Hello all, just wondering if anybody does anything with "distributed computing" projects. Specifically the "BOINC" project. It's designed
to let you contribute your computer's "wasted" CPU cycles for something beneficial. If you have any computers that are always on but not really
doing all that much, they might be a good candidate for something like
this. I've been doing the projects known as "Einstein" and "Universe"
for a couple of years now, and maybe they've gotten some benefit from
it. In my case I have an Raspberry Pi 4 running for some random tasks
like periodic dynamic DNS updates, idling in some IRC channels, sending
me some automated reminder emails from cron jobs, and working on the
BOINC projects. Most of these tasks run in TMUX windows/panes, so I can detach from them and they continue running until I re-attach and
check/use them again. Very handy to just SSH back into the RPi and
resume where I left off.

Anyway, if you have, or are, also participating with BOINC, I'd like to
hear about it. It's one of those things that can make you feel like
maybe you've done a little bit of good in advancing some scientific
research. Kind of satisfying stuff.

If you're interested in some more info on this, their website is here: https://boinc.berkeley.edu/


... If not for the last minute, nothing would get done.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

In the past I've done Folding and SETI @ home.

---
Shurato, Sysop Shurato's Heavenly Sphere (telnet, pop3, ftp, nntp)
(ports 23, 110, 21, 119) shsbbs.ddns.net (shoutcast at 8000)


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
---
* Origin: (618:300/50)

Martin Kazmaier wrote to Gamgee <=-

In the past I've done Folding and SETI @ home.

Cool. I know SETI has gone into "hibernation", and not sure what the
current status of Folding is. If you'd like to get back into something similar, every little bit helps and it's fun!



... All the easy problems have been solved.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

Hello Gamgee!

** On Saturday 16.07.22 - 19:21, Gamgee wrote to All:

Hello all, just wondering if anybody does anything with
"distributed computing" projects. Specifically the "BOINC"
project. It's designed to let you contribute your
computer's "wasted" CPU cycles for something beneficial.
If you have any computers that are always on but not really
doing all that much, they might be a good candidate for
something like this.

I prefer to make sure that all potential CPU cycles are at the
ready for MY needs. ;) Besides, the cooler the pc runs (two
laptops here) the better for me and the lifetimes of the CPUs
and fans.

[...] Most of these tasks run in TMUX windows/panes, so I
can detach from them and they continue running until I re-
attach and check/use them again. Very handy to just SSH
back into the RPi and resume where I left off.

"TMUX".. "can detach".. etc lingo, that's a bit over my head at
the moment.

Anyway, if you have, or are, also participating with BOINC,
I'd like to hear about it. It's one of those things that
can make you feel like maybe you've done a little bit of
good in advancing some scientific research. Kind of
satisfying stuff.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced when
they learned that their pcs were automatically participating in
bitcoin mining. I don't remember the original story at this
time.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.51
* Origin: The LOOK of MicroNET https://kolico.ca/ftn/micronet (618:250/1.9)

August Abolins wrote to Gamgee <=-

Hello Gamgee!

** On Saturday 16.07.22 - 19:21, Gamgee wrote to All:

Hello all, just wondering if anybody does anything with
"distributed computing" projects. Specifically the "BOINC"
project. It's designed to let you contribute your
computer's "wasted" CPU cycles for something beneficial.
If you have any computers that are always on but not really
doing all that much, they might be a good candidate for
something like this.

I prefer to make sure that all potential CPU cycles are at the
ready for MY needs. ;) Besides, the cooler the pc runs (two
laptops here) the better for me and the lifetimes of the CPUs
and fans.

If you have a lot of cycles not doing anything, why not put them to good
use? The configuration allows setting a threshold to where if non-BOINC
use reaches a certain amount, the BOINC work stops until the load goes
back down again. Cooler and CPU lifetimes are not worth consideration,
to me at least, as the change is not enough to matter. :-)

[...] Most of these tasks run in TMUX windows/panes, so I
can detach from them and they continue running until I re-
attach and check/use them again. Very handy to just SSH
back into the RPi and resume where I left off.

"TMUX".. "can detach".. etc lingo, that's a bit over my head at
the moment.

Just Linux talk for a multiplexer, very straightforward, really.

