Folding@home

GetWell · 2008-11-13, 14:49

Some of you have for sure heard about the Folding@home "project". (if not.. read more here: Folding@home - Main)

While my HTPC are on the most of the day i thought that some of its resources that im not using could be doing something good for the society. And what will be better than helping cure Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes? (All you should do is, installing and run a simple program.)

Yesterday I decided to create a plugin which will control this program. Start it, stop it and collect informations.

Features which will be in first release:

Process:
Start program when starting MP (conf. opt. wait x sec before start)
Stop program when stopping MP (conf. opt. stop/don't stop program when closing MP)

GUI:
See folding informations like:
- Unit number
- Unit progress
- Unit description (description of the unit your machine are working on)

See user statistic:
- Units folded
- Joined Team (conf. opt. edit team joined)
- Points
- Position (rang)

If you have any idea or comment feel free to write in here.

Download now available!

Quote:

Install guide:

1. Download the Console Client from: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Download
2. Put the .exe file in a directory like "c:\Folding@home\"
3. Run the .exe file and run through the configuration
3.1 It will ask for a username
a. If you want to be anonym just press Enter
b. If you want statistics choose a username (control that your username are free here: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Download#ntoc2)
3.2 Questions in the configuration you don't know the answer to, just press Enter (it will then use the default)
4. Download the plugin form: http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file.../Folding@home/
5. Follow the HOW-TO.txt in the release directory to install the plugin

dA.oOZe · 2008-11-13, 16:02

Hm... why not do something good for the environment and get your HTPC into standby or hibernate when it is idle?? Just an idea...

GetWell · 2008-11-13, 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by dA.oOZe

Hm... why not do something good for the environment and get your HTPC into standby or hibernate when it is idle?? Just an idea...

When I watch tv, video, listen to music etc. the computer are on anyway.. but this doesn't use all my resources...

if you want to do something for the enviroment start with the industry

quake2rambo · 2008-11-13, 16:26

Beware that your pc will get a lot of load. Ten years ago i spend the idle time of my PC to SETI. In fact of this, the load was nearby 98%. I dont know about the folding@home software, but i think it will be the same ...

GetWell · 2008-11-13, 16:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by quake2rambo

Beware that your pc will get a lot of load. Ten years ago i spend the idle time of my PC to SETI. In fact of this, the load was nearby 98%. I dont know about the folding@home software, but i think it will be the same ...

You can control the load in folding@home..

I have used it on my HTPC for over a year now and I can't feel it at all

geov · 2008-11-13, 18:22

I have also been running Folding@home on my HTPC, great idea for a plug-in....and I can confirm the most my CPU ever gets used by Folding@home is about 50%, and that includes MediaPortal running TV-Server.

GetWell · 2008-11-18, 07:33

Download now available!

GetWell · 2008-11-19, 14:44

New update available!

Some bugs are fixed
The files are placed correctly this time

its more stable
user score, rank and project description are added

Maedhros · 2008-11-21, 16:08

Well.... I tend to agree with ooze. Let your computer stand-by or hibernate and not produce CO2. We have plenty of that already. And not to be cynical or anything, but right now I think the environment is a bit more important than folding@home. Has it even been solidly proven that there have been results from this? I know how it works and everything (was studying a bit of bio-technology and was folding myself in a lab). However, has the software produced concrete evidence of cures or so?
You have to remember that even if you let it run only when you have the computer turned on anyway, you STILL use up a lot more power, since your computer will be at full load most of the time. There may be as much as 100-150W difference between idle and full load. That's also quite a lot of CO2 in one year.

I just read an interesting article about consoles in the US (only) taking 16 billion kilowatt-hours, or the equivalent of the city of San Diego. That's A LOT!
I wouldn't be surprised if PCs (in the US) are taking up the equivalent of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and the State of Texas all together. Damn....

Considering that if we stop releasing CO2 now, we won't see the effects of it until 40 years from now. And we have huge problems with the environment today! Well.... I, for now, choose the environment over the little chance that the Folding@Home, at the cost of many tons of CO2 every day or week, will generate significant results to find the cure for cancer.

I used to do this a long time ago before I became aware of the odds for finding a cure versus the odds of my home being flooded, hit by a tornado or a hurricane..... well.... climate changes are here, it's a fact, a fact that many people won't admit.... or choose to ignore.... I would rather that a few people has cancer versus hundreds of people dying in a flood in France, England, Poland, or somewhere else.
The most recent hope is anti-proton radiation on cancer-cells... meaning nothing to do with proteins.... They expect to be able to target and kill tumors far far more effectively in 5-10 years from now.... save the energy for those machines instead ;-) ... Sorry.

