I have been sampling the posts for the past year in the Windows help boards and have noted a literal ocean of problems with this software.

We see a lot of insulting and belittling attitude out of the so-called "helpful volunteers" when users complain about the flukey and unpredictable nature of this software which needs a huge amount of tweaking by those users who are willing to tolerate it.

The simple fact of the matter is that this software is not even close to being ready to be pushed out to the public and it brings both the SETI program and the University of California at Berkley into disrepute.

It is not that software is hard to engineer that is the problem. It is that it has been released "into the wild" long before it is even at a beta level of development.

This software is a weak beta at best and the whole program would do well to simply suspend operations until these problems are resolved.

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Funny, I've been running it since near the beginning, and it runs just fine on all my machines.

Too many people think you need to play, tweak, etc. It's meant to run a lot like classic. Set it and forget it. I have no issues, and those who do not play and play with their settings also run it just fine. It's those people who think they need to babysit it that become frustrated and upset.

If people just sit back and allow the computer to do the work, it will do just that.

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My movie https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/502242

This is yet another in the endless supply of cocky "it runs okay on MY machine" comments. Somehow the fact you got lucky.. or don't know when the software isn't running well... or don't have a clue about the security issues this software raises... is supposed to impress the huge number of prospective users who find it irritating and glitch-ridden.

The boards themselves are packed with advice to tweak and fiddle with the software. .then if someone complains it needs too much tweaking.. you are told you are a fool for tweaking it too much.

I notice you are willing to decide you know all about how I have used this software and are ready to condemn me as just another moron.. as is so common in this board when people make well-justified complaints about the defects in this software.

Surprising how a batch of amateur hackers supporting flukey screwed up software think they are so damned more knowledgable than the professionals who are warning you the stuff is junk.

Funny, I've been running it since near the beginning, and it runs just fine on all my machines.

Too many people think you need to play, tweak, etc. It's meant to run a lot like classic. Set it and forget it. I have no issues, and those who do not play and play with their settings also run it just fine. It's those people who think they need to babysit it that become frustrated and upset.

If people just sit back and allow the computer to do the work, it will do just that.

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This is yet another in the endless supply of cocky "it runs okay on MY machine" comments. Somehow the fact you got lucky.. or don't know when the software isn't running well... or don't have a clue about the security issues this software raises... is supposed to impress the huge number of prospective users who find it irritating and glitch-ridden.
The boards themselves are packed with advice to tweak and fiddle with the software. .then if someone complains it needs too much tweaking.. you are told you are a fool for tweaking it too much.
I notice you are willing to decide you know all about how I have used this software and are ready to condemn me as just another moron.. as is so common in this board when people make well-justified complaints about the defects in this software.
Surprising how a batch of amateur hackers supporting flukey screwed up software think they are so damned more knowledgable than the professionals who are warning you the stuff is junk.

Edited to let this person just go away.

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It doesn't "work fine for most people".
You people have simply got to quit parroting these complete falsehoods as if they were true.

You used to have over 800,000 volunteers helping with SETI alone.
You now have 500,000 supporting SETI *and* the other BOINC projects.
You lost over 300,000 users... and even more than that when you take into account the dilution of effort since it is spread among 30 or more projects now.

Previously you had 800,000 users on one project.
Now you have 500,000 working on 30.
That means you average 16,667 people per project.
This software has lost you 783,333 users who used to work on SETI.
Do you not see the gigantic failure that represents?

And these are not just "users" like they were a bunch of MySpacers looking to freeload some free webspace... they are people who are paying money to run their computers to help out with somebody else's project. They get no benefit whatsoever from this software other than satisfaction at helping a good cause.

I am not the one who foisted this software off on an unsuspecting public.
It isn't my job to fix it.

I am one of the many telling you you are torquing off loads of people and you refuse to recognize it.

I know you guys are volunteers.. and it is a gigantic irritating load you are expected to carry to try to provide tech support to a Titanic that is sinking...but you are not helping the cause by taking it out upon the users who show up on these boards.

I am taking no small amount of time to express to you "out loud" what literally hundreds of thousands of people are telling you by their refusal to use the software.

I am already doing more than my fair share just by making such a strong effort to get your organization. collectively, to wake up and realize it just isn't working.

This is yet another in the endless supply of cocky "it runs okay on MY machine" comments. Somehow the fact you got lucky.. or don't know when the software isn't running well... or don't have a clue about the security issues this software raises... is supposed to impress the huge number of prospective users who find it irritating and glitch-ridden.
The boards themselves are packed with advice to tweak and fiddle with the software. .then if someone complains it needs too much tweaking.. you are told you are a fool for tweaking it too much.
I notice you are willing to decide you know all about how I have used this software and are ready to condemn me as just another moron.. as is so common in this board when people make well-justified complaints about the defects in this software.
Surprising how a batch of amateur hackers supporting flukey screwed up software think they are so damned more knowledgable than the professionals who are warning you the stuff is junk.

Then stop saying 'it won't work' and give some of your 'obviously expert' details on the facts. As I said earlier, in the other thread you posted this same drivel in, it works fine for most people. If you have problems with the software, spell them out. Stop yelling 'fire' in the auditorium, the Fire Department is here and wants to know where the problems lie. There are people running Boinc on well over 200 pc's, somebody must be able to do it.
Spell out your concerns and let people address them.

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It doesn't "work fine for most people".
You people have simply got to quit parroting these complete falsehoods as if they were true.

