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IBM Grid Near 50,000 machines - Slashdot Users #13

Posted by samzenpus on from the lucky-number dept.

another similar writes "IBM's World Community Grid is off to a roaring start. Since kicking off six weeks ago (original Slashdot story), the grid has grown to almost 36,000 users with almost 50,000 machines. Growth continues as more media coverage hits. There is a team of Slashdot users - currently ranked 13th in points with only 79 members. If you have spare cycles, download the software, join us and crank for medicine. For those of you with dual processor systems, you'll have to use a homebrewed tool - beyond two is not supported yet. Alas, you also have to be running Redmond's finest. According to their FAQ, a Linux client is slated for development in 2005."

12 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Imagine... by ThisNukes4u · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There can't be a beowulf cluster because it doesn't run on linux.

    --
    thisnukes4u.net
  2. Re:Only 79 /.ers in six weeks. What does that say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's hilariously wrong.

    The vast majority of Slashdotters use Windows. That's the dirty secret around here. Nobody wants to admit they're all using windows.

  3. Cheat to win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This requires two computers, one "fast" and one "slow," to work, but you can get a massive number of points. Run the WCG client on your slow computer for up to 12-13 days (the limit is two weeks per unit) or until its almost done, then run it (over a network or whatever) on your fast computer. The result is a work unit that took a long long time with a fast machine's speed rating. BAM! HUGE POINTS.

    They should really fix it and record the machine speed every few %.

  4. Isn't it strange ... by vieux+schnock · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... that for a company that touted to spend a billion dollars on Linux for R&D in a year (in 2001), and have a large Linux on-line material, when it comes to show off their expertise, with all the media attention and hype they hope to produce with such an announcement, they favor starting off with Windows clients.

    Am I missing something ?

    1. Re:Isn't it strange ... by xgamer04 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Um, you have heard of this company "IBM", right? They are HUGE. GIGANTIC. With many divisions. Just because they have Linux servers doesn't mean Betty in HR is using it.

      --
      When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
    2. Re:Isn't it strange ... by Jeremi · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Am I missing something ?


      You haven't thought it through. IBM isn't stupid. They know that the more clients participate, the more successful their project will be. They also know which OS is installed on the majority of potential client PCs worldwide. So when it came time to decide which OS to write a client for first, they did the sensible thing.


      The Linux client will arrive soon enough, just wait. (I'm waiting for the BeOS client, myself ;^))

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  5. What about dnetc? by HoepckeD · · Score: 3, Insightful

    http://www.distributed.net/ Been around forever, have done far more impressive work than Big Blue . . . and I think they've had Linux clients for a little while.

    1. Re:What about dnetc? by ZorbaTHut · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Far more impressive work"?

      They've tried to crack single encrypted messages that exist for the sole purpose of being cracked. I'm sorry, but that just plain doesn't excite me anymore.

      OGR's more interesting, but I got bored of RC5 years ago.

      --
      Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.
  6. Re:Only 79 /.ers in six weeks. What does that say? by artifex2004 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Where someone is referred from is none of your business, mr violating our rights online.


    You choose to use his resources, you can't complain when he uses information you're volunteering. If you don't want him to know, stop the referer response! If you can't do that, that's the fault of your gear, not his.

    If you walk by my house to look at my garden, and I ask "hey, can I have a key to your house?" If you give it to me, am I violating your privacy? No.
  7. Re:Only 79 /.ers in six weeks. What does that say? by artifex2004 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Which is why there are only 79 /.ers signed up. When they get the Linux client, they'll get 79,000 /.ers.


    I don't think so. Not if the current shrinkwrap agreement stays in force. The way I read it, the project can do whatever it wants with my cpu and bandwidth and memory. IBM can transfer control of the project to anyone else without prior notice. I'm responsible for any viruses on my system if the sever feeding me updates or data gets hacked. And on and on. Somehow, distributed.net's agreement seemed nicer.

  8. Re:Only 79 /.ers in six weeks. What does that say? by complete+loony · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ah, but most of us would browse slashdot from work (slackers :), where we are probably not allowed to run linux or we have to support / develop for windows, but obviously we have (mostly) converted to firefox.

    --
    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
  9. Re:Only 79 /.ers in six weeks. What does that say? by RichardX · · Score: 2, Insightful

    To bad folding@home can't seem to do more than 1 job without requiring manual intervention these days..

    Just out of curiosity, what problems do you encounter with it? I've been running the windows version for a couple of months, and haven't had any problems with it getting it's work done - though I have found it doesn't play nice with any programs that run full screen - keeps trying to take the screen back, even if it's just running in the tray.

    --
    Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.