[Senko]

I'm just trying to picture them and I'm trying to work out just what they are which I'm hoping a more experienced person can help with. Are the prime data havens (jack point, the helix, nexus) more like a forum, pirate bay or the ultimate resource. That is are they just posts on runner related topics e.g. "beware the drop bears in Australia they are blah, blah, blah". More like a torrent site where you have all the runner information + you can download the latest blockbusters, games, books illegally. More like a sort of mini-net where so long as you know where to look you can browse forums of runner related stuff, download programs and shows illegally, get in touch with a fixer who'll supply guns, fake sins, vehicles, be offered names of "reliable" contacts in areas your not familiar with and so on?

[Reaver]

Depends.

these are not "open" sites that anyone can visit. Nor do they have a subscribe button to make an account.

We know that Jackpoint has a VERY limited membership and that you had to not only be able to find it, but be granted access to it by an other member. (You'll catch that by reading the books, and you'll note several times they tell you they have given access to someone just so they can post on a topic before being locked out again)

The Nexus seems to be more open, but not by much....

So I doubt very much its a place you can log on and get free illegal trideo shows. However, much of the topics on these sites are files for download for the users... but much of it seems to be data dumps (SR version of thread posts) that other users then interject their own comments on...


Basically, the books you buy for SR are the datadumps that the Prime Runners of the community have assembled on the various topics.
IE: the Howling Shadows book is a collection of info on the paracritters of the world that the Prime Runners have assembled (and commented on)  for other runners so they have an idea of what to expect...

which, when you think about it, was a brilliant move by FASA (the original owners of SR, and who started this style of book), because it leaves a lot of room for enterprising GMs to change things a little to suit their games while chalking up those changes to "Misinformation" or "inaccurate data" on the topic at hand.

[Senko]

Just because it's invite only doesn't mean they don't share the latest trideo still I see your point. More like the books with extra movies/sounds like a drop bear hunting.

[Sengir]

The original inspiration for the datahavens were Bulletin Board Systems, which offered both downloads (directly, no newfangled P2P stuff) and message boards. As a good introduction there's a documentary: http://bbsdocumentary.com/
(The film itself is CC-licensed, so just check out youtube)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

The Data Havens would share much more ... highly-regarded information.  Sixty years worth of Dr. Who you can find by hacking into the BBC's archives, or by trolling a low-level share-site.  If, however, it was next week's highly-secure blockbuster episode, where the 38th Doctor has to go up against the Master-controlled CyberDaleks all by his lonesome self, while his two Companions are trying to fix a time-collapsar, then yeah, you might find it on the Helix.  If you want to get archives of the DNC, they're there; if you want to get the last Pujo-Fine concert, it's not.  If you want to skim a data-feed from Shiawase's MIFD, it's there; if you want to skim a data-feed of Nickelodeon Jr., it's not.

In general, the data havens are clearing houses for serious information, not trid shows and pop music.  Their archives can be truly monstrous - before its not-very-secret-at-all takeover by Ghostwalker, the Nexus typically received copies of everything uploaded to the other data havens, but gaining access (much less membership!!) to the Nexus was far more difficult.  If you wanted information, though, it was the best place to acquire it.  It still more-or-less is, but now the problem with the Nexus is that the White Wyrm is always going to be watching, and that's a problem.  I don't know if other data havens have continued to auto-upload to the Nexus, but if I were in charge of any of them, I certainly wouldn't be.

Most of the other locations, however, have specialities.  AzzieWatch of course specializes in Aztechnology, Aztlan, Texas, and that area; the Helix is (IIRC) primarily concerned with European events and corporations.  Asgard serves less as a data haven and more as a temporary high-security storage site and secure Matrix infobroker, but it has its uses.  Beppu/Mosaic concentrates on the Japanacorps; so on and so forth.

JackPoint, however, is not a data haven; it's a VPN.  Rare is the PC that should be invited in, even in this newer, more expansive JP; the 'P' in VPN means Private, not Public.  That said, many/most of the downloads we read are dropped from JackPoint into Seattle's shadow hub, ShadowSEA, which is how most people (like the characters we play) would get a hold of the info - because once it's in ShadowSEA, it'll get cross-posted/ported/however you want to think of it.