In infinite wisdom Marvin answered:

What the SETI@home system has shown us, is that there are no earth-like(in terms of electromagnetic broadcast) inhabited system within a distance of about 400 light years. There are no alien civilisations deliberately beaming messages aimed at us within about 5000 light years.

This means we know with reasonable certainty that the local 0.000000001 percent of our galaxy does not contain an earthlike civilisation at this moment in time.

And people consider that as *proof* that extraterrestrial life doesnt exist?????

Interesting. So far you are the only one to use the word "proof".

You can't respond to what others post so you invent arguments you think
you can rebut.

Let me ask you this. Whether ET civilizations exist or not, what do you
think our changes of detecting them are?

Say we search for 10,000 years, do you think this will increase our
chances?

Thats like looking at a square inch of the tarmac in your driveway, and basing on the shorage of whales visible in your sample the conclusive proof that whales can not possibly exist!

You can tilt at all the windmills you feel it necessary to construct,
but if you ask me, you should feel really stupid for doing so.

Proof is for mathematics.

Evidence is for the real world, and unless you are a UFO buff, their
ain't any and there is no reasonable expectation that any SETI search
will generate any. I consider negative evidence as worth having, but
not as an infinite resource sink.

So my question is, what's the point? Don't we have better uses for
our resources?

How much are you willing to spend? How much of your own money have you
spent?

Rich