> Would anyone care to make predictions about when we might see a computer of
> this kind (and what obstacles stand in the way):
Very hard. Not only must job scheduling/distribution take into account
the structure of the network and the predicted CPU and network cost of
each subtask (in order to avoid sending a bandwidth heavy and CPU light
job to somebody on a 1200 baud modem in Taiwan), but you also must
ensure redundancy of all nodes, including the node submitting the job.
The answer is probably not ``never'', but pretty close to it.
> 4) nodes can locally select to include or exclude jobs (via config file)
> initiated by particular users. PGP authentication ensures identity of user.
> The effect of this is that most users won't actually be able to use the
> power of the computer, but various worthy causes will, because participants
> will include them in their config file.
If you have a "good cause" like this, why don't you just make a java
applet on your web page that does its thing, and ask people to point
their browser to that page?
~kzm
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