[Chalkarts]

I've got an aspected Mage, Summoner, High magic rating.
He's also a Decker.
In theory he summons a spirit to watch and protect him when he goes full VR.

From what I've read, Binding a spirit is cruel and they hate it.

But I was recently reading some fluff whose main character had an Air spirit that seamed amicable to him and didn't seem annoyed at all.  Was that just a writing choice by the author or is there a way to make a bound spirit a friendly entity instead of just a disgruntled bellhop?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

It's a role-playing thing.

[GuardDuty]

Or a retcon thing.  It used to be that the summoning ritual of an elemental bound it to you until all it's services were fulfilled or you released it from your service, and at that time it was not considered cruel.  They didn't introduce the notion that spirits really don't like that until after they changed the magic system in 4E, so any fiction before that (and some that came after) usually portray bound spirits as friendly or indifferent, unless they feel mistreated for a separate reason.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

That's a good point.. Elementals and Nature Spirits used to be completely different things and of course would have completely different attitudes about things.  Not true any longer, ever since 4e and the "Unified Magical Theory".

[Chalkarts]

My character is an Aspected summoner with Magic/essence 5.
He's a decker first and foremost.  It's what he does.  His summoning is used as a way to get someone to defend or at least watch out for him when he's in VR.
I was trying to decide if I should summon on a case by case basis or if it would be better to have a bound spirit that takes care of me regularly.

The character would treat spirits much the same way he treats other Metas, they're pretty much his equal in the meat space, but he's a god in the Matrix.(Spider spirit totem)

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Depending on the edition you're playing, you might look at the possibility of obtaining a Spirit Ally.

[Chalkarts]

Depending on the edition you're playing, you might look at the possibility of obtaining a Spirit Ally.

5e hopefully,
Is that a Quality?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Ally spirits are like bound spirits, but its more permanent. Akin to a master and Henchman relationship. They're basically a NPC that is your sidekick and you pay it in karma.