With the "real" wishlist forum, it doesn't order in the right order, and generally doesnt seem the right place to have a discussion of features, which is more what I want.

First things first: Boinc is sexy.

Secondly: onto the "serious" stuff (or rather the reason for my post). I've been collecting my thoughts on BOINC/SAH whilst the website has been down, just a "wishlist" of things I'd like to see in BOINC/SAH.

This all applies to win32 boinc GUI, and associated seti project because that's what I've been using.

boinc wishlist

Be able to disable net from right clicking systray icon.

Be able to set "priority" for projects not just CPU share.
explain/example: I want to run SETI all the time on my CPU. However there are times that WUs won't always be available. I want therefore to have a "backup" in predictor in case seti goes down. I want therefore to have predictor downloaded and setup ready, then start processing WUs if I run out of SETI wus. However, at the moment, the predictor WUs will fill the cache, and seti (well boinc really) won't ask for more Wus, because BOINC won't be below the low-water mark, even when I finish processing SETI wus, because there will be predictor WUs. EVen if I set my SETI resource share to 1000 and my predictor to 1, all that will happen is that I finish SETI Wus first and even if SETI is working perfectly I'll start processing predictor, which isn't what I want.

Different "cache size" for different projects: At the moment there are only global settings, so if I want 5 days SETI cache I'm forced to have a 5 day cache for all projects, and indeed all projects "fight" over filling that cache.

To be able to "halt" a project without dettaching it. [which deletes the crunching client, WUs and indeed loses your "hostID"]

More "client side" options, so boinc is more configurable from the client end, without relying on a website (I have a personal feud against web-based interfaces) to change program configurations. I don't want to have to go to a website just to tell my own computer not to try and connect to the net. It seems absurd to me that I have to have web to be able to change how a program on my computer works.

More "host" options, rather than having options such as "work/school/home", why not have a separate set of options under each computer/host.

Better logging - a /logs/ for complete stdout and stderr history, not just having the current and previous logged.

More program options, why shouldn't I be able to deselect the "disk" tab, I don't particulary care about how many gigs I have left, or rather I do, but I don't use boinc to check that.

[Option to] Minimize to systray, not just close to.

Better README! The README distributed with BOINC is pathetic.

Clearer interface:
"Attach to project" isn't so much a setting, it's a major feature. And why are attach and detach in completely different and unassociated places.
"run based on preferences" - what preferences where?

Ability to set/re-set "startup with windows"; which seems only to be an option when installed - why not later?

Better "security". Your account 'validator' is stored in a plain-text file for "anyone" to read. Whilst I understand these passwords aren't [supposed to be] secure a little privacy wouldn't go unnoticed.

Being able to download BOINC from the BOINC page, at the moment you can only get it via the SETI boinc project page. (apart from the CVS).

How is reporting bitrate to a MILLIONTH of a byte/sec useful when it says itself "approximate throughput". It's a waste of logging space when the figures are not that accurate.

"News" tab, hooking into the RSS feeds for BOINC and the installed projects.

Seti wishlist

Stats to be sorted by total cobblestones not RAC. (RAC has been highly dubious [more RAC than total is common early on], and will always be a "faked" statistic, whereas total cobblestones is very obvious what it is, and should naturally be the choice of how to rank)

Easier browsing of WUs from pending credit screen. [right now the pendnig credit pages have gone, I assume to reduce server load?] At the moment to get the data about a WU from pending stats page, you have to go via the "result" page, which can be tedious.

> First things first: Boinc is sexy.

I really think you need a date! :)

> With the "real" wishlist forum, it doesn't order in the right order, and
> generally doesnt seem the right place to have a discussion of features, which
> is more what I want.
>
> First things first: Boinc is sexy.
>
> Secondly: onto the "serious" stuff (or rather the reason for my post). I've
> been collecting my thoughts on BOINC/SAH whilst the website has been down,
> just a "wishlist" of things I'd like to see in BOINC/SAH.
>
> This all applies to win32 boinc GUI, and associated seti project because
> that's what I've been using.
>
> boinc wishlist
>
> Be able to disable net from right clicking systray icon.
>
Good idea. The network access will need to be cleaned up so I would expect this to either not be needed or implemented.