You used to have over 800,000 volunteers helping with SETI alone.
You now have 500,000 supporting SETI *and* the other BOINC projects.
You lost over 300,000 users... and even more than that when you take into account the dilution of effort since it is spread among 30 or more projects now.

Stats from 3rd party site:http://www.boincsynergy.com/stats/
Name of Project: SETI@Home BOINC
Total credit granted: 9,954,947,798 cobblestones
Total Recent Avg Credit: 20,910,642 cobblestones
Total users: 526,639 users
Total teams: 43,165 teams
Total hosts: 1,135,975 host(s)
Total countries: 243

Previously you had 800,000 users on one project.
Now you have 500,000 working on 30.
That means you average 16,667 people per project.
This software has lost you 783,333 users who used to work on SETI.
Do you not see the gigantic failure that represents?

Actually click on the above link, it will show you the error in your thinking.

And these are not just "users" like they were a bunch of MySpacers looking to freeload some free webspace... they are people who are paying money to run their computers to help out with somebody else's project. They get no benefit whatsoever from this software other than satisfaction at helping a good cause.

I can do stats too, see above, but wihout proof you are just full of hotair!

I am not the one who foisted this software off on an unsuspecting public.
It isn't my job to fix it.
I am one of the many telling you you are torquing off loads of people and you refuse to recognize it.

Nor obviously are you willing to help others fix it. I asked for a list of what you think is wrong, you came back with user stats that are either wrong or made up.

I know you guys are volunteers.. and it is a gigantic irritating load you are expected to carry to try to provide tech support to a Titanic that is sinking...but you are not helping the cause by taking it out upon the users who show up on these boards.

Thank you, we do get a lot of grief from some people

I am taking no small amount of time to express to you "out loud" what literally hundreds of thousands of people are telling you by their refusal to use the software.
I am already doing more than my fair share just by making such a strong effort to get your organization. collectively, to wake up and realize it just isn't working.

And just how are you doing that? By continuisly telling people that 'the sky is falling'? First of all the sky is not falling. It is a SCIENCE project! It is NOT a commercial peice of software!!! It was written to determine a particular thing, read the request for money that started this whole thing. It is on the web, use your skills to find it, I have seen it, just did not bookmark it.
If you have some constructive somments to make, please by all means make them. If not please stop repeating the same thing over and over.

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I have been sampling the posts for the past year in the Windows help boards and have noted a literal ocean of problems with this software.

We see a lot of insulting and belittling attitude out of the so-called "helpful volunteers" when users complain about the flukey and unpredictable nature of this software which needs a huge amount of tweaking by those users who are willing to tolerate it.

The simple fact of the matter is that this software is not even close to being ready to be pushed out to the public and it brings both the SETI program and the University of California at Berkley into disrepute.

It is not that software is hard to engineer that is the problem. It is that it has been released "into the wild" long before it is even at a beta level of development.

This software is a weak beta at best and the whole program would do well to simply suspend operations until these problems are resolved.

Your posts are filled with such inaccuracies and ambiguous-ness that you are simply complaining without actually having anything to say, other than BOINC sucks.

If you don't like it - don't run it.

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Caroline,

Throwing out bold face lies, and bad statistical information can be considered slanderous. There is proof the software works for many people. The stats above show over 500K on SETI alone.

Combined BOINC
Total Credit: 17,386,767,823
RAC: 40,935,607
Users: 815,050
Countries: 251

OK, over 800,000 people are wrong. They are not using the software correctly. They are all just lying to themselves.

As stated in many messages, you are just being argumentive because YOU perceive that more people do not like the software because what you read is complaints. If you read more of those messages, you will notice MANY do start crunching and are active crunchers. They had an issue, asked (or maybe complained) for help. They got their help, they are now crunching.

I would believe Berkeley could bring up a slander suite against you, if they really wished. Actually, I beleive ALL the 30+ projects could.

Some people do not like the software. It seems you do not. Oh well, we all have things we do not like. We either live with it, or try to get away from it. You are doing neither at the moment, and you are just frustrating the people who like to help. I agree with another message that says you should be banned off the message boards. So, my advice, leave while you still have time, and allow those of us who like the software, can use it, and can help others that really want to use it, continue to help.

We do not need your abusive, arbitrary agruments here, anymore.

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My movie https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/502242

Don't be pushing amateur lawyering off as a bluff defense for the horribly arrogant attitudes we see throughout this site... and for well over a year.

We are not dealing with someone who is having a bad day. We are seeing a habitual documented arrogance which is intolerable in a public institution.

We see the software does not work well. No responsible professional should run it on any computers over which they have control. As it stands now, it is a hobbyists toy, not serious software.

I simply have told you what the figures you report actually mean.

The potential lawsuit.. or legal/political trouble you are inviting is in your collective and constant reassurances that things are other then they are.

It tends to render the disclaimers moot since the live words of the "tech support" supplement those disclaimers and would be held to supersede them.

For example.. there are a load of disclaimers at this site and at the BOINC site that overheating is a possible and serious problem. Yet, the amateur "helpers" here time and again tell people it isn't a problem.

Wait until some library system with several hundred computers takes you at your word and destroys several hundred CPUs through overheating... and because tech support said it was okay.

You need not worry much about being sued for money damages but you can certainly destroy this whole program and the careers of those paid professionals at the University who sponsor this activity.

Additionally.. it is very clear that usership has plummeted and your very own figures demonstrate it.

Do you really think that you people can, collectively, bluff and flame everyone who doubts you?

You need to understand you are sometimes dealing with professionals and not some batch of frat boys.

When professionals tell you the software isn't ready for release.. it isn't.

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