>On the other hand, the existence of the EFF prize is a useful
>tool in convincing companies to run GIMPS, for most IT
>managers are quick to remind you that this *is* a business,
>and it is here to make money. (Then you hope that same
>IT manager hasnt the sophistication to calculate the actual
>odds of bagging the $100K, realizing that the mathematical
>expectation of the prize would not pay the extra electricity
>use...)
Actually, the cost of electricity isn't a factor for most large companies.
I can only rely on my knowledge of the various places I've worked. We all
know I worked at US WEST, and I can say that they leave their computers on
all the time.
The other big telco I just spent the last 1.5 years at also leaves their
computers on 24x7, as does the company I work for now.
The reasons for doing so are pretty simple: software deployment.
When you want to push out a new version of Software Application version
x.xx, you do it at night when the employees won't be affected by a reboot.
So you tell people to leave their machines on, but just logout.
Obviously, Wake-On-Lan is a great idea, but with legacy hardware, you either
leave computers on all the time or you can't be as friendly with your
software deployment.
That's why I hope that some brilliant person will be able to go to US WEST
and say "Hey, let's setup a Primenet Proxy, get these 30,000+ NT machines
looking for primes, and do some good research". That person won't be me, by
the way. Or maybe someone can go to a company like MCI WorldCom and say
"Hey, let's get your 80,000+ NT machines looking for primes." Of course, I
wasn't about to make that suggestion myself...what can I say? I'm a little
skittish about such things. :-)
Aaron
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