> Folding@home goes boinc - or at least they are porting their client, look at
> - Peter
Hello Peter,
please remove the link from your post, as the folks at FAH want to have it as a closed beta for now.
I have to admit, I got my account through such an post-blunder as well, but it's nothing they like over there.
BTW: it's really, really beta, more close to alpha than to public imho.
From a pm of an admin (Bruce) to me, after I smuggled myself in there:
The beta test was supposedly by invitation only. I don't know who got the letter asking them to be a part of the beta but they were not supposed to post the URL until the beta test is completed. Please contact the person who published it and ask to have it removed.
If you're prepared for a true beta test, where things don't work like you expect them to, I'll add you to the list without the prior authorization. If not, I recommend you switch back to other BOINC projects or download the standard FAH client from our website.
Spreading URLs like that around is a bad thing to do. It's a closed pre-release project with many many issues that are best worked out with small groups of testers... not the general public at large.
Realize by spreading around unreleased project URLs like that you can help kill a project... it's bad PR for the project administrators and all involved when unfinished work is put out there for the world at large to see. The developers have reasons for keeping the URLs quiet until release time... it's not just out of spite.
I'd just ask everybody to refrain from signing up with or spreading the URL for the project (or any other pre-release project out there) until the project is released to the public. To do so any sooner is disrespectful to the people who have put so much blood, sweat, and tears in to making it as good as it can be.
> Spreading URLs like that around is a bad thing to do. It's a closed
> pre-release project with many many issues that are best worked out with small
> groups of testers... not the general public at large.
While AthlonRob is correct, the larger error is with the project for relying on 'stealth by obscurity' to protect a closed project, especially a project that is closed-for-now but which may be anticipated to be widely open later on.
Stealth by security is when you hope to keep something private, but instead of locking it away, you simply hope nobody will notice. In homely terms it is like the key under the rock outside the front door, zero security once the existence of the key becomes known.
Just as the safe wy to let the neighbour in to feed the cat is to give the neaighbour (and nobody else!) a key, so also there are safer ways to keep a project secure until it goes on public release. The easiest is to assume that the home page of their website will be found and circulated, and to change their software so that the new accounts page is non-functional until such time as they are ready for sign-ups. (L@H is currently in this mode, having got all the beta tesaters they want).
An even better way is to replace the sign-up page with one that collects email addresses for eventual notification once the siite is in a position to welcome larger numbers. This is not hard to do, and is certainly easier than trying to fire-fight the problems when a stealthily-secure URL is released.
The problem of allowing invitees in is best done by sending them their a/c info, which depending on the number of invitees can be done in three ways:
-project admin create the a/c and email the details out to invitees
-project admin put a simple password protect on the sign up page
-sign up page made generally available until the right number of people are on board, and only then replaced with the holding page. Invitees are told that they must register before a specified date, or that only the first 6000 will be accepted.
It is trivial to re-instate the working sign-up page once public subscription is again allowed.
Someone already registered on that project might like to pass this message on to the relevant team. Anyone starting their own project (BOINC or not, DC or something else) please do bear in mind that you cannot rely on stealth by obscurity. Any working URL *will* get accessed, and its existence *will* be circulated.
The consequences of such cricualtion may be bad, but the motive probably is not. I take it that Peter was trying to give the project the gift of free publicity, which is not a bad intention at all. Such enthusiasm will be vital for the growth of the project later on.
In short, yes it is courteous to avoid explointing a mistake like this, just like it is courteous not to explore your neighbour's house when you notice where they kept their housekey; but the primary responsibility for any problems must be taken by the householder/project for relying on stealth by obscurity as a way of 'limiting' access, and once the cat is out of the bag then the only fix lies with the project.
Maybe someone who is already signed on to that project could cross-post these thoughts there...
Agree with the concept of not distributing a "closed URL" but agree with the practicalities of GW's post. That URL was all over the 'net within hours, yet it was still possible to sign up for an account yesterday afternoon, I don't know if it has been closed yet, but it was quite obvious that the "secret" was out, they let it ride.
*** EDIT ***
It would seem it is still open now.....
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
From the board @FAH: I think we'll close off new registration for a time. We'll open a public beta once we've worked through issues you've all helped identify.
And from the changed HP: Join Folding@Home BOINC Beta Test
Thanks for your interest! New registration is currently closed. There will be a public beta in the coming weeks at which time account creation will reopen. (If you are interested in running Folding@Home now, please try our standalone client.)
Folding@home goes boinc...
)
> Folding@home ports their client to boinc...
> Folding@home goes boinc - or at least they are porting their client, look at
> - Peter
Hello Peter,
please remove the link from your post, as the folks at FAH want to have it as a closed beta for now.
