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Helpful File Sharing

 File sharing system which contributes your processor's spare time to distributed computing projects
 
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During a discussion with a friend, it occurred to me that it would be very handy to have a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing system which contributed your processor's idle time to distributed computing projects, such as Folding@Home. It would be specifically designed not to interfere with download speeds or regular computer usage.

I think that P2P systems [KaZaA, Morpheus, Napster, etc] are much more widely used than distributed computing programs, so incorporating such a feature would be very beneficial to the latter. As well, if the RIAA went to shut the P2P program down, the distributed computing community would protest. The backlash would be especially large if the system was contributing to science, as Folding@Home and SETI@home do. The two systems would develop a symbiotic relationship, each relying on the other to be successful.

—rgovostes, Oct 14 2003

Folding@Home http://www.stanford...pandegroup/folding/
"... to understand protein folding, protein aggregation, and related diseases" [rgovostes, Oct 04 2004]

SETI@home http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
The Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence [rgovostes, Oct 04 2004]

distributed.net: Project RC5 http://www.distributed.net/rc5/
Yet another distributed computing project to brute force RC5 keys [rgovostes, Oct 04 2004]

[link]






       I think the flaw in your idea is that P2P networks distrbute files, not processing time. Unless you were working on the cure for cancer, decoding space static, or another project you would have nothing to share.   

       P2P networks have other problems like clgging the internet. Distributed computing works like screen saver, then uploads the data when you are online, for those who still aren't on all the time!
—xylene, Oct 14 2003
   

       Let me clarify: it would be a P2P program just like KaZaA or Napster, but in the background it would also function as a distributed computing client. This way it is both useful to the average Joe, and beneficial to distributed computing projects.
—rgovostes, Oct 14 2003
   

       Hmmm. I bet most wouldn't bite. Sounds a bit too much like spyware.
—phoenix, Oct 14 2003
   
      
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