Saraband
From Megaman Mush Wiki
"It's like if Facebook could reach out and hug you." - unnamed Saraband user, trying to explain its benefits to a human.
The Saraband Network is a large-scale system designed to network Reploids together directly. Modelled on a world-spanning system observed in another universe where the human race had been extinguished by the Stardroids, it has become the basis for the first true Reploid society.
Contents |
Origin
Terrorist attacks against Internet infrastructure in the declining years of the 2210s prompted interest in making the Internet more resistant to modern warfare. However, upgrading the whole of the Internet would require an enormous public works project that was then infeasible. Instead, inspiration was taken from an alternate universe that several Maverick Hunters visited in 2219: Reploids themselves could be used as an infinitely scalable network system.
At first, the system was only intended to help to improve the robustness of the existing Internet. However, it was discovered that the connections formed between Reploids led to numerous unexpected benefits. The focus of the project began to change as the social aspects of the new system, called the "Saraband", became more obvious.
Operation
The Saraband was first brought online in the first half of 2220, after a series of trial runs conducted with the help of the Hunters and Magrevich Industries. Based in Paris, the project was financed by a number of organizations that invested money or donated manpower.
The network was - and still is - marketed as a flexible, distributed computing resource and a 'productivity tool' in offices and industry, where the benefits of networking the Reploid workforce together to improve their coordination and efficiency are immediately apparent and quite dramatic. Employers see sharp increases in productivity, fewer accidents, and improved morale. Larger scale applications include collaborative work between groups, tackling challenges and solving problems with much greater speed than if they hadn't been interconnected. Immersive gaming and simulations have also found niches.
An observed side effect of this warm and fuzzy nonsense is that Reploids in the system demonstrate an emergent behavior, like gears all working together in a giant machine. Humans tend to find it very unnerving, and the robots simply don't care. They find professional and emotional fulfillment in the system. Humans seem slow and /boring/, by comparison.
At this point in time, relatively little effort has been expended on customizing the interface software for other kinds of robots or for the various flavors of neural interfaces available to humans or cyborgs. Concerto has been considered as a solution to all these questions, but as yet has not been explored. The Irregulars are rumored to be spearheading efforts to expand the Saraband so that full-conversion cyborgs can use the network as Reploids do.
Reindeer Games
Social interaction between users started with idle connection windows being pinged. People began to speak in more social contexts, and bonds of friendship rapidly formed. Reploids feel a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves, something that even translates to the physical world, as users tend to congregate together. Problems of body language and misinterpretation disappear, and moods are just generally better amongst users, even those who work in miserable jobs such as call centers and customer service positions. They are happier, calmer and less aggressive - not /passive/ by any means, some of them are still firebrands with very strong opinions, but they don't get /angry/.
This collegial atmosphere is enhanced by user-written plug-ins. The original interface written by just a few Reploids has been completely overhauled as the system improves itself, leading to greater flexibility and a richer user experience. Discussions on the network are in constant flux as new voices are introduced, but debates remain civil and tend to settle on an equilibrium, a consensus that everyone finds agreeable...until a new viewpoint is introduced, creating a constantly shifting intellectual environment.
To avoid provoking humans, who look upon large gatherings of Reploids with fear and mistrust, 'community centers' in Saraband operation zones were constructed. These places were regarded as a distasteful necessity at first, but as enterprising individuals started building businesses around the idea of Reploid 'tea rooms' they became associated with the ideal of Reploid empowerment, rather than conceding to foolish human paranoia. These rooms are quiet places, with the air of libraries, but to those who are connected they are full of lively discussion about nearly any topic under the sun.
The Modern Network
Saraband's presence is greatest in Paris and Berlin, although it has significant representation in many areas around these two cities with large Reploid populations. Giga City is in the process of establishing its own version of the network, and will hopefully have full connectivity with Europe soon. While everyone uses a standardized interface, areas of the network each have their own individual flavor, just as Paris and Berlin in the real world do.
The Saraband interface takes the form of a piece of software that sits on top of a Reploid's basic program shell. Security and privacy have always been the developers' top priority, and with the decades of development time that have already been poured into it, it is virtually impervious to attempts to hijack or infect the user's neural net with viruses, even with poorly written plug-ins. The interface provides a safe, controllable system for a Reploid to establish and terminate connections, accept or transmit data to others, and apportion computing cycles for processing. Very clean. Very orderly.
The physical medium of the network is both a vast collection of wireless access nodes that users connect to and the users themselves, often with operators acting as gateways for other Reploids out of range of a node, bypassing the problem of overworked trunk lines. A link between Paris and Berlin was established in late 2220, connecting Reploids across all of western Europe. When the Force Metal bomb in Elysium was set off and knocked the network offline, it took less than an hour before users started repairing the transmitters and restoring services.
The Free Lunch
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Saraband was originally bankrolled by Magrevich Industries, Heracorp, Light Labs, the P.I. Olsen Trust and various smaller organizations. Ongoing financial support is supplied through a small subscription fee to use the network (about the same amount as your average MMORPG) and by individual users supplying runtime for grid computing applications. Advertising is another source of revenue, but its use is strictly controlled within the data-space - ads appear at context-appropriate points, and must adhere to non-intrusiveness guidelines. Some companies have been warned or kicked out of the advertising program for loud or obnoxious ads.
A portion of the money earned through these revenue streams goes back to the investors, while the rest is plowed back into the network to improve coverage, reliability and other services. Users are evangelical about the network's positive economic and social benefits, and have organized fundraising efforts to expand the network faster.
Back To: News Files
