LHC@home

Hi,
Despite running SixTrack version 4209,
when i try to see the visuals, the work unit just get an error.
Any infos ?
thanks

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Yes a known problem that has not been fixed. See this thread.

Greetings All -- Where does one get the screensaver for LHC project? I recall a very eye-catching graphic at one time long ago but the "Show Graphic" option on my display is greyed out. I sure would like to have this once again -- it does generate curiosity and at times is direct cause of further study by folks that only had a passing interest in LHC prior. Perhaps someone could 'spoon feed' me with regards to the graphic display. Many thanks in advance...
--'T.--

SixTrack is a computational program... Part of our problems in the past was related to bugs in the graphics part, which hampered the advance of the computation. Therefore, we have decided to cut the graphics off completely.

I do agree that visual attraction is important. We plan to resurect the screen saver, but it should not be coupled to the program any more. The screensaver
could be fed the cumulative effect of the study to give it informative sense.

Having said that, the priority on the graphics project is low, I must admit.
If there are volunteers to help with the screensaver it would be great.

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skype id: igor-zacharov

Sorry there are no graphics with this version.
See messahe from Igor.
The current version is v4308. Eric.

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I do agree that visual attraction is important. We plan to resurect the screen saver, but it should not be coupled to the program any more.

Maybe it will be enough to give an animation of particles speeding in the LHC tunnel, animated WU progress bar and some small but interesting pictures connected with CERN. This will not affect the calculation of WU and should be attractive.

As an oldtimer, I have a snapshot of the old screensaver on my profile.


The old screensaver had particles in motion with a progress bar and a moving logo to prevent screen burn in.
I liked the various colour themes.

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I'm not the LHC Alex. Just a number cruncher like everyone else here.

Perhaps a screensaver showing faster than light neutrinos ... Oh, no, wait ... ;)

Al.

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WARNING: I have my "Grumpy" hat on today. Running a screen saver related to LHC@Home just wastes CPU cycles. I NEVER run any kind of screen saver except BLANK. That way the maximum number of CPU cycles go to CPU based projects and the maximum number of GPU cycles go to GPU based project (yes, I am running both on one machine).

Fixing the screen saver issue should go to the bottom of the "ToDo" list and every time it is asked about should be pulled out of the stack and put back on the bottom.

A screensaver can use, however, a very modest amount of CPU cycles (say, 5%), in my understanding. It would be nice to have an individual choice whether to add that small amount of extra cycles to actual scientific computing or to use an attractive and informative screensaver.

In my experience, the attractiveness and informativeness of the screensaver for a particular project is key to getting new people interested in BOINC and distributed computing, in the first place, and often in particular projects. If I want to try to interest someone in DC, I have some projects with good, attractive graphics loaded and ready to be shown on my laptop, 'suspending' them one by one (thus making new ones active) to show the person each cool project and some of how it is doing what it is doing. For the biology geek, for example, there is nothing quite like actually seeing protein folding being simulated, something that they likely have only read about. (It might be more efficient, if with less 'authentic' immediacy, to have video captures ready to show, but I've never got around to making any.)

I would guess that the small amounts of CPU cycles lost to actual computing by people who choose to use the screensaver are made up for many times over by the CPU cycles contributed by new people joining, many of whom are attracted by the informative, attractive graphics.

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I've recruited many people into running BOINC. Those who become interested because of the screensavers never stick with BOINC for more than a couple months, if that. For them BOINC is simply a way to have a shiny new bauble to use to impress their friends. When the novelty of their latest screensaver wears thin they toss it out and replace it with a new screensaver. They have no interest in doing science at all. The time a developer spends on creating a screensaver would be better spent on optimizing the project's application.

SixTrack is a computational program... Part of our problems in the past was related to bugs in the graphics part, which hampered the advance of the computation. Therefore, we have decided to cut the graphics off completely.

The previous incarnation of the science program had the graphics section built in. With BOINC 6 the intent is to separate the graphics from the science program, have them be built separately and run separately.

That way the graphics may still take up (quite) some CPU, but the user can change the preference for that in his project preferences (Maximum CPU % for graphics
0 ... 100). If you as a project set that default to 10%...

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Jord

BOINC FAQ Service

Please somebody make a screensaver!!!

OK. I'll write a screensaver.

What do you want it to look like? I can do whirlygigs, fuzzamaroos, garbenstangles (left and right hand), dopplegangers, double baronys and goatlicks, any color.

WOW! How old is your machine?

WOW! How old is your machine?

You are replying to a post from 2011...!

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