---
# System prepended metadata

title: PDA replacement with tablets

---

# PDA replacement with tablets

## Why?
1. #### PDAs are bad code
It is currently the oldest code we have, it doesnt use any of the newer html interfaces(not even talking about TGUI), is very monolithic and hard to add to/remove from without big rewrites, which is why none touches it for so long

2. #### Modular computers are good code
Its a new, clean code, they use TGUI, have inbuilt modularity for future additions, and in general are very easy to add to or tweak

3. #### Tablet and PDA usability already overlaps in like 90% of use cases
Making it an obvious and easy thing to do which should have happened years ago

## The overall goal of this transition
1. To make it so that PDA gameplay feature experience is transfered to tablets or tablet subtypes as closely as possible so its not a gameplay change
2. Do so using only the already present conventions and tools modular computers have to not shit up modular computer code with snippets from PDAs or weird snowflakes

## The tasks to accomplish this transition:

 - Every member of the crew needs to spawn with a properly job-preset tablet
 - Current modular computers messaging program needs to have a default station channel set up with all crew in it, with new joining crew automatically being added to it and an ability to have private messages with those in that channel by creating a 2-man channel with someone with one click
 - Said messaging app needs to be linked with general game chat so that new messages, especially private ones, would pop up there by default like it was with PDAs, but with options to disable any or all channels from doing so
 - If abovementioned channels arent logged/dependant on PDA messaging server, they should, unless they have a different dedicated server, but then that server should be as accessible/temperable as PDA messaging one was
 - The very few cartriges usability of which still isnt copied by one of the programs should be transfered to a program and added to a department-related tablet preset
 - Traitor uplink needs to be added as a possible component to that messaging app since PDAs uplink was only ever interacting with PDA messaging and nothing else, make it activate by sending a private message to yourself with that code or something similar involving the usual code and inputting it somewhere in that program
 - Tablets need to blow up on traitor PDA blowup thingie through that messaging app
 - Tablets need to store a pen in them
 - Clowns tablet needs to be slippery
 - Mimes messenger program needs to be restricted to emoji

## How hard is it to accomplish?

**This can be done by setting up a github goal with milestones being tasks listed above**

Since most of tasks in the list can be done with small separate prs which wouldnt break the game, it is fairly achievable in general even if none will do it all at once

Total line count will be about 700 or so by my estimations, and most of the work is fairly trivial as modular computer code is very clean and obvious