Anyway, if you have, or are, also participating with BOINC,
I'd like to hear about it. It's one of those things that
can make you feel like maybe you've done a little bit of
good in advancing some scientific research. Kind of
satisfying stuff.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced when
they learned that their pcs were automatically participating in
bitcoin mining. I don't remember the original story at this
time.

Well, that would be different due to the unwanted/unauthorized use of
the PC.


... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

Hello August,

Sunday July 17 2022 08:25, you wrote to Gamgee:

I prefer to make sure that all potential CPU cycles are at the
ready for MY needs. ;) Besides, the cooler the pc runs (two
laptops here) the better for me and the lifetimes of the CPUs
and fans.

BOINC can be limited to how much of the CPU it uses and is no harder on your system than streaming video.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced when
they learned that their pcs were automatically participating in
bitcoin mining. I don't remember the original story at this
time.

BOINC is a voluntary thing. You're comparing apples to oranges because you know nothing about BOINC...

-- Sean

... All progress springs from me. - Anonymous
--- GoldED/2 3.0.1
* Origin: Micronet World HQ - bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (618:618/1)

Hello August,

Sunday July 17 2022 08:25, you wrote to Gamgee:

I prefer to make sure that all potential CPU cycles are at the
ready for MY needs. ;) Besides, the cooler the pc runs (two
laptops here) the better for me and the lifetimes of the CPUs
and fans.

BOINC can be limited to how much of the CPU it uses and is no harder on your system than streaming video. A BBS puts more demands on your system, really.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced when
they learned that their pcs were automatically participating in
bitcoin mining. I don't remember the original story at this
time.

BOINC is a voluntary thing. You're comparing apples to oranges because you know nothing about BOINC...

-- Sean

... All progress springs from me. - Anonymous
--- GoldED/2 3.0.1
* Origin: Micronet World HQ - bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (618:618/1)

Anyway, if you have, or are, also participating with BOINC, I'd like to
hear about it. It's one of those things that can make you feel like
maybe you've done a little bit of good in advancing some scientific research. Kind of satisfying stuff.

I have participated in BOINC projects for many years. I don't recall when I started exactly, but at least 5-6 years ago and participated in many projects. The most recent one was Stop Childhood Cancer.

They recently took their server offline for an upgrade, so I paused for the time being. I'm also considering doing a new PC upgrade/build to have way more horsepower. My 8-core AMD 4.1Ghz has been great for 8+ years, but I'm doing so much on it these days. Crypto mining, working remote using it, etc. It is also my home DVR and was running BOINC. So basically I keep it VERY busy. That is why I also need the extra AC unit in my office due to excessive heat.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Mark Hofmann wrote to Gamgee <=-

Anyway, if you have, or are, also participating with BOINC, I'd like to hear about it. It's one of those things that can make you feel like
maybe you've done a little bit of good in advancing some scientific research. Kind of satisfying stuff.

I have participated in BOINC projects for many years. I don't
recall when I started exactly, but at least 5-6 years ago and
participated in many projects. The most recent one was Stop
Childhood Cancer.

They recently took their server offline for an upgrade, so I
paused for the time being. I'm also considering doing a new PC upgrade/build to have way more horsepower. My 8-core AMD 4.1Ghz
has been great for 8+ years, but I'm doing so much on it these
days. Crypto mining, working remote using it, etc. It is also
my home DVR and was running BOINC. So basically I keep it VERY
busy. That is why I also need the extra AC unit in my office due
to excessive heat.

That's great to hear! Maybe if you build a new PC you can retire the
current one to just be your mining/BOINC machine. Thanks for the reply!



... Press any key to continue or any other key to quit
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

Hello Sean Dennis!

** On Sunday 17.07.22 - 10:57, Sean Dennis wrote to August Abolins:

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced
when they learned that their pcs were automatically
participating in bitcoin mining. I don't remember the
original story at this time.

BOINC is a voluntary thing. You're comparing apples to
oranges because you know nothing about BOINC...

I said it "Reminds me of.." I didn't say it's the same thing.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.51
* Origin: The LOOK of MicroNET https://kolico.ca/ftn/micronet (618:250/1.9)

Hello Gamgee!