> Be able to set "priority" for projects not just CPU share.
> explain/example: I want to run SETI all the time on my CPU. However there are
> times that WUs won't always be available. I want therefore to have a "backup"
> in predictor in case seti goes down. I want therefore to have predictor
> downloaded and setup ready, then start processing WUs if I run out of SETI
> wus. However, at the moment, the predictor WUs will fill the cache, and seti
> (well boinc really) won't ask for more Wus, because BOINC won't be below the
> low-water mark, even when I finish processing SETI wus, because there will be
> predictor WUs. EVen if I set my SETI resource share to 1000 and my predictor
> to 1, all that will happen is that I finish SETI Wus first and even if SETI is
> working perfectly I'll start processing predictor, which isn't what I want.
>
If a project has long deadlines and short workunits it will sit in the queue like you want.

> Different "cache size" for different projects: At the moment there are only
> global settings, so if I want 5 days SETI cache I'm forced to have a 5 day
> cache for all projects, and indeed all projects "fight" over filling that
> cache.
>
I do not think having multiple queues will be possible. And it will be undesireable on slower computers. ie. if a workunit takes 90% of the deadline to process with seperate queues they will not be returned on time.

> To be able to "halt" a project without dettaching it. [which deletes the
> crunching client, WUs and indeed loses your "hostID"]
>
There is something similar to this in the taskbase already.

> More "client side" options, so boinc is more configurable from the client end,
> without relying on a website (I have a personal feud against web-based
> interfaces) to change program configurations. I don't want to have to go to a
> website just to tell my own computer not to try and connect to the net. It
> seems absurd to me that I have to have web to be able to change how a program
> on my computer works.
>
I also thought that web based preferences were kind of silly at first, but after using them awhile it doesn't seem so bad. Also the more computers you have to manage the more sense changing settings once makes.

> More "host" options, rather than having options such as "work/school/home",
> why not have a separate set of options under each computer/host.
>
That is an interesting idea. I never liked the work/school/home system since all my computers are at home but I sometimes like to put different settings on different computers.

> Better logging - a /logs/ for complete stdout and stderr history, not just
> having the current and previous logged.
>
Those files can grow very quickly. I was very glad when they were changed to only be for one session.

> More program options, why shouldn't I be able to deselect the "disk" tab, I
> don't particulary care about how many gigs I have left, or rather I do, but I
> don't use boinc to check that.
>
There are major changes coming to the GUI so maybe this will be included then.

> [Option to] Minimize to systray, not just close to.
>
> Better README! The README distributed with BOINC is pathetic.
>
> Clearer interface:
> "Attach to project" isn't so much a setting, it's a major feature. And why
> are attach and detach in completely different and unassociated places.
> "run based on preferences" - what preferences where?
>
Attaching will only be done rarely, and detaching even less (hopefully).

> Ability to set/re-set "startup with windows"; which seems only to be an option
> when installed - why not later?
>
> Better "security". Your account 'validator' is stored in a plain-text file for
> "anyone" to read. Whilst I understand these passwords aren't [supposed to be]
> secure a little privacy wouldn't go unnoticed.
>
This does concern me, of course it does make some things easier.

> Being able to download BOINC from the BOINC page, at the moment you can only
> get it via the SETI boinc project page. (apart from the CVS).
>
I agree there needs to be another page or two at the BOINC site. One for downloading precompiled clients (latest beta and latest production). One with links to all known public projects.

> How is reporting bitrate to a MILLIONTH of a byte/sec useful when it says
> itself "approximate throughput". It's a waste of logging space when the
> figures are not that accurate.
>
Good question.

> "News" tab, hooking into the RSS feeds for BOINC and the installed projects.
>
> Seti wishlist
>
> Stats to be sorted by total cobblestones not RAC. (RAC has been highly dubious
> [more RAC than total is common early on], and will always be a "faked"
> statistic, whereas total cobblestones is very obvious what it is, and should
> naturally be the choice of how to rank)
>
> Easier browsing of WUs from pending credit screen. [right now the pendnig
> credit pages have gone, I assume to reduce server load?] At the moment to get
> the data about a WU from pending stats page, you have to go via the "result"
> page, which can be tedious.
>
>
Just a few comments.


John Keck
BOINCing since 2002/12/08

On the logging front, I meant for it to be optional, although I've never known logs to get too big compared to the rest of the system. A year or so of IRC logs only come to a few megs for the channels I'm in, so I can't see BOINC getting much bigger than that, and what's a couple of megs out of your space? Boinc could even start hacking off the end of the log when it got too big (afterall, as seen from the disk tab, BOINC does keep tabs on what space etc it's using).