Comconsoles were basic all-purpose computer workstations that permeated human life throughout the galactic Nexus. They served as basic video telecommunication, internet and intranet access, word processing, and entertainment stations. They could take in information from data cubes or from data discs.
Comconsole access was normally available to all persons of any walk of life; on Beta Colony, it was a civil right.[1] On Barrayar, comconsoles were only available in urban areas due to the lack of power stations in rural areas such as the Dendarii Mountains.[2][3]
Related terminology[]
- A wrist comm was a particularly small comconsole that could be worn like a watch. These came in a variety of makes; some had much longer range than others, some had screamer circuits for emergency contacts, and so forth.[4][5][6]
- Comlink[7] was roughly synonymous with comconsole. These ranged in size from hefty boxes[8] to something that could be fished from one's pocket.[9][10]
- When one of these could be inserted in the ear, it would be referred to as a comlink earbug or simply as an earbug.[11]
- When one of these came with protection from eavesdroppers, it would be referred to as a secured comlink.[15]
- A commercial comlink was one generally available to ordinary owners of comlinks.[16]
- A comm card was a means of identifying a user of a comm link to indicate that they had permission to reach a particular individual.[17][18]
- A channel (wristcom channel, comlink channel) was a means by which communication could be restricted to a small number of participants even when many people were all using comconsoles at the same time.[19][20]
- Earth's comnet was a complex inter-connected set of comconsoles upon which commercial interactions (purchases and so forth) could be performed.[21] Rather akin to the Internet in Real Life.
- Very old Earth terminology for this was 'vone, a contraction of "video phone".[22]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Barrayar chapter 7
- ↑ "The Mountains of Mourning"
- ↑ Memory chapter 11
- ↑ Brothers in Arms chapters 5,7,11,14-16
- ↑ Komarr chapters 5,10
- ↑ A Civil Campaign chapter 17
- ↑ Older versions of text often had comm link
- ↑ Shards of Honor chapter 1
- ↑ Brothers in Arms widespread
- ↑ Barrayar chapters 1,4,5,11,12
- ↑ Memory chapter 5
- ↑ Brothers in Arms chapter 4
- ↑ Diplomatic Immunity chapter 7
- ↑ Captain Vorpatril's Alliance chapter 17
- ↑ Brothers in Arms chapters 5,9,13
- ↑ Mirror Dance chapters 1,2,9
- ↑ Mirror Dance chapter 16
- ↑ A Civil Campaign chapters 7,15
- ↑ Brothers in Arms chapter 15
- ↑ Mirror Dance chapters 7,9,17
- ↑ Brothers in Arms chapter 2
- ↑ "Dreamweaver's Dilemma"