GetWell · 2008-11-21, 16:37

Here you have some of the results from folding@home: Folding@home - Papers

Folding@home is not just for cancer! (again read the link above)

If there wasn't distributed computing (folding@home) there would be a super computer instead, and then you can talk about wich one uses the most energy??

and yes I read that articel to, and can conclude that people really should turn off thinks they are not using!! (that is what that articel is all about)

If you want to talk about the enviroment, then take your bike instead of the buss... sell your car.. use candles... wash the dishes by hand... then read about what really is destroying the enviroment (and not what stands in the paper, but the real stuff) and then discuss this somewhere else....

This is not the place! Use the plugin or don't... Your decission..

2008-11-13, 18:22	#6 (permalink)
geov MP Donator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cape Town Age: 37 Posts: 728 Thanks: 15 Thanked 35 Times in 32 Posts Country: My System	I have also been running Folding@home on my HTPC, great idea for a plug-in....and I can confirm the most my CPU ever gets used by Folding@home is about 50%, and that includes MediaPortal running TV-Server. __________________ Cheers GeoV Useful Links: My HTPC Project How to start a support or bugreport thread

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2008-11-13, 16:02	#2 (permalink)
dA.oOZe Portal Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 81 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Country: My System	Hm... why not do something good for the environment and get your HTPC into standby or hibernate when it is idle?? Just an idea...

2008-11-13, 16:26	#4 (permalink)
quake2rambo MP Donator Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 384 Thanks: 3 Thanked 16 Times in 15 Posts Country: My System	Beware that your pc will get a lot of load. Ten years ago i spend the idle time of my PC to SETI. In fact of this, the load was nearby 98%. I dont know about the folding@home software, but i think it will be the same ...

2008-11-18, 07:33	#7 (permalink)
GetWell Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 24 Posts: 138 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Country: My System	Download now available!

2008-11-19, 14:44	#8 (permalink)
GetWell Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 24 Posts: 138 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Country: My System	New update available! Some bugs are fixed The files are placed correctly this time its more stable user score, rank and project description are added

2008-11-21, 16:08	#9 (permalink)
Maedhros Portal Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gdansk, Poland Age: 29 Posts: 48 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts Country: My System	Well.... I tend to agree with ooze. Let your computer stand-by or hibernate and not produce CO2. We have plenty of that already. And not to be cynical or anything, but right now I think the environment is a bit more important than folding@home. Has it even been solidly proven that there have been results from this? I know how it works and everything (was studying a bit of bio-technology and was folding myself in a lab). However, has the software produced concrete evidence of cures or so? You have to remember that even if you let it run only when you have the computer turned on anyway, you STILL use up a lot more power, since your computer will be at full load most of the time. There may be as much as 100-150W difference between idle and full load. That's also quite a lot of CO2 in one year. I just read an interesting article about consoles in the US (only) taking 16 billion kilowatt-hours, or the equivalent of the city of San Diego. That's A LOT! I wouldn't be surprised if PCs (in the US) are taking up the equivalent of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and the State of Texas all together. Damn.... Considering that if we stop releasing CO2 now, we won't see the effects of it until 40 years from now. And we have huge problems with the environment today! Well.... I, for now, choose the environment over the little chance that the Folding@Home, at the cost of many tons of CO2 every day or week, will generate significant results to find the cure for cancer. I used to do this a long time ago before I became aware of the odds for finding a cure versus the odds of my home being flooded, hit by a tornado or a hurricane..... well.... climate changes are here, it's a fact, a fact that many people won't admit.... or choose to ignore.... I would rather that a few people has cancer versus hundreds of people dying in a flood in France, England, Poland, or somewhere else. The most recent hope is anti-proton radiation on cancer-cells... meaning nothing to do with proteins.... They expect to be able to target and kill tumors far far more effectively in 5-10 years from now.... save the energy for those machines instead ;-) ... Sorry.

2008-11-21, 16:37	#10 (permalink)
GetWell Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Age: 24 Posts: 138 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Country: My System	Here you have some of the results from folding@home: Folding@home - Papers Folding@home is not just for cancer! (again read the link above) If there wasn't distributed computing (folding@home) there would be a super computer instead, and then you can talk about wich one uses the most energy?? and yes I read that articel to, and can conclude that people really should turn off thinks they are not using!! (that is what that articel is all about) If you want to talk about the enviroment, then take your bike instead of the buss... sell your car.. use candles... wash the dishes by hand... then read about what really is destroying the enviroment (and not what stands in the paper, but the real stuff) and then discuss this somewhere else.... This is not the place! Use the plugin or don't... Your decission..