Once upon a time, someone asked:
> Can anyone come up with a good argument to justify Cyberspace?
My response was:
"Cyberspace" is a consentual hallucination shared by millions of data workers, worldwide, in order to ease and speed the transfer of data. It all began with the University of Minnesota's "Gopher" program, which used "Hierarchical" menus within menus. The problem with the original version was that (after a few menus), navigation became problematic, and users felt "lost". Even if they found what they were looking for, they often could not find their way back to it, again.
Shortly thereafter, the "World-wide Web" (or WWW) was developed, and navigation became a bit easier, using hypertext links "buried under" the text that stated where the link would take you to. This made navigation a bit easier, but the Uniform or Universal Resource Locaters (URLs) used to address information became longer and looooooonger...
After The Twilight War's near-total devastation of international communications, the re-establishment of the WWW allowed for the introduction of some new tools, including Gopher+. This "new" version of Gopher used the better graphics-rendering abilities of 22nd Century computers to "iconize" data, allowing SysAdmins (System Administrators) to develop their own "neighborhoods" of data into a visual VR world that could be interacted with much as the real world. They were also able to give "their" area a certain "personality" through the look they chose.
Since everyone is already familiar with walking, talking, using roadmaps, etc., this "model" was adopted as an easier means for WWW navigation. Computer Users were defined by an "icon" (or data construct) on-screen, and systems were defined as buildings on a gridded cityscape. Just as one could learn the path from their home to work, school, the library, church, city hall, etc., one could now learn the way from their home data center to their workplace's, school's, the library's, etc. Furthermore, since users were now represented by icons, as well, and since text and audio-visual "chat" were now included as "client applications", if one became "lost", one could simply stop and ask a passer-by for directions!
This also allowed areas to be developed with different "rules". Just as one could get away with certain behavior in a bar that would be considered very improper in a church, so behavior that might be accepted in one area of the 'net (or "Matrix", as it was now being called) might be very inappropriate at the Trilon HQ DOS Tower!
Thus, "cyberspace" cityscapes grew, were mapped, and maps displayed. A user was capable of "pulling back" or "flying over" the virtual landscape, and seeing what was there. Certain standards (called "protocols") were implemented, defining a mainframe computer as a Towerlike structure, and defining the appearance of datastores, public information kiosks, etc. This allowed users to fly over an area and "look down" to see (generally) what was there. Further advances allowed SysAdmins to add more visual detail to the exterior of their system's DOS Tower. Thus, the Mitushima building (for example) might be a massive edifice of burning chrome that towered over the local landscape and DOS Towers of its lesser companions.
Connections between systems became "roads", paths, or trails. "Secret doors" between systems could be "locked" via passwords. This lent itself well to the old gamer's "Dungeon" interface, which many SysAdmins adopted, in the early days (it has now, thankfully, become uncommon).
Data could be moved by VR "trucks", and armored, encrypted transmissions could be shipped by VR "Armored cars". Gone were the days of typing:
fgrep -fx "Mitsushima" *.*
to find something. Now, you could ask the directory (using real language commands) and get a verbal response. You could also command your computer (now commonly called a "rack", or "deck") to follow a friend, and let him/her "take" you there. The institution of the "fast-rewind" command made getting back to any previously-marked point a breeze. The "fast-forward" and bookmark commands made getting back a no-brainer for the average user.
The "Cyberspace" network thus looks much like a globe seen from a great height: "Cities" are a massive swarm of DOS Tower "buildings", smaller defined shapes represent public information kiosks, users, their decks, E-mail, etc. Just as in a real city, however, getting lost in a large data cityscape soon became a problem...
Advances in technology allowed rapid increases in processor speed, but it was only circa the 2200s that the neural interface allowed man to keep up. With the development of the "Neural Jack", individuals who worked with data constantly were able to increase their speed a thousand fold over their twentieth-century counterparts (triple the rate of non-jacked individuals) by directly connecting their mind to the machine. Naturally, this lead directly to the development of new tools especially for such people, who began calling a regular, non-jacked deck a "Turtle" (just as late 20th Century E-mail users began calling postal service "snail-mail").
Another interesting development directly related to this was the fact that security routines developed for normal computer networks were TOTALLY ineffective versus the new technology! A rapid onset in "data rustling" by a new breed of "deckers" led to the development and introduction of ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics). Originally developed by the militaries of the major world powers, ICE was quickly developed by the major international corporations, as well, to protect their data from rustlers. Military and state secrets of several lower-caste world powers (especially Indonesia and "the rape of Africa" - or at least its banking system) were breached prior to the incorporation of ICE into all OSs (Operating Systems).
"Cyberspace", such as it is, today, hasn't been around for very long (see: _Rotten to the Core_). Decks are still Uncommon (if not Very Rare) on the Frontier, and "jacked" equipment rigged for direct neural control is still even rarer, even in the military. One of the most popular new uses for this is the "jacked" weapon, which basically includes Visible-light targetting sensors (sometimes incorporating thermal IR or Light-intensifying LI technology, as well as laser rangefinding) HUD technology to allow the users of such weapons to literally see what their weapon is pointed at! While this technology still has some problems, technology advances apace.
The frontiers of cyberspace are still being charted, and a lot of odd uses for the technology are being found. One of the most obvious areas is where it all began: the medical technology field. Lost eyes can be replaced. Paraplegics can be given some mobility through direct neural interfaced chairs. Indeed, new working arms and legs can be grafted on.
All in all, the uses of technology really haven't changed that much since the invention of the hammer... Some people will use it to beat you over the head with; others will use it to build homes. Data security is a constant war.
As the old Thieves' saying goes: "Aint no lock that can't be picked, aint no guard that can't be tricked. Aint no security that can't be licked!" Maybe, but those with something to protect generally have a lot more resources to bring to bear on protecting it than the thieves have to pit against it. Is it REALLY woth your life, sucker? Think about it!
So don't deck. It aint worth the risk.
C-space was invented not to allow decking, but to facilitate data transmissions. People who work with massive amounts of data all day appreciate the ease of navigation and utilization. As long as (for instance) a Corporate Database Manager stays within the areas of the Corp.'s DB, he doesn't have to worry about ICE. As long as users don't try to "break in" to any "Towers", they don't, either. It's only when you do something illegal that you risk death.
The most common forms of ICE will be "Trace" programs which allow the mainframe to locate the line you're calling in from. The military, some corps, and MegaCorps may have "Trace and Burn", but the bus terminal and local library won't (and if they do, and you can prove it, you can sue'em for it).
Most ICE will simply deny access to unauthorized users, or make it harder to get in (the old "go find an easier target" routine). "Burner" ICE is both rare, and illegal, except to specially licensed facilities. Data-rustling should be the same. Deckers crazy enough to risk it likewise.
Since the laws governing crimes are determined by the jurisdiction in which the crime was committed, and since problems occurred early on with persons from one country decking into another and wreaking havoc, an "International Cyberspace Court" with jurisdiction over all Cyber-Crime was needed to handle it. This allowed for crimes of international scope to be handled relatively easily, with fixed penalties.
As for the "stupidity" of decking, most people would agree that taking drugs is pretty dumb, but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of people... Why should technology be any different?