compatibility Apps
Bernd Machenschalk
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1 Dec 2011 21:10:09 UTC
Topic 196079
(moderation:
All the way since the beginning Einstein@Home did offer applications for the oldest types of CPUs BOINC supports at all, i.e. G3 PowerPC (without AltiVec) and x86 CPUs w/o SSE.
However I recently noticed that with current workunits these applications not only run extremely long (you need a G3 running 24/7 for a week to finish a single task), but also more than 30% of these results end up as invalid.
To improve the situation for e.g. PIIIs and old Athlons that do support SSE but not SSE2 I did build SSE-only Apps for Linux and Windows. I'll keep watching the validation rates.
But given the minimal contribution of these compatibility apps to the overall project progress I'm inclined to drop these apps completely after S6Bucket (building the G3 / Mac OS 10.3 App is an unmaintainable mess of hacks and cludges anyway).
BM
BM
compatibility Apps
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Hi Bernd!
It probably would make sense to drop support for the old non-Altivec/non-SSE processors. Many of those old machines don't have the memory to support the newer apps, and it's not worthwhile to try to upgrade them. (I haven't fired up my G3 iMac or my Dell dual-Pentium II machine in ages, and if I ever do so again, it will only be for nostalgic purposes.)
On the other hand, I do have several Pentium-IIIs that would benefit from your new SSE app. I shut them down a few months ago, after the error rates on the old compatibility app got too high. This could give me incentive to fire them back up.
Thank you Bernd.
)
Thank you Bernd.
Joe B
Thanks for the SSE Apps, my
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Thanks for the SSE Apps, my Pentium IIIs occasionally used for heating a room used for laundry drying will again have some meaningful work to crunch :-)
HB