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Distributed Computing.
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 1:53 pm
by The Hunter
Why don't we start a team in one of those projects? It helps science and might even bring in some new members.
For those who don't know: Distributed computing means linking as many computers as possible to work on a project that requires enormous amounts of data to be processed. everyone who wants to participate needs to download a (small) client which then lets the computer work an a certain calculation. this is then uploaded at regular intervals. It enables the processing of data without the use of (extremely expensive) supercomputers for projects like SETI, and other scientific projects.
It doesn't really matter what computer you use. Every computer and every connection will do, not just top of the bill PC's. the calculations have no priority over other programs running on your comp, so you won't experience negative effects and the CPU usage can be adjusted from 100% to 0%. (I myself run it @60% due to cooling troubles).
http://www.aspenleaf.com/distributed/
I bet some Cantr addicts already participate in one of those projects, so why not set up a team and help science and maybe Cantr aswell?
[edit]: Oops. Someone please move this to "Non cantr related please?. Soz.

Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 2:08 pm
by The Hunter
And why is option nr 4 not included? (What the hell is DC)?
Cant edit it anymore since someone voted...
NEway. Example of a client running:
Project: Proteine folding, Stanford University. (I find SETI or code breaking projects rather useless.

Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 3:50 pm
by ephiroll
I'm running SETI@home, there's a Cantr team for it that Wim set up about a year ago when this topic come up under a different name, or it evolved from some other topic, not sure how we got on the subject before.
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 3:53 pm
by The Hunter
Yeah, but I find SETI pretty useless. The Protein folding is of medical use. Besides, it's a newer project and the competition is murderous @ SETI....
And yeah, now I remember... That was quite a while ago, i thought it was from another forum... I ran SETI too, long time ago....
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 5:01 pm
by ephiroll
I like SETI because it's such large scale, basically infinite, I think it's very nearsighted to believe that humans are the only intelligent life in the universe, which is 158 billion light years across according to most recent figures, out of the millions of billions of planets circling the hundred billion stars that make up the universe.
Actually finding life, well, even I won't bet on that, too many reasons not to find it: They could have destroyed themselves (like we came close to doing during the cold war) Been wiped out by a natural event (comet, asteriod, planetary conditions) Or just now approaching our tech levels (and if they're 1000 light years away, it would be another 1000 years before we could possibly hear from them).
But I have no doubt we'll find some sort of life on another planet, most likely bacteria or something along those lines. What most people don't understand is that life isn't that fragle, if there's a way for it to be there, then it will be there.
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 5:21 pm
by Anthony Roberts
Moved.
Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 10:00 pm
by Wim van de Griendt
Next to SETI, I run climateprediction.net and Einstein@home at the moment at my home computer and my computer at work (by way of BOINC).
Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 10:56 pm
by formerly known as hf
I used to run SETI@home too...
Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 11:53 pm
by Nick
At first I thought this topic was about making something like SETI, but for Cantr's database calculations.
Am I wrong?
That would be cool.
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 12:11 am
by formerly known as hf
That would be very cool
I'd happily go for that if Cantr needed it...
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 1:04 am
by formerly known as hf
This thread got me going, I used to runa whole bunch of these on my old computer...
So, now I'm running SETI, climateprediction.net, IMPFarm (this is a nice one - the Internet Movie Project sends you frames from those working on projects for your computer to render via POVRay...) and DIME (which now has a Cantr group...) (I really like this one - maps of the internet - fits my human geography background nicely)
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 1:54 am
by kinvoya
DIME (which now has a Cantr group...) (I really like this one - maps of the internet
Can you give a website for this? It sounds interesting.
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 3:04 am
by swymir
So does the SETI one have a Cantr group?
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 3:05 am
by Nick
Can someone explain to me what you guys are talking about, exactly?
You're losin me here...
Re: Distributed Computing.
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 3:33 am
by Anthony Roberts
The Hunter wrote:For those who don't know: Distributed computing means linking as many computers as possible to work on a project that requires enormous amounts of data to be processed. everyone who wants to participate needs to download a (small) client which then lets the computer work an a certain calculation. this is then uploaded at regular intervals. It enables the processing of data without the use of (extremely expensive) supercomputers for projects like SETI, and other scientific projects.
You're really good at reading, Nick. Seriously. Grade A+ in that catagory.