Re: OT - BBC Climate Change "screensaver"

Key-bored wrote:
I installed the BBC Climate Change distributed computing thing last
week, but after I'd installed it I found that despite the fact that
it was only supposed to work when the screensaver was running it was
actually running when the screensaver wasn't active. And in the
Windows Tast Manager it said that it was using a very high percentage
of the CPU resources, hence there was bugger all resources left for
what I wanted to do and the process seemed to have a high priority
because my tasks would badly slow down.


<delurk>
I feel I've got to reply to this. I downloaded this the other day
and was surprised to find that yes, it by default starts running all
the time. I initially thought 'oh thats not right' but then I
checked and its running at the LOWEST possible process priority.


Admittedly I didn't know you could check the priority of the thread. But
looking in Windows Task Manager I see that you can check.


Time and time again in this thread you are saying its using a
high priority,


Time and time again? Here's all the times I've mentioned "priority" in
this thread up to now:

"the process seemed to have a high priority "

"if they want us to donate our CPU resources then this
BBC Climate Change thread has to have the lowest possible priority so
that it basically stops dead when we want to do something"

"It actually says in the FAQ that it's low priority, but my experience
of
it was that it's not, and it seriously slows down what you want to do
yourself."

"Indeed. I frequently re-compress video using Nero and at lowest
priority
you wouldn't even notice it running. So this climate change thing must
be set to a higher priority."

"which might
explain why they thought they could get away with putting their sodding
software on our PCs at a high (or higher than appropriate for this kind
of software) priority."

So, I've not even said ONCE that it is definitely at a high priority,
just that my impression was that it was at a highER priority than this
kind of application should be run at. I couldn't check what priority it
was at when I started the thread because I'd already uninstalled it.

My impression WAS that it was slowing my applications down otherwise I
wouldn't have fucking uninstalled it, hence the reason I thought it was
using a high***ER*** priority than the absolute lowest possible.

So, if you're going to make a drama out of everything you might as well
stick to lurking.


and others now seem to believe it.
I just find that hard to believe. The help and web site say it runs
on low,


I know.


I really don't notice its running unless I check in task manager,
it doesn't noticably slow my machine. If you have little memory
causing swap, or are running something like ME (or *maybe* XP home..)
the kernel threading isn't as hot as 2k/XP Pro. So that might affect
you.


That might be the problem then. I've only got 512 MB and I've noticed
that the PF Usage in Windows Task Manager has looked to be pretty high
recently. But it says on here that you only need 256 MB of RAM:

http://bbc.cpdn.org/help.php#suitable

But if it is this swapping bollocks that's slowing down my PC my PC was
still slowing down, and any program of this sort shouldn't cause the
user a problem.


The simulations are apparently pretty complex, they are 'proper'
simulations - not some noddy thing, and are going to take a fair
while to run. We're talking a number of weeks even if on all the
time and on a decent machine. That will be why they want it on all
the time, otherwise it would take literally years to run for a lot of
users.


I couldn't give a flying *** whether it would take years to run if it's
only active when it's a screensaver, it shouldn't interfere with your
normal use. And I've got an Athlon XP 2400 or whatever, so it's not a
slow PC.


In the options it was set only to run when the screensaver was in
use.

Where did you set this?


As I recall I went into the manager screen or whatever and there was a
drop-down menu that allows you to set it as screensaver only. I might be
wrong, because as I've said, I'd already uninstalled it a couple of days
previously.


Its a bit wierd to change the settings on this
app, it took me a while. You have to log onto their web site, change
them, then click update on the client to get them to take effect
immediately. I'd think it picks them up eventually if you don't
hit update, next time it checks in. You can change a number of
settings there, including I think what you want, to just run as
screen saver. The client itself doesn't seem to have that setting.

I don't know why they centralised settings, maybe its to easily
administer 'farms' of simulations or something.

They also recommend some thread utility or other if you feel it slows
your machine.


I tell you what, I'll buy a new PC especially to run the BBC's software
for them. Would that be sufficient?


Anybody else had a problem with it?

Nope, for me anyway, its fine!


I'll give it another try, mainly out of curiosity now, and to see
whether the priority is set to low! :-)

I wouldn't be surprised if I uninstall it again due to it pissing me off
though.



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