Getting close to checking all exponents below 13466917 once

[eepiccolo]

Well, according to the mersenne.org status page, the Dec 2, 2002 report stated "Countdown to testing all exponents below M(13466917) once: 1141." And now, the Mar 7, 2003 report is "Countdown to testing all exponents below M(13466917) once: 563." My estimate is that in three or four months, this number will be below 100, and we will start heated poaching arguments again, due again to impatient participants . Unless... we can implement preventative measures to reduce or eliminate poaching before this time?

[Prime95]

Aaaaaccccck - another poaching thread!

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by Prime95

Aaaaaccccck - another poaching thread!

Okay -- for efficiency, let's establish some ground rules for the next poaching thread.

How about this one?

1. If you're going to repeat an argument already made in a prior poaching thread, you must simply refer to it by a link to that prior thread plus posting time and paragraph number where the argument appeared in the old thread. You are forbidden to actually write out or quote the repeated argument in the new thread. Violators of this rule may be banned from further contributions to the current poaching thread, at the discretion of forum moderators, who may decide to let newbies off with a warning. :)

[garo]

As mod.... :D :D I can throw a bit of weight around. This subject has been beaten to death and several good suggestions have been made in the previous thread. So let's not start another poaching discussion unless we have something specific to add which will help us in this impending case.

A suggestion from me is to ask all those who check for expiring exponents to make sure you try and grab all expiring first timers and complete them!!

[eepiccolo]

Hey , I wasn't trying to encourage or condone pointless disucssion. I was warning that this discussion is bound to happen, and we need to make preparations, which is exactly what garo and cheesy were doing with their posts .

[garo]

eepiccolo,
I did not intend to accuse anyone of pointless discussion :) Just throwing some weight around :D

[Maybeso]

Well, I hate to be one to revive this, but here goes:

Originally Posted by eepiccolo

... Unless... we can implement preventative measures to reduce or eliminate poaching before this time?

As a worst case after-the-fact "postventative measure" someone should save a list of the remaining exponents and who they're checked out to. Then, after the dust has cleared and the milestone reached, credit can be given back to those who were poached. If we come up with something better that works before that, great.

I'd say "lock out" the exponents and force someone to give credit manually, but I suspect the client-server interface would puke at that.

Bruce

[hyh1048576]

5 months has already passed
Now......

Countdown to testing all exponents below M(13466917) once: 95

But

Countdown to proving M(13466917) is the 39th Mersenne Prime: 87,934

When...? :?