** On Sunday 17.07.22 - 08:47, Gamgee wrote to August Abolins:

If you have a lot of cycles not doing anything, why not put
them to good use? The configuration allows setting a
threshold to where if non-BOINC use reaches a certain
amount, the BOINC work stops until the load goes back down
again. Cooler and CPU lifetimes are not worth
consideration, to me at least, as the change is not enough
to matter. :-)

After all that number crunching, what kind of data stream are
we taking about for BIONIC? Being primarily on mobile data, it
probably is not wise to participate.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced
when they learned that their pcs were automatically
participating in bitcoin mining. I don't remember the
original story at this time.

Well, that would be different due to the unwanted/
unauthorized use of the PC.

The matter was with Norton. They installed a bitcoin miner as
part of their package. However, the user had full knowledge of
its existence and wasn't activated by default. It turns out
that it could be disabled and the .exe could be removed.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.51
* Origin: The LOOK of MicroNET https://kolico.ca/ftn/micronet (618:250/1.9)

August Abolins wrote to Gamgee <=-

If you have a lot of cycles not doing anything, why not put
them to good use? The configuration allows setting a
threshold to where if non-BOINC use reaches a certain
amount, the BOINC work stops until the load goes back down
again. Cooler and CPU lifetimes are not worth
consideration, to me at least, as the change is not enough
to matter. :-)

After all that number crunching, what kind of data stream are
we taking about for BIONIC? Being primarily on mobile data, it
probably is not wise to participate.

I don't actually know, exactly. But it's not a continuous stream or
anything. Every now and then the client on your computer will request
and download a few "work files", which I believe are not very large.
Then your PC does the crunching and uploads some kind of results file
when it's finished, again not very big. Probably some Googling would
reveal how much data is transferred, and it likely depends on which
project you're working on, too.

Reminds me of the outrage that some people experienced
when they learned that their pcs were automatically
participating in bitcoin mining. I don't remember the
original story at this time.

Well, that would be different due to the unwanted/
unauthorized use of the PC.

The matter was with Norton. They installed a bitcoin miner as
part of their package. However, the user had full knowledge of
its existence and wasn't activated by default. It turns out
that it could be disabled and the .exe could be removed.

Then those peoples' outrage was somewhat misdirected, since they had to
have activated it at some point. Still somewhat shady, no doubt.
Reason # 2,156,339 to avoid Windoze. ;-)



... Great thing about UDP jokes? I don't care if you get them.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

August Abolins wrote to Gamgee <=-

The matter was with Norton. They installed a bitcoin miner as
part of their package. However, the user had full knowledge of
its existence and wasn't activated by default. It turns out
that it could be disabled and the .exe could be removed.

I used to make $150 a pop disabling Norton. It's like kudzu on the
computer. I had to use three different programs, all free from Symantec
but buried on their website, to get rid of Norton.

--Sean

___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Micronet World HQ - bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (618:618/1)

That's great to hear! Maybe if you build a new PC you can retire the
current one to just be your mining/BOINC machine. Thanks for the reply!

I have a large tower system that used to be my data server before I went Super Micro that at one time I was considering to be the mining rig. The only thing is that is just one more PC running 24/7, and I already have a pretty excessive amount of tech running 24/7.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

I used to make $150 a pop disabling Norton. It's like kudzu on the computer. I had to use three different programs, all free from Symantec
but buried on their website, to get rid of Norton.

Who needs malware when you already have those bloated antivirus programs running. They end up taxing the system worse than malware.

Call me crazy, but I have not run any antivirus or anything for years.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

On 20 Jul 22 20:28:55, Mark Hofmann said the following to Sean Dennis:

Call me crazy, but I have not run any antivirus or anything for years.

Me neither.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

Re: Re: The BOINC Project
By: Mark Hofmann to Sean Dennis on Wed Jul 20 2022 08:28 pm

I used to make $150 a pop disabling Norton. It's like kudzu on the computer. I had to use three different programs, all free from Symantec but buried on their website, to get rid of Norton.

Who needs malware when you already have those bloated antivirus programs running.

Call me crazy, but I have not run any antivirus or anything for years.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

I tend to agree here up to a point.

