Why Prime Numbers are more important then AIDS ???

Participant · 2003-02-05, 12:42

I am looking at Entropia stats - 57.000 PCs doing AIDS drug discovery modelling and 300.000 looking for prime numbers. And it just happens because of historical reasons.

Imagine how good it would be if all that computational power worked for salvation of human lives instead of abstract mathematical curiocity ?

ET_ · 2003-02-05, 13:17

Quote:

Imagine how good it would be if all that computational power worked for salvation of human lives instead of abstract mathematical curiocity ?

I'm afraid that computer power in AIDS project is used just to create a statistical database for protein interaction, not specifically "for salvation of human lives"...

Luigi

eepiccolo · 2003-02-05, 13:20

I hate to propogate this thread anymore, but I think we really need to ignore this person and the other threads he/she made. Personally, I can't stand all this self-righteous stuff.

Xyzzy · 2003-02-05, 15:43

This is not a bad question, but posting it in every forum is a bit weird... I've deleted all the other copies, and I'll leave this one open...

battlemaxx · 2003-02-05, 16:07

They are my cycles, and I can pick and choose when and where I will use them.

So, you can't say do this or do that and have people follow. There is such a thing as free will.

Personally, I think research seeking a cure for heart disease should be the top priority, with other activities little to minimal funding. But, that's my opinion.

eepiccolo · 2003-02-05, 16:55

Thanks for deleting the others, Xyzzy. That's what was really bothering me. Also, I echo everything that battlemaxx said, including the comment about heart disease. (following is an edit) After all, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. BTW, Cancer is second (of course, a lot of that is lung cancer which, for the majority, can also be prevented). AIDS is far, far behind.

philmoore · 2003-02-05, 17:07

I think "participant" is not well-informed. Entropia claims that 200,000 computers have participated in GIMPS, but I suspect that the 33,000 computers currently participating are the largest number involved at any one time. Actually, GIMPS was the pilot project that Entropia has used to sell the value of distributed processing, so I think that you can make a good case that projects like AIDS research have benefitted from the publicity of GIMPS. And of course, before we put down human curiosity as an irrelevant or self-indulgent motivation, let's remember that much of the insight into how AIDS infects the human body is the result of the work of people who were curious as to how things worked. Long live curiosity!

cperciva · 2003-02-05, 17:43

Personally, I'd say that diabetes research is more deserving of support than either AIDS or heart disease -- in the majority of cases, we don't even know the *cause* of type 1 diabetes, let alone how to cure it. But I'm probably biased, having been diagnosed as type 1 just a couple weeks ago.

QuintLeo · 2003-02-05, 19:52

I participated in United Device's Cancer project for a while - was FAR more important *to me* as I've lost a relationship to cancer (she survived, the relationship didn't) as well has having had far too many friends diagnosed with it, where I don't know anyone with AIDS or that has had it (I don't count celebrities like Earvin Johnson).

Quite bluntly, I got fed up with their major *lack* of respect for those that were helping them, their unwillingness to work with anything but a single-CPU Windows platform "because we can't afford it", and other such BS - and quit.

At *best*, they would have had support from 3 machines out of my 20+ CPU "farm", as I *DO NOT HAVE THE $$$$ TO INSTALL WINDOWS ON THE OTHER MACHINES*, much less the $$$ to upgrade all of them to enough RAM to run the client effectively.

I vastly prefer the responsiveness and the LINUX and SMP support from projects like GIMPs and distributed.net

Participant - insulting folks and judging them because they don't agree with *your* priorities is not a good way to gain support for your preferred project. In fact, it's a good way to drive people AWAY from that project.

Participant · 2003-02-05, 23:33

Firstly. I do not judge anyone.

Secondly. I am not enjoying "self-rightness", I've just posted my thoughts and that's it.

FightAIDS@Home does not create protein database. It is actually modelling intertaction between virus molecules and drug candidates.

philmoore, I read stats on Entropia website, where from you have got your figures?

Moreover, I really suspect(if those stats right) that faster growth of GIMPS community is simply due to the already large number of participants. So many people just know about GIMPS from firiends, etc. but don't know about other DC projects to make informed decision if they have spare CPU time. So I have made kind of advertisiment. That's it.

NickGlover · 2003-02-06, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by philmoore

Entropia claims that 200,000 computers have participated in GIMPS, but I suspect that the 33,000 computers currently participating are the largest number involved at any one time.

The highest I recall ever seeing is around 38,000 computers a couple months after M39 was discovered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Participant

Moreover, I really suspect(if those stats right) that faster growth of GIMPS community is simply due to the already large number of participants. So many people just know about GIMPS from firiends, etc. but don't know about other DC projects to make informed decision if they have spare CPU time. So I have made kind of advertisiment. That's it.

