in and "clean" the site while it's in production.  (this means putting those employee safety devices in place, guarding and protecting cables and wires, dressing steel and concrete, etc). In the long run a dirty build takes longer and actually costs more, but you are producing revenue to offset the extra expenses (you hope).

[martinchaen]

Big difference between a redesign of the matrix (which for all intents and purposes could have been an entirely virtual undertaking for all we know) and a construction site/HVAC install as I see it.

The only real clue, at least as far as I can tell, we have that any sort of physical labor had to be done is Orbital DKs mentions of maintenance workers and wired connections from Storm Front.

Let me be the first to pop up here and tell everyone that this is real. New protocols are being established for the pre-existing wireless Matrix, and these things will have a massive impact on our lives. From what I can tell the rollout for the new protocols has already started. I took a look at some of the orbital weapons platforms that had been shut down after the breach and they all look like they are back online now. I highlight the word “look” because I’ve been doing my assessments of them through a telescope and a vision magnification systems. I can’t find any sort of node for them, but they have been doing daily run-ups and I have seen maintenance staff out doing diagnostics with—get this—wired connections.
>  Orbital DK

Quick update: I figured out what the wired connections were for and from what I can tell they were using the wired systems to upload the new wireless protocols. I’ve got nodes now, or at least I think they’re nodes. I have zero connectivity to them with my commlink. I can see them but have been completely unable to access them.
>  Orbital DK

[Reaver]

the matrix doesn't exist in a vacuum and there has to be supportive hardware somewhere.

[martinchaen]

Hehe, it does if it's on an orbital platform!

But yes, there is hardware, of course there is. That being said, there's very little evidence that physical work was even needed; as mentioned, the only reference I can find is Orbital DKs statements from Storm Front.

Since we don't know the physical hardware that "is" the Matrix, nor how these new protocols were implemented, any reference to modern day upgrades is moot; at this point, we're both just speculating wildly, really, and either of us could be more or less accurate.

2 years to develop and implement a global software update on the infrastructure owned by the Big 10 (and probably every subsidiary and supporter of the Corporate Court, and any corp with CEOs/Board of Directors that dream of becoming a member) would have worked towards this together; this represents a significant and concentrated effort as far as I am concerned. I don't think it needs to be sloppy work at all, though their goals to secure the Matrix were, as I stated earlier, largely ineffective.

To my mind, the Matrix revamp reads like the various DRM implementations that have been attempted in the modern day. How many times have we read that "We're releasing Software X with a completely unbeatable DRM system!" in a company press statement, and one day before official release the pirated version is out there?

That's what happened to my mind, which is ironic since GOD pretty much allowed the best hackers in the world to beta test their new system...

[Sendaz]

That's what happened to my mind, which is ironic since GOD pretty much allowed the best hackers in the world to beta test their new system...

Maybe they were secretly hoping for another Dodger-style awakening of whatever passes for the SK's and other systems in there......

[Reaver]

@martin

You are right, of course, it is just wild speculation on my part (guess it comes from doing this actual type of work for a living fro telecomm companies, so I have an idea of just what is required. Of course we have no real idea just what matrix hardware servers, and operational support would look like, which makes my personal knowledge moot)


As to the new matrix protocols. I think it comes from watching 10 year corp kiddies make a mess of matrix with very little know how and a few programs that made the Corps wake up and see the huge holes there was in the matrix 2.0.   From there, they do what every corporation in history has ever done. They knee jerked into a "solution" that is no solution at all.

But, probably DID cut down on matrix vandalism caused by bored Corp kiddies. (Good Job!)

[Namikaze]

Yeah the whole "corp kiddies" thing sounds like PR spin to me.  The corps wanted to make the matrix a tougher nut to crack, but they also wanted to be able to still break into their opponents' databases, etc.  It's a double-edged sword, and the fact that GOD somehow managed to get a degree of autonomy makes me wonder if there wasn't something else going on as well.  It sure sounds like De La Mar came from nowhere and forced all the pieces into place.  It's a miracle that it works, but someone should do some serious vetting of De La Mar.