I'd rather exercise discipline in order to prevent computer infections and run a
weekly deep integrity check than run common anti-malware.

Most people lacks discicline and you can't prevent them from following suspicious
links into malware ridden websites.

--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

Arelor wrote to Mark Hofmann <=-

Most people lacks discicline and you can't prevent them
from following suspicious links into malware ridden websites.

When I worked at John Deere Power Products in Greeneville, TN, we had a
nasty outbread of malware because a few people in the admin department, all whom have multiple college degrees but not a lick of common sense (I can say that now), started clicking on phishing email links. Corporate HQ flew over here and had to talk to thes people because they wouldn't listen to IT at
all.

Why I finally quit working there: it was like working with a pile of rocks
that wouldn't stay where you put them.

-- Sean

... You can lead a man to slaughter, but you can't make him think.
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Micronet World HQ - bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (618:618/1)

When I worked at John Deere Power Products in Greeneville, TN, we had a nasty outbread of malware because a few people in the admin department,
all whom have multiple college degrees but not a lick of common sense (I can say that now), started clicking on phishing email links. Corporate HQ flew over here and had to talk to thes people because they wouldn't
listen to IT at all.

I don't see those types of issues ever going away completely until there are methods to containerize the web browser and email clients.

I run Horizon View (VDI) at home for one major reason. Anything "risky" that I want to do, I do it on my isolated VDI desktop. If it blows up, no big deal - it can't hurt anything else and I can just restore it.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Mark Hofmann wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

I don't see those types of issues ever going away completely until
there are methods to containerize the web browser and email clients.

I doubt they will never go away for the lack of ther ability to use common sense.

I run Horizon View (VDI) at home for one major reason.
Anything "risky" that I want to do, I do it on my isolated
VDI desktop. If it blows up, no big deal - it can't hurt
anything else and I can just restore it.

Not familiar with that but it's good to have a container to run stuff on
like that.

-- Sean

... Sometimes you get the elevator and sometimes you get the shaft.
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Micronet World HQ - bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (618:618/1)

Re: Re: The BOINC Project
By: Mark Hofmann to Sean Dennis on Sat Jul 23 2022 10:22 am

I don't see those types of issues ever going away completely until there are

THere are very good solutions for containerizing web browsers already. I remember listening to a podcast in which they interviewed the head of a
startup which did web browser containment. What they did, essentialy, was to fire up a web wrowser in a remote vistual machine and forward the GUI to the client computer - the web browser was not even running in the user's computer.

Un fortunately, no ammount of technical solutions can solve stupidity. Managers think they can throw tech at problems, but the best container won't do crap if some employee answers to a physhing email and delivers industrial secretsd to a scammer.

The only way forward is making people understand things and make use of common sense, but as things are, those tasks are hard and nobody wants to get them done.

--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

I doubt they will never go away for the lack of ther ability to use
common sense.

Yeah, there is no way to ever have everyone educated enough to avoid those things. Too many people can barely function in life, let alone avoid phishing emails.

Not familiar with that but it's good to have a container to run stuff on like that.

The easiest way to think about it is "virtualized apps in a container". Now that there are abilities to virtualize at the application level, you can isolate the apps from the rest of the apps/system/OS.

Eventually I see dApps getting more popular (distributed apps), all running in virtual containers. The other bonus there is you don't run into incompatabilities (DLL issues, version issues, etc) with other apps. Each has their own environment and nothing can interfere with it. Containters are a very cool technology that takes virtualization to the next level.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

THere are very good solutions for containerizing web browsers already. I remember listening to a podcast in which they interviewed the head of a startup which did web browser containment. What they did, essentialy, was
to fire up a web wrowser in a remote vistual machine and forward the GUI
to the client computer - the web browser was not even running in the
user's computer.

Yes, I have seen some options in action. You can virtualize browsers using VDI today. There is also "remote browser isolation" which can kick off a browser that runs in an isolated application container.

The pro is the browser is basically in a sandbox. The negative is the browser is in a sandbox - so if you download files, not as simple to move things around. If the intent is for an average user that just web surfs only and is a high "click risk", this is the best option. Even if the virtual browser gets infected, it will revert back to it's original state after the app is closed.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)