Posts by SGTF

1) Questions and Answers : Macintosh : SETI and BOINC client 4.19 (Message 881123) Posted 1 Apr 2009 by SGTF Post: It's really up to you to judge whether it's worth it, don't let the enthusiasts here influence you too much. Glad to hear another perspective!!
2) Questions and Answers : Macintosh : SETI and BOINC client 4.19 (Message 881064) Posted 31 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Well, I AM running the most recent version of BOINC on all my other my computers. I figured I'd make use of this older computer if it was capable. From what you're saying it sounds like it's really not worth it. thanks for the responses.
3) Questions and Answers : Macintosh : SETI and BOINC client 4.19 (Message 881036) Posted 31 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Hello, I recently installed the powerpc apple darwin boinc client 4.19 on an older G4 box which I have running OS X (10.2.8) and darwin 6.8. Don't ask-- I know it's an older version of OS X but it still runs really well as an Apache Web server! Anyway, it seems to have attached itself without any complaints to the seti@home project, but no tasks have yet been retrieved. I'm wondering if SETI will still serve work to this older client?
4) Questions and Answers : Wish list : Floaty Screensaver (Message 879912) Posted 28 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Well, I can understand if these were indeed the reasons. The problem with screen burns isn't as prevalent today because most people have replaced their CRTs. But I can understand this decision as it was made a number of years ago. I've seen other posts that make the point that the newer version won't run on older, "less capable" machines. I guess this is due to the OpenGL support in relatively newer video graphic cards. This seems counter intuitive to me that the continuation of an older 2-D version would drain performance as processing chipset power has increased ten-fold over the years. I would think that the additional processing power would more than make up for it. As far as the open architecture, I was not aware that the classic screen saver was not originally developed to be platform independent. I can understand why resources would not be allocated to rewrite the code to do this, especially seeing as though there are little resources to work with! I appreciate your input.
5) Questions and Answers : Wish list : Floaty Screensaver (Message 879902) Posted 28 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Unfortunately, it doesn't look like one can truly emulate the original Classic SETI screensaver. See this thread http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=3317#19512. Yes, you can sort of make the newer 3D version look like the old one by following the wiki instructions but the graphics are less legible and many agree in the SETI community that the newer version doesn't look as polished as the original. I first saw the screen saver in 99 or '00 running on a farm of computers in a university lab and was instantly drawn to it. It was a conversation piece. I needed to know what it was and started talking to the tech lab assistant. I thought it was really "techie" and cool. Consequently, I immediately went and installed it on my machine and joined the hunt for extraterrestrial lifeforms! :-) I'm sure others joined the project based on similar experiences. I believe this is core to the ambitions of the project, that many people from many different backgrounds with many different interests can join together for a variety of reasons and contribute to a common goal. One can engage in discussions regarding what SETI is for, what computers should be running it and why, etc. But what is this really all about? I find this situation to be a fascinating example of how decision makers continually "miss the boat" and disregard how modifications to existing systems will negatively impact the end user. I think one can draw parallels to the development of the newest Microsoft Office suite, where MS engineers now admit very little R&D went into usability testing of the newer, "better" product. Why so little regard for the people who actually purchase and use your product? I think it is perfectly acceptable for creativity to drive innovation, and I understand the argument that laggards may impede development. But in this case look at what we're talking about-- a screen saver. A small piece of graphical programming that brought a little joy during the day to those who marveled at its simplicity and form. Why discount this? Why not leave an option for those users who liked the classic 2D version to see it while they are crunching numbers? Would the inclusion of the 2D version have resulted in a nightmarish project boondoggle that wasted hundreds of precious hours of programming detail? Would the inclusion of the 2D version have significantly DEGRADED the performance and integrity of data gathered using the newer BOINC application? Were there licensing considerations which drove this decision? Was this the reason why the 2D version NOT included? I think these are fair questions to ask. Unfortunately, my suspicion is that the 2D version wasn't included because a small group of people somewhere made an executive decision based on their own feelings about this aspect of the project (which they deemed of little importance) without considering how the community at large might feel about it. Maybe there WAS a survey issued and feedback showed that the inclusion of the classic 2D screen saver was only important to a very small and select percentage of users-- but I have my doubts. And sure, this whole issue may seem trivial to those who could care less. I think this situation perfectly illustrates how software engineering many times pays little aspect to human factor engineering. Whether or not any of this matters is wholly dependent on your personal perspective.
6) Questions and Answers : Wish list : Computer Hostnames (Message 879825) Posted 27 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Then put them in your signature. Which gives me the choice whether I want to see it or not. I am not too interested in seeing other people's computer names. Most out there use a default Network & host name anyway. I'm not sure what you mean. One always has a choice whether to look at such a data element or not. Adding this option (or any option) wouldn't force you to do anything... ??
7) Questions and Answers : Wish list : Computer Hostnames (Message 879726) Posted 27 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: I don't know, my computers to me are like pets. I give them all names and feel as though they have their own little personalities. I'd like to give them the recognition they deserve! ;-)
8) Questions and Answers : Wish list : Computer Hostnames (Message 879612) Posted 27 Mar 2009 by SGTF Post: Can one set a preference where host names are displayed publicly? Right now it appears the names of my computers are only displayed when I am logged in under my account. Or do any of the compiled stats sites display host names? If not (due to security?), maybe SETI could add a field(s) in the account preferences for users to attach a name to each of their hosts.

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