BOINC is one of the primary developments in distributed computing that allows users to be a part of multiple projects, and to switch between them much more easily. It's also very well run, and standardizes at least the networking part of multiple distributed projects like SETI@home and Climateprediction.net
Tomorrow (the 29th) marks CERN's 50th anniversary and they are currently massively upping the number of beta testers which means you can join now as I have.
CERN is currently installing magnets in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider -- the largest particle accellerator in the world) and they are using distributed computing to more accurately predict how each magnet will affect the entire system to help with efficiency as the LHC is being built. There is a possibility that the program will continue past the fifty day goal if all goes well, and it'd be a really neat way for anybody with a computer to help with important scientific research.
In my experience (with GHz+ computers only) the program doesn't slow any applications down noticably, not even heavy computing with mathmatica or rendering graphics. The program runs in the background, and takes up spare cycles, and it's very simple to set the program to only run x minutes after you step away from the computer.
Check it out at http://athome.web.cern.ch/athome/ or BOINC at http://boinc.berkeley.edu
Tomorrow (the 29th) marks CERN's 50th anniversary and they are currently massively upping the number of beta testers which means you can join now as I have.
CERN is currently installing magnets in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider -- the largest particle accellerator in the world) and they are using distributed computing to more accurately predict how each magnet will affect the entire system to help with efficiency as the LHC is being built. There is a possibility that the program will continue past the fifty day goal if all goes well, and it'd be a really neat way for anybody with a computer to help with important scientific research.
In my experience (with GHz+ computers only) the program doesn't slow any applications down noticably, not even heavy computing with mathmatica or rendering graphics. The program runs in the background, and takes up spare cycles, and it's very simple to set the program to only run x minutes after you step away from the computer.
Check it out at http://athome.web.cern.ch/athome/ or BOINC at http://boinc.berkeley.edu