Even if GIMPS did have 200,000 computers, it is hardly the most popular distributed computing project, despite its "unfair" advantage of being the first. Seti@Home has over 4 million users primarily because aliens appeal more to the average user than prime numbers. Maybe you should mention the AIDS project on a Seti@Home forum.

2003-02-05, 12:42	#1
Participant Feb 2003 2 Posts	Why Prime Numbers are more important then AIDS ??? I am looking at Entropia stats - 57.000 PCs doing AIDS drug discovery modelling and 300.000 looking for prime numbers. And it just happens because of historical reasons. Imagine how good it would be if all that computational power worked for salvation of human lives instead of abstract mathematical curiocity ?

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2003-02-05, 13:20	#3
eepiccolo Dec 2002 Frederick County, MD 2·5·37 Posts	I hate to propogate this thread anymore, but I think we really need to ignore this person and the other threads he/she made. Personally, I can't stand all this self-righteous stuff.

2003-02-05, 15:43	#4
Xyzzy "Mike" Aug 2002 8224₁₀ Posts	This is not a bad question, but posting it in every forum is a bit weird... I've deleted all the other copies, and I'll leave this one open...

2003-02-05, 16:07	#5
battlemaxx Nov 2002 43 Posts	They are my cycles, and I can pick and choose when and where I will use them. So, you can't say do this or do that and have people follow. There is such a thing as free will. Personally, I think research seeking a cure for heart disease should be the top priority, with other activities little to minimal funding. But, that's my opinion.

2003-02-05, 16:55	#6
eepiccolo Dec 2002 Frederick County, MD 2·5·37 Posts	Thanks for deleting the others, Xyzzy. That's what was really bothering me. Also, I echo everything that battlemaxx said, including the comment about heart disease. (following is an edit) After all, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. BTW, Cancer is second (of course, a lot of that is lung cancer which, for the majority, can also be prevented). AIDS is far, far behind.

2003-02-05, 17:07	#7
philmoore "Phil" Sep 2002 Tracktown, U.S.A. 3×373 Posts	I think "participant" is not well-informed. Entropia claims that 200,000 computers have participated in GIMPS, but I suspect that the 33,000 computers currently participating are the largest number involved at any one time. Actually, GIMPS was the pilot project that Entropia has used to sell the value of distributed processing, so I think that you can make a good case that projects like AIDS research have benefitted from the publicity of GIMPS. And of course, before we put down human curiosity as an irrelevant or self-indulgent motivation, let's remember that much of the insight into how AIDS infects the human body is the result of the work of people who were curious as to how things worked. Long live curiosity!

2003-02-05, 17:43	#8
cperciva Oct 2002 43 Posts	Personally, I'd say that diabetes research is more deserving of support than either AIDS or heart disease -- in the majority of cases, we don't even know the cause of type 1 diabetes, let alone how to cure it. But I'm probably biased, having been diagnosed as type 1 just a couple weeks ago.

2003-02-05, 19:52	#9
QuintLeo Oct 2002 Lost in the hills of Iowa 2⁶·7 Posts	I participated in United Device's Cancer project for a while - was FAR more important to me as I've lost a relationship to cancer (she survived, the relationship didn't) as well has having had far too many friends diagnosed with it, where I don't know anyone with AIDS or that has had it (I don't count celebrities like Earvin Johnson). Quite bluntly, I got fed up with their major lack of respect for those that were helping them, their unwillingness to work with anything but a single-CPU Windows platform "because we can't afford it", and other such BS - and quit. At best, they would have had support from 3 machines out of my 20+ CPU "farm", as I DO NOT HAVE THE $$$$ TO INSTALL WINDOWS ON THE OTHER MACHINES, much less the $$$ to upgrade all of them to enough RAM to run the client effectively. I vastly prefer the responsiveness and the LINUX and SMP support from projects like GIMPs and distributed.net Participant - insulting folks and judging them because they don't agree with your priorities is not a good way to gain support for your preferred project. In fact, it's a good way to drive people AWAY from that project.

2003-02-05, 23:33	#10
Participant Feb 2003 2 Posts	Firstly. I do not judge anyone. Secondly. I am not enjoying "self-rightness", I've just posted my thoughts and that's it. FightAIDS@Home does not create protein database. It is actually modelling intertaction between virus molecules and drug candidates. philmoore, I read stats on Entropia website, where from you have got your figures? Moreover, I really suspect(if those stats right) that faster growth of GIMPS community is simply due to the already large number of participants. So many people just know about GIMPS from firiends, etc. but don't know about other DC projects to make informed decision if they have spare CPU time. So I have made kind of advertisiment. That's it.