On 17/8/22 10:11, Jeff Zeitlin - editor at freelancetraveller.com (via
tml list) wrote:
> <snip>
>
> Even today, "cyber forensics" is a Thing; it's not too hard to imagine that
> both it and the non-crime-oriented version, "digital archaeology", would
> also become a Thing (and it may even exist in a rudimentary form even now;
> consider trying to recover source code - or even object code - from old,
> discontinued programs on semi-readable media from obsolete systems with an
> eye to re-releasing modern versions. That's why you have the "original
> Crowther and Woods _ADVENT_" on most personal computers, and for
> "Z-machines" (also called "frotzes" or "frotzim" - the interpreter for
> ZORK-type games), and why some old programs [and operating systems] still
> exist to be run in emulators on modern systems).

FYI, ADVENT has (with Crowther & Woods' blessing and encouragement) been
salvaged and modernised, descending from v2.5 (and declared
port-complete in April 2022):

https://gitlab.com/esr/open-adventure

I suspect "forensic systems archaeologist" to become more of a thing
with time (trenchcoat, vest and hat optional).  "3500 years of crappy
software 'engineering' is a cthulhoid monstrosity to tackle" being a
common lament in that profession (which I envisage requiring a special
type of nutter).

Question for the Learned Members: What happens when a given creaking
software ecosystem goes _boink_ and results in non-carbon sapience (ie, AI)?

How about _sentient_ but non-_sapient_ AI?

>
> "Virtual reality" and "Augmented reality" are also Things; consider some of
> the games available on iOS and Android devices, or such things as Meta's
> QUEST goggles, or even such early ideas as "Second Life".
>
> Toss it all into a mixmaster, and age for about 3500 years (to bring it to
> the "present" of the OTU). What sort of results can you expect to see? How
> does it affect day-to-day life for the planetbound - or for the Traveller?
> What opportunities for adventure do you see? Are the adventures virtual, or
> real - or both? If you have virtual adventures, how do you "roll up"
> characters for them - or how do you interpret the stats? What does STR
> really mean when you're in a virtual environment "pulling a TRON"? What
> skills - other than Computer, obviously - would have meaning at all in a
> virtual environment? What about if you're doing digital archaeology?

I would expect (and as a result, have run) at least augmented reality
being standard for merchant starship operations - the astroguesser pulls
a vector out of their ass^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hthin air and feeds it to the
pilot, who sees whatever vector to fly on their setup as a projected
corridor to fly down.  Likewise for maintaining/repairing people and
kit.  And then to keep the crew entertained and (mostly) sane.  (Ripping
off _liberally_ from Shadowrun 4th ed sourcebook "Unwired").

GT: Starships had holoventure zones (looks like a step short of the
holodeck that bedevilled Locutus of Bald et al).

As for dirtsiders, I'd expect populations from TTL7 up to be immersed in
the sort of datanet that's described in the Transhuman Space books. 
Xboat systems (and other mail couriers) would sneakernet massive volumes
of data between systems - the cat videos must get through!

Depending on who's running the place, data _veracity_ could be a problem
- Kamsii, the totalitarian theme park, might have a department ensuring
what gets out suits their corporate line, but a balkanised cyberpunk
dystopia may consider lack of data veracity a _feature_.

I think Shadowrun 3rd/4th edition tackled adventuring in virtual worlds
- calling them ultraviolet hosts, where things got realer than real.

>
<snip>

Alex