[Reaver]

I don't know if it is PR or not.... The matrix 2.0 proved to be vulnerable to a wide range of simple programs (well, not so simple) and some very basic hardware (a cheap commlink)

Honestly, when you look at matrix crime in it's entirety, I'd be willing to bet that less then 5% was caused by "shadowrunners", and a very large part of it caused by the syndicates. But the most obvious matrix crime would be the those that the everyday citizen sees, matrix gangs, AR graffiti, and all the rest. You don't waste billions of dollars to stop 5% of the crime, you spend that amount of money to start the majority of crime. In this case the syndicates and the obvious crimes that people see (the graffiti and the matrix gangs).


A police officer once told me: "Locks and bars only keep honest people honest. A criminal will always find a way to commit a crime no matter what you have in place"

If that's true, then even the Corps realize that the new matrix won't stop ALL the matrix crime, but it separates the men from the boys.

[Namikaze]

Very true, Reaver.  Especially what your police officer told you.  I've actually heard a variation of that from Texas, where I was raised.  It went something like this: "The electric chair keeps everyone honest." 

Kidding of course, but what you said and how it's applied to Matrix 2.1 (that's what I'm calling this version) is very appropriate.  It definitely fixed a lot of the problems with Matrix 2.0 by making things a lot harder without sacrificing too much of the power and portability of Matrix 2.0.  The corps have a weird interest in doing this kind of thing though - they want to make it harder for people to get their secrets, but they want to make it easier to get the secrets of their rivals.

But I don't know how much damage was being done by the corp kiddies, matrix gangs, etc.  Ultimately, it's almost all just AR damage, which should be reset or rebuilt pretty easily with a reload of the software or device.  I'd say that they wanted to stop the syndicates, as you said, but mostly because the corps can't control them.  Shadowrunners are an asset to corps, whereas the syndicates are not.

I still think the almost meteoric rise of De La Mar is strange.  Does anyone know of any text that points to her background at all?

[martinchaen]

Jet Set, page 7 to start.

[psycho835]

I still think the almost meteoric rise of De La Mar is strange.  Does anyone know of any text that points to her background at all?

Fiancheto mentioned once that De La Mar is basically one of the "useful idiots" that the Man can use to get things done. The way I see it, De La Mar was crusading for more secure matrix because  she really believed that this was the right thing to do. And powers-that-be backed her up because it suited their intrests.

[Namikaze]

Which makes me wonder why they haven't disposed of her since.  Which of course, makes me wonder what kind of leverage she has over the megas to make them play nice.  The Corporate Court rarely does things quickly, Matrix 2.1 being one of them.  I suppose she wouldn't need leverage over all of the megas, just over the right person at the right place at the right time.

[Sendaz]

Or they still want a poster child around to push other bits through down the road if and when needed.

[firebug]

Yeah the whole "corp kiddies" thing sounds like PR spin to me.  The corps wanted to make the matrix a tougher nut to crack, but they also wanted to be able to still break into their opponents' databases, etc.  It's a double-edged sword, and the fact that GOD somehow managed to get a degree of autonomy makes me wonder if there wasn't something else going on as well.  It sure sounds like De La Mar came from nowhere and forced all the pieces into place.  It's a miracle that it works, but someone should do some serious vetting of De La Mar.

This, so much.  There's no way the corps would make the matrix 100% secure, because they still use it (often through syndicates like the Mafia or the Yakuza, or through runners) to attack and sabotage their rivals.  And leaving themselves open to the same is one of those, what's the phrase...  "Projected losses"?  They're willing to risk losing a little if it means they can make everyone else lose more; they just need to stay ahead of the game.

It's like how Lone Star doesn't want to actually stop crime.  They wouldn't get paid anymore if that happened.  But they need it to appear as if they're effective.

[psycho835]

Which makes me wonder why they haven't disposed of her since.  Which of course, makes me wonder what kind of leverage she has over the megas to make them play nice.  The Corporate Court rarely does things quickly, Matrix 2.1 being one of them.  I suppose she wouldn't need leverage over all of the megas, just over the right person at the right place at the right time.

And why would they even bother to dispose of her? She was just a face they used, probably didn't knew anything, at least nothing important enough to put out a hit on one of the jet-setters (that's the term?). And even if she did, the changes made in the matrix weren't exactly illegal (I think).