Many thanks for this link Richard Permission my bad, I should have known where it was. But my advice still remains, that it should be referred to in the posting rules, and more visible than it is.

I don't think it really relates to posting - after all, there's nothing to say you have to own the machine you're posting from. In fact, internet cafes would be fine for posting, if not for crunching. If there had to be any special re-affirmation of the policy, it's needed more in the wizard for attaching a new host to a project.

But in reality, I think it's prominent enough (for the target audience) where it is:



It tends only to be regular posters or long-term crunchers who get blasé enough to skip the front page and go straight to the message board or their account pages. I they they should be treated as grown-up enough not to need constant nannying.

I suspect that many people will do not read "the rules", in the same way they don't read the contents on the back of a sauce bottle - "its the small print and it doesn't say anything of interest...."

That said, I suspect there are some users who read and choose to ignore "the rules" and install BOINC and SETI (or any other project) on a company computer. The majority of this group get away with their actions because their employer can't/won't enforce their own policies and rules. This doesn't make the individuals actions any less wrong, and is all but undetectable by either BOINC or SETI (or any other project). Such people do run the risk of their employer "turning nasty" by taking some form of disciplinary action which may be anything from a "don't do it again" verbal warning to dismissal to criminal prosecution...)

Of course thee are some employers who take a slightly different approach and make it very difficult for their staff to participate in BOINC projects. They do so by a variety of "security" measures such as blocking of certain access to websites, tight control on the installation of software, firewalling and so on.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

My other long time personal beef is those that run a farm of dozens of computers, quite legitimately, but choose to masquerade, and I use the word deliberately, as a single cruncher with a very high RAC, and computers hidden.
I think that anyone with more than six online computers on an account should be made to register as a team.
Otherwise you have one setizen with a top of the range computer upgraded to the nines through technical competence, and he is way down the RAC pecking order against another with 20 middle range rigs, whether at work with permission, or at home.

That is FRAUD, that is wrong, and that is not fair.

What ARE you saying there, Chris????
I should be forced to register as a team because I have 9 rigs online in my home, at my cost, by the sweat of my own brow?

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Pretty sure that was Chris who said that. Not Richard. And yeah, 6 (or any other number) seems quite arbitrary and an unnecessary burden to place on volunteers. I have more than 6 (unfortunately they're not all crunching right now) and I don't want to be part of a team, not even a team of 1.

Pretty sure that was Chris who said that. Not Richard. And yeah, 6 (or any other number) seems quite arbitrary and an unnecessary burden to place on volunteers. I have more than 6 (unfortunately they're not all crunching right now) and I don't want to be part of a team, not even a team of 1.

Yes, it was Chris, already edited that.
And if he thinks I should be forced to register as a team rather than being able to be proud of my accomplishments as an individual, his cheese has slid off his cracker.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Knew it wouldn't be popular!

And quite off base, I might add.

I am not a team, unless you count the kitties, but they are administrative assistants.
I am sole owner/operator of my 9 rigs, all here in the crunching den. I would not have my accomplishments overshadowed by having anybody think that more than one person is doing this by being forced to do it under a 'team' classification.
(Other than the many kind individuals who have donated hardware to the kitties over the years. But they donated the hardware, and have nothing to do with it's installation or operation.)

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Pretty sure that was Chris who said that. Not Richard. And yeah, 6 (or any other number) seems quite arbitrary and an unnecessary burden to place on volunteers. I have more than 6 (unfortunately they're not all crunching right now) and I don't want to be part of a team, not even a team of 1.

Yes, it was Chris, already edited that.
And if he thinks I should be forced to register as a team rather than being able to be proud of my accomplishments as an individual, his cheese has slid off his cracker.

I understand where Chris is coming from. As a self admitted "Enforcer" / Authoritarian personality type, I'm fairly certain he thinks it is an issue of responsibility that the project should step up to and address, therefore any arbitrary number is as good as any other arbitrary number to enforce.

I just don't think there's a need for action here on SETI's part. They have a disclaimer and it is an honor-based system to adhere to it. If people choose not to obey only installing SETI on computers they own, it is on them and not the project. There's no need for authoritarian controls to enforce such a relative non-issue.

So you are saying that during the WOW event because I ran 9 computers, that I legally own (4 I built myself) that if they were not "viewable" then that could be considered fraud.

However this

There are other reasons that people choose to hide their computers. One is that some posters help out, and are helped out by others to enable them to have an RAC large enough to post, when through many reasons they are unable to crunch for themselves. That is a private arrangement and should remain so.

Where you are signing onto another persons SETI@Home account and using their password to access their account to crunch on your computer isn't fraud.

Personally I have no problem with people doing that if a person genuinely has a need to keep an RAC of 2 or other personal reasons but it is fraud and sharing passwords is a big no no and should never be done!

As you have said there are reasons for hiding computers so lets just leave it there.

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Knew it wouldn't be popular!

It's not merely unpopular... it's downright weird. It makes as much sense as an obscure municipal bylaw that says I need a restaurant license for my home if I own more than five toasters. :^p

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Knew it wouldn't be popular!

It's not merely unpopular... it's downright weird. It makes as much sense as an obscure municipal bylaw that says I need a restaurant license for my home if I own more than five toasters. :^p

And I don't even have ONE Seti toaster yet....still saving up creds.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

My income and available time have varied significantly in the years I have been part of this project. At one time I hired a full time person to build and maintain my farm. At another time I had a rack with 12 state of the art quads consuming over $2,000 a month in power. At that time I was in the top 10 users. Ironically I now have a single 8 core with 2 graphic cards that are giving me the highest RAC I have ever had. I have never hidden my computers but I have never wanted to be my own team. For years I was a proud member of Seti.USA and now a a member of a slightly smaller team.
Why an individual who is willing to commit greater resources should be treated differently than someone else of either of lesser means or different priorities defies reason.
Just my 2 cents.

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what is the opposite of it doesn't matter jabroni

OK, I am in a minority of 1, I am happy to accept it, no problem here with that. I still think I'm right but it matters not. Carry on the onslaught if you wish, water off my back :-)

But you make such a good target.
Sorry, Chris, I just had to say that. You're a good sport.

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maybe someone will say that was the best idea ever

Got a personal problem have we?

Chris S - Cr 18,778,049, RAC: 14,131
Team - BT Retired Club, Cr 36,710,164, RAC: 14,166, members 17 (active 3)
Team - BT Retired Club, Boinc combined Cr 1,088,878,842, RAC:71,011

Sirius Cr 1,910,190, RAC 276
Team Dacom systems, Cr 1,910,190 Members 1

No, but it seems you may have. Had I continued with my farm, Id blow you out of the water. Unfortunately real life has got in the way. Maybe when I've retired...

2ndly, when this issue came up previously, did you not say that your computers are your business & you've hidden them for personal reasons?

Allow others the grace to do what they choose.

Oh & £100 on the nose that this post "disappears".

Possibly need a time out here things getting too personal.

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