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06-09-2014, 03:01 AM | #1 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Equipment Bond for Software?
Greetings, all!
For many skills, 'equipment' is actually software, be it a programme for brain hacking, a word processor, or the expert system that gives advice on precision aiming. But where things get complicated is where a piece of software counts as 'mine'. Well, sure, things are crystal clear when the software was written by the character in question for oneself only. But this isn't a requirement for equipment bonds, so I wonder what counts as sufficiently individualised for purposes of equipment bonds when not writing one's own software. Obviously brand-and-model can't be arbitrarily changed, just like with non-informational tools. Upgrading equipment doesn't interfere with Equipment bond, so apparently version increments are okay. But then what counts as required personalisation? UI customisation, relevant macros, databases and templates? That seems right for things like a spreadsheet programme, but not so much for a minimalistic editor with a same-on-all-computers philosophy such as ed or vi. Thoughts? Thanks in advance! |
06-09-2014, 06:34 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Feb 2014
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Re: Equipment Bond for Software?
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Of course if you're dealing with ed or vi, you could have custom compilations with little tweaks in the code. |
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06-09-2014, 06:47 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Behind You
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Re: Equipment Bond for Software?
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I think bond can be used as long as you can say why it makes sense. I think computer software, was mentioned above, are easily bonded because they tend to be so tailored by the user, for the user. Programmers in the office, for example, go so far out of the way to get software and tools to speed up every little task their own way. No two Visual Studios at our office look the same, with layout changed, color choices changed, custom macros, some use GUI tools, others are off in Makefiles. |
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06-09-2014, 08:56 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: Equipment Bond for Software?
For the true minimalist, the Equipment Bond might represent the fact that the character's most effective way of working happens to match the tool, rather than the other way around. It may not be a matter of altering the tool to suit you so much as finding the tool that already works the way you work best. There's more than one minimalist editor, after all.
It's okay if other people could have a Bond with exactly the same tool. That just means it suits them, too. Bonded stuff doesn't have to be unique in the universe, nor does the Bond itself have to be unique, so that no one else in the universe could Bond with a copy of that item. |
06-09-2014, 09:21 AM | #5 | |
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Vermont
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Re: Equipment Bond for Software?
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__________________
My ongoing thread of GURPS versions of DC Comics characters. |
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06-09-2014, 09:33 AM | #6 | ||
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Yorkshire, UK
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Re: Equipment Bond for Software?
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The fact that losing the specific item loses the perk, means to replace it you have to buy the item and buy the perk again! |
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Tags |
equipment bodn, perks, software, software tools |
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