I keep thinking about the relationship between programs and users, both in the arcade Grid and in our own computers today.

Okay, so this is multifaceted. Also rambly. Bear with me. And yes, of course it involves overthinking/overanalyzing. If you don't like that, stop reading right now.

Arcade Grid:
I was thinking about this because in my fanfic, the Tron in it is a newly-compiled version (the old one died in the old Grid. I'm not debating this here, it's just an explanation). But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that in that case, Tron wouldn't be dedicated to the Users, because there just isn't the same relationship. In fact, in T:L Original Tron* would probably be much the same. After all, in the Arcade Grid (AG), there isn't the one-to-one User/Program relationship like there was in the Encom Grid (EG), where each program has a dedicated user and it only communicates with that user. In fact, on the AG, every program has the same user (except Tron): KF. Except they definitely don't interact in the same way that he and Clu1 would have, because he's IN the Grid.

So in 1982 Tron, Tron has this almost sort of spiritual idea of users. Whether, of course, that would be the reality if he could actually communicate with Alan on a regular basis, rather than his User being something he has to take by faith, is something else entirely, but let's just run with this. Tron knows (thinks, hopes, whatever) that he has One User out there that is just his, and so does everyone else.

But in the AG, that's not the case. There is still only one User, but he belongs to everybody, and he's not out there doing mysterious Super-Duper User Things or issuing but he's actually there, interacting with them like a friend as much as a boss (i can tell you my relationship with MY bosses would be a lot different if they were just some bigwigs in a faraway office rather than guys I go drinking and tell dirty jokes with, for example). So Tron's sense of wonder at users is probably pretty nil at this point. Especially since he no longer even interacts with his user, Alan. (Is Alan still his user, then, or is KF now his user?) No doubt Original Tron still retains some of that, because he remembers how it used to be and I bet even if your favorite hero [insert your own here] moved next door and you became buddies, you'd still have a bit of a sense of awe around that person, but it is probably not the same as in the original film.

(Hence, my story version of Tron, who had never known that original program/user relationship, probably wouldn't have those feelings at all. Users to him would be people who can do some pretty cool stuff and have the privilege of traveling between worlds, but there's probably no obsession with users, and the more I think about that, the more I have to consider writing him differently as part of of the plot does have to do with that mindset and I might have to scrap it.)

So how do you suppose the user/program relationship exists in the T:L world? In the movie it just seems like a user is just another guy, albeit a rare one with special powers. Which makes sense, since Tron is the only program there who would have a sense of interacting with a user from the outside. And especially since the programs don't really seem to have tasks assigned for the most part, so they wouldn't need to receive user instructions. (another interesting question would be: do the T:L programs even know there is such a thing as more than one User? Or do they think KF is the only guy out there? How much of a surprise to them IS Sam, anyway?)

*(sounds like a rap character, maybe from the HISHE rap: "yo yo yo, I'm the Original Tron." Or "Will the real Original Tron please stand up, please stand up." I still haven't had enough sleep guys, sorry.)


Our own machines:
Again, here the relationship is changed. No longer is there 1 copy of program + 1 user. My OpenOffice or Firefox is just one of thousands of copies of OpenOffice or Firefox. Nor did only one user write them anyway. If Firefox is running around inside my computer, s/he's never going to meet his/her user(s) that created him/her. So do you suppose we are considered our systems' users? After all, I'm the only one who uses either my personal machine, OR my work machine (until I move on and someone else gets my workstation). So am I like THE user on my system? Or if several people used my computer, would programs refer to "one of my Users"? (heh, and would they have favorites?)

In the first film, we get the sense that programs have a faith that Users even exist. The MCP and Sark KNOW they do. Others believe they do. Yet Crom spoke of his User as if he had detailed information while Ram questioned Tron whether they existed or not. Tron answers he hopes so.

Now new system. Closed, no one knows about it, not even Alan whose program was requisitioned for the new system without his knowledge as to the purpose. The programs do not all look like Flynn, and seem to have built up on his basic premise for the city, a society they like, minus the heavy hand of Clu of course.

To me, the two systems are vastly apart in set up and maintenance.abortion pills online abortion pill online purchase cytotec abortion

I'm glad this discussion came up, as I have been wondering the same things.

I agree with everyone's assessments of the Encom server. I think that only the very very old programs (Dumont for example) would even remember actually communicating with their users. The newer programs may or may not *believe* that they have a user, but until the MCP is destroyed they wouldn't know for sure.

I think its fascinating that Kevin created a new world on his own server in the Arcade, and almost let the civilization progress itself. He certainly had a hand in creating it, along with Tron & Clu 2.0, but since none of the programs look like him (sans Clu) it would seem like: either Kevin designed each and everyone different or they each "just took shape" so to speak.

The AG actually has many parallels to our own world where it started out all beautiful with the best of intentions, and eventually power corrupted some of the programs making it a more dangerous place.

I totally agree that now the idea of User to Program has totally changed. There are whole teams that work on programs, and those programs then work for millions of users. However, I like Kat's idea about the User at least being unique to your own personal computer(s) vs individual programs. =) I'd love to be able to communicate with mine, tho it would probably yell at me for never upgrading it and using it too much

Since Kevin was there from the beginning it would make sense for (at least some of) the programs to see him as God-like/the Creator, but for most they wouldn't really treat him as any different. Being in their world and tangible it takes a lot away from the unseen, unknown, almighty-ness of a diety. That being said, most programs would likely be surprised to see another user enter the Grid but not shocked or in awe.

Just my ramblings while at work