At the same time, I think it's time that some of the noisier "volunteers" grew up.
First, we need to keep in mind that BOINC and CPDN are different. I understand the problem in the SETI forums, but I wouldn't think that needs to be said here. Second, projects like s...@home make a number of promises, including a promise that work will not always flow smoothly. Sometimes that will be due to broken hardware, sometimes due to problems with BOINC, and sometimes due to problems with other software. There is a Dilbert-esque expectation that the project knows in advance all of the unanticipated problems. Then there is the whole "us-vs-them" attitude -- that the projects make changes for the sole purpose of aggravating the volunteers. That's why I question the wisdom of the advice you quoted from the Wiki. When the forums turn mean (as they clearly have at SETI) it makes it hard for the project staff to read and stay positive about their accomplishments. I'd go so far as to say that the best thing a project can do is turn the forums off. It certainly serves no useful purpose when a vocal minority uses the forum to burn the developers in effigy. -- Lynn On 6/23/2010 7:47 AM, Richard Haselgrove wrote: > This is really addressed to the whole BOINC development team, but I suppose > to David in particular. > > I wonder if it would be possible for you to post, hopefully in the > not-too-distant future, a summary of where we're up to with the whole > 'CreditNew' bundle (which of course includes important functional code like > per-app quotas and DCF, as well as the credit stuff). > > http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/SoftwareDevelopment still has it as a > "proposal" > We know that a publicly announced Beta test started on the SETI Beta site on > 1st. April 2010. The only reference to the outcome of this test that I've > seen, apart from my own reports, is changeset 21727. > And it appears, although without announcement, that the whole bundle went > live on the Main SETI project from Monday 7 June, when it became apparent > that the new NVidia-supplied CUDA Fermi application needed to be added to the > installed versions list. > > There's some very wise advice on "Recruiting and retaining volunteers" in the > Wiki, and I'm fond of quoting it: > > "Take an active role in your web site's message boards. Read them > frequently, and respond quickly to any negative threads that arise. Make a > periodic posting giving 'insider info' on your project." > > In the absence of project staff or developers able and willing to carry out > that role, and with the SETI forum moderators otherwise engaged, it falls to > ordinary volunteers to attempt to answer the myriad of questions that arise > on the message boards - in the first ten days after deployment, I wrote > almost 200 posts, almost all technical in nature, some lengthy, and others > requiring research and testing on my own computers before I had an answer I > felt confident in passing on. That's OK: I'm a volunteer, I knew what I was > letting myself in for, and I'm not complaining. It keeps the brain from > atrophying. > > But the advice given to other volunteers and the general public on the > message boards would be more comprehensive, and more accurate, if there could > be some ongoing background briefing from the centre. Even if those were only > terse, technical sitreps, volunteers could have a go at expanding them into > more generally accessible language for the wider readership. > > I'm raising this now because the unfinished, provisional BOINC code is > beginning to spill over and have a detrimental effect on other projects. > > Take CPDN, for example. Around 18 November last year, according to Milo, > David asked for the server code at CPDN to be updated "to enable his script > to compare the old and new style of credit calculation to run." This turned > out to be a larger and more difficult job than anticipated, involving much > customisation, but it's been completed now. Obviously, because the requested > test included 'CreditNew' issues, Milo didn't take the 'Server Stable' > branch, but the trunk revision (as would other projects needing support for > recent developments in GPU and multithreading technology). > > According to the latest information in my possession, the Main CPDN project > is currently at Changeset 21675 - and it shows. Even experienced moderators > (and CPDN has some of the best in the business, with in-depth project > knowledge even predating the conversion to BOINC) cannot explain "(reached > daily quota of 3 tasks)" messages, when no tasks have been downloaded for the > host, and day, in question. > > I'd like to think that Milo and other project administrators could find out > when it'll be safe, and necessary, to update their prohects again to avoid > glitches like this, without having to rely on seond-hand reports from the > maelstrom of rumour and speculation that is the SETI message board. > _______________________________________________ > boinc_dev mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ssl.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/boinc_dev > To unsubscribe, visit the above URL and > (near bottom of page) enter your email address. > _______________________________________________ boinc_dev mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ssl.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/boinc_dev To unsubscribe, visit the above URL and (near bottom of page) enter your email address.
