Newer milestone thread

[Prime95]

Originally Posted by lycorn

On the other hand, the server would (and still will) accept and credit any result, regardless of the assignment status of the exponent. I propose that from now on the server will not accept results for an exponent that is reserved by someone else. That would be the end of poaching. Period.

Since the beginning, I've accepted results no matter what because I felt the math research was more important than the personal credit.

My big hope is that once the grandfathered assignments are out of the way, the desire to poach will be greatly reduced.

As for ideas, one would be for the server to block reporting on the lowest 50 assignments for both DC and LL. This would make it more difficult to find the candidates that are holding up a milestone.

[tha]

Originally Posted by Prime95

My big hope is that once the grandfathered assignments are out of the way, the desire to poach will be greatly reduced.

Once the new rules were in place I gave up minding the milestone blockers. I only gather some data just to see if the rules should be adjusted, but it will take about another year before enough data has been gathered.

[VictordeHolland]

To me poaching LL assignments is different from poaching DC assignments.
With poaching LLs you're denying somebody their (small) chance of finding a prime.
People who do DC work know that the candidates they are doing are already checked and not prime (incredibly tiny chance of incorrect residue AND it being prime).

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Prime95

As for ideas, one would be for the server to block reporting on the lowest 50 assignments for both DC and LL. This would make it more difficult to find the candidates that are holding up a milestone.

Another idea (proposed many times) would be that any credit given for a "poached" assignment be given to the original assignee. Including (the /very/ unlikely) newly found Mersenne Prime.

This might satisfy slow "credit whores", and those who simply want to see the waves advance.

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by lycorn

Very good point, nicely put. I guess it applies to many of us around here.

That said, I think that now, that new and more strict rules are in place to reassign exponents,we should also do something to prevent poaching in a more effective way. In fact, in the past we could say that the server wasn´t "doing its job properly" in that the supposed reassignments, under the old rules, were not taking place and milestones were systematically blocked. On the other hand, the server would (and still will) accept and credit any result, regardless of the assignment status of the exponent. I propose that from now on the server will not accept results for an exponent that is reserved by someone else. That would be the end of poaching. Period.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by Prime95

Since the beginning, I've accepted results no matter what because I felt the math research was more important than the personal credit.

My big hope is that once the grandfathered assignments are out of the way, the desire to poach will be greatly reduced.

As for ideas, one would be for the server to block reporting on the lowest 50 assignments for both DC and LL. This would make it more difficult to find the candidates that are holding up a milestone.

How about simply blocking the reporting of the results of poached assignments (until the original assignee finishes it or the assignment expires)? Store them, but don't show them.

Originally Posted by VictordeHolland

To me poaching LL assignments is different from poaching DC assignments.
With poaching LLs you're denying somebody their (small) chance of finding a prime.
People who do DC work know that the candidates they are doing are already checked and not prime (incredibly tiny chance of incorrect residue AND it being prime).

I must respectfully disagree with any pecking order of degrees of poaching. It's all the same to me. Incidentally I do DCs exclusively nowadays for the simple reason that my machine is too slow to contemplate first time tests in the regions where these are now being handed out. I still hold my breath when my latest DC is about to finish to see if it turns out prime.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

I must respectfully disagree with any pecking order of degrees of poaching. It's all the same to me. Incidentally I do DCs exclusively nowadays for the simple reason that my machine is too slow to contemplate first time tests in the regions where these are now being handed out. I still hold my breath when my latest DC is about to finish to see if it turns out prime.

I respectfully disagree with your disagreement.

Those who "take the piss" (read: take YEARS to complete an assignment) should expect to be poached.

"It's not fair!". "Life isn't fair. Deal with it." (Sound advice from a close relative.)

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by chalsall

I respectfully disagree with your disagreement.

Those who "take the piss" (read: take YEARS to complete an assignment) should expect to be poached.

"It's not fair!". "Life isn't fair. Deal with it." (Sound advice from a close relative.)

Well, you're not really responding to what I wrote now, are you?

[Primeinator]

Is it possible to make there be a penalty for poaching?

I like what George said about the math being more important than individual credit. I think the server should still accept results BUT in the case of poached exponents the credit should be given to the person that originally had the exponent assigned (as chalsall said) AND that much credit should be deducted from the individual who did the poaching.

Edit: Or if you wanted to be really harsh to the poacher then you could have half of their credit deducted for the next x assignments completed or for all assignments completed in the next y span of time.

Edit 2: I am now hungry for poached eggs.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Primeinator

Edit 2: I am now hungry for poached eggs.

Mmmm... Poached eggs, with smoked salmon, on a bagal. Yummm!

[Primeinator]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Mmmm... Poached eggs, with smoked salmon, on a bagal. Yummm!

I've never had this combination... and it sounds utterly life-changing

[Chuck]

When the grandfathered assignments run out, I'd like to see the new rules we all agreed to strictly enforced. If it is a category 1 DC, and 60 days have elapsed, whether it is 20% or 99.5% complete, it gets recycled. Period.