My Own "Unofficial" Folding Thread

[pauliedangerously]

Hello:

I don't start very many threads here and I tend to read a lot more than I write. Anyway, after reviewing DUFOLDING@HOME thread #10, I thought to myself, "Shit...I want to say something."

HI EVERYONE!!!!!

I'm Paulie.

I do Internet tech support for a living. If you've thought about folding, but weren't sure how to do it and/or were afraid that some computer geek would belittle any questions you may have about installing the software or when it would be advisable to shut the program off (like if you're burning a CD or something) then go ahead and ask me. I was a computer newbie eight and a half years ago when I transitioned from woodworking to networking and I know how it feels to be sneered at by some dumbfuck with a laptop and a cell phone.

Me, personally, I don't give a damn about catching up with the Free Republic team. I think that the DU team is performing very well. We are comfortably in the top three hundred and are gaining ground...we'll be in the top two hundred in a few months:

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_overtake.php?s=&t=48157

I'm running this program on Windows XP Pro and Home Edition, as well as RedHat 9, Fedora, and Debian. I've had a few glitches, but everything is alright now.

I'm not going to solicit, but if anyone is interested in acquiring a computer with a 2.0+ processor for less than three hundred bucks, send me a PM.

Again, computers and networking are my livelihood. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer them. No, I won't insult you with a web link and challenge you to find the answer; I'll actually attempt to answer it directly...give it a day or two.

Peace out.

[amitten]

1. What in the hell is folding? n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. folding proteins, using unused computer power..

very cool. Helping medical research... http://folding.stanford.edu/ :)

[pauliedangerously]

5. In a nutshell...

The term "folding" refers to the self-assembly of proteins. A protein is a string of amino acids, and it is defined by the sequence of the amino acids. This folding project some of us are participating in involves computerized models of proteins assembling so that scientists can better understand how this stuff works.

These models require a lot of CPU time, so the people at Berkeley developed a program that individual computer users can load onto their PC that performs some of the calculations. This is referred to as "distributed computing," and the Berkeley Folding Project is one of many such projects that PC users all over the planet are participating in.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. I just commanded my 16 year old to download

He says his gaming team has their own team #... "I don't care which team you join, as long as you start it up." Am I a great Mom, or what?! :)

[longship]

4. Kicked. I have have 5 Linux CPUs running Folding.

4 Gentoo CPUs and one Debian. I have three other Linux devices, but they all run non-Intel-compatible CPUs, so folding won't work on them.