I have to admit, I got my account through such an post-blunder as well, but it's nothing they like over there.
BTW: it's really, really beta, more close to alpha than to public imho.
From a pm of an admin (Bruce) to me, after I smuggled myself in there:
The beta test was supposedly by invitation only. I don't know who got the letter asking them to be a part of the beta but they were not supposed to post the URL until the beta test is completed. Please contact the person who published it and ask to have it removed.
If you're prepared for a true beta test, where things don't work like you expect them to, I'll add you to the list without the prior authorization. If not, I recommend you switch back to other BOINC projects or download the standard FAH client from our website.
Grüße vom Sänger
>>> remove the link Bit
)
>>> remove the link
Bit late really. That link is posted all over the place!
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
Spreading URLs like that
)
Spreading URLs like that around is a bad thing to do. It's a closed pre-release project with many many issues that are best worked out with small groups of testers... not the general public at large.
Realize by spreading around unreleased project URLs like that you can help kill a project... it's bad PR for the project administrators and all involved when unfinished work is put out there for the world at large to see. The developers have reasons for keeping the URLs quiet until release time... it's not just out of spite.
I'd just ask everybody to refrain from signing up with or spreading the URL for the project (or any other pre-release project out there) until the project is released to the public. To do so any sooner is disrespectful to the people who have put so much blood, sweat, and tears in to making it as good as it can be.
Rob
> Spreading URLs like that
)
> Spreading URLs like that around is a bad thing to do. It's a closed
> pre-release project with many many issues that are best worked out with small
> groups of testers... not the general public at large.
While AthlonRob is correct, the larger error is with the project for relying on 'stealth by obscurity' to protect a closed project, especially a project that is closed-for-now but which may be anticipated to be widely open later on.
Stealth by security is when you hope to keep something private, but instead of locking it away, you simply hope nobody will notice. In homely terms it is like the key under the rock outside the front door, zero security once the existence of the key becomes known.
Just as the safe wy to let the neighbour in to feed the cat is to give the neaighbour (and nobody else!) a key, so also there are safer ways to keep a project secure until it goes on public release. The easiest is to assume that the home page of their website will be found and circulated, and to change their software so that the new accounts page is non-functional until such time as they are ready for sign-ups. (L@H is currently in this mode, having got all the beta tesaters they want).
An even better way is to replace the sign-up page with one that collects email addresses for eventual notification once the siite is in a position to welcome larger numbers. This is not hard to do, and is certainly easier than trying to fire-fight the problems when a stealthily-secure URL is released.
The problem of allowing invitees in is best done by sending them their a/c info, which depending on the number of invitees can be done in three ways:
-project admin create the a/c and email the details out to invitees
-project admin put a simple password protect on the sign up page
-sign up page made generally available until the right number of people are on board, and only then replaced with the holding page. Invitees are told that they must register before a specified date, or that only the first 6000 will be accepted.
It is trivial to re-instate the working sign-up page once public subscription is again allowed.
Someone already registered on that project might like to pass this message on to the relevant team. Anyone starting their own project (BOINC or not, DC or something else) please do bear in mind that you cannot rely on stealth by obscurity. Any working URL *will* get accessed, and its existence *will* be circulated.
The consequences of such cricualtion may be bad, but the motive probably is not. I take it that Peter was trying to give the project the gift of free publicity, which is not a bad intention at all. Such enthusiasm will be vital for the growth of the project later on.
In short, yes it is courteous to avoid explointing a mistake like this, just like it is courteous not to explore your neighbour's house when you notice where they kept their housekey; but the primary responsibility for any problems must be taken by the householder/project for relying on stealth by obscurity as a way of 'limiting' access, and once the cat is out of the bag then the only fix lies with the project.
Maybe someone who is already signed on to that project could cross-post these thoughts there...
~~gravywavy
Agree with the concept of not
)
Agree with the concept of not distributing a "closed URL" but agree with the practicalities of GW's post. That URL was all over the 'net within hours, yet it was still possible to sign up for an account yesterday afternoon, I don't know if it has been closed yet, but it was quite obvious that the "secret" was out, they let it ride.
*** EDIT ***
It would seem it is still open now.....
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
Update: From the board
)
Update:
From the board @FAH:
I think we'll close off new registration for a time. We'll open a public beta once we've worked through issues you've all helped identify.
And from the changed HP:
Join Folding@Home BOINC Beta Test
Thanks for your interest! New registration is currently closed. There will be a public beta in the coming weeks at which time account creation will reopen. (If you are interested in running Folding@Home now, please try our standalone client.)
So, the link can be left for now ;)
Grüße vom Sänger
