SETI and other nonsense...

Microsoft is pretty much the only thing I’ve ever run. The issue with these bio-apps is that big corporations just end up sucking up the results to line their pockets—and they already have more money than they know what to do with.

So, my suggestion is stick with Microsoft and SETI@home. If you’re solely focused on the throughput, then just go with SETI@home. It isn't a cure-all, but they're hunting for gravitational waves, which might actually lead to the kind of knowledge we need to get off this rock eventually.😉

I didn't quite catch what this "Microsoft" thing is all about...

Anyway, does anyone know of any research groups out there that actually pay for data processing? If I'm gonna let my rig run anyway, might as well make a little cash off it... 😉

Not really. People with money aren't looking for extra security; they just want to contribute. It’s about supporting science—the same science that gave you the PC and all this tech you rely on every day.

And NASA (my mistake earlier) is basically just refreshing a massive protein database.

Hey, can someone walk me through this BOINC thing? I’ve been running SETI@home for a few days now and managed to knock out a couple of completed "units." Every single one says "Breaking News" in the status. What does that actually mean? When do I actually see the credit for the work done?

So, they have to be sent to the server first. Once you upload them, it can take a few days before you actually see any credits hit your account—it varies, since you're basically waiting on three or four identical results to come through.

So, you want me to wait a few more days while this guy "analyzes" them?!

Once you connect to the internet, they upload everything to the server, which then cross-references those results against the rest of the data to calculate your points.

Ugh, look at what I'm getting:

Progress: 100%
To completion: ---
Report deadline: 5/18/2006 1:15:22 PM
Status: Ready to report

Is this actually normal?

So does that mean the packet's fully processed and just sitting there waiting to hit the server?

And what does "report deadline" actually mean?

What's the deadline for getting this processed package back to the server?

Looks like you actually have to hit the update button! 😁

I honestly thought this thing would just jump online and dump its results whenever the connection was free...

It handles itself automatically. Usually, though, it just waits until enough packages have piled up before sending them all out at once.

My credit should be sitting around 46-47 based on my processed unit. What’s yours looking like?

Somewhere between 30 and 80. It really depends on which package you go with.

Eh, not bad... I honestly expected more. You can't even get anywhere with an Athlon XP 2000 anymore...

It’s not about how fast the processor is; it’s just a matter of how much CPU time is being consumed.

So, if someone runs BOINC on a gigahertz Athlon or a Core 2 Duo pushed to 4GHz, they end up with the same credits? Feels a little rigged to me. Especially for the guys with the heavy-duty rigs... while their machines are churning through two or three packets a day, these weaker setups are lucky if they scrape by with one...

The package remains identical. However, a faster processor will handle more packets within the same timeframe, won't it?

So I'm staring at these package results right now...

Under claimed credit, it says 43.10, but under granted credit, it shows 56.03.

How is the second number even higher? From what I can tell, granted shouldn't be able to top the claimed amount... or am I tripping?