| Subject: Re: New user to seti @ home |
| From: Odysseus |
| Date: 24/09/2004, 14:43 |
Murf wrote:
[snip]
Secondly, a more staight forward question. The FAQ seems to indicate
that the seti software does not run in the background while using the
computer for something else. But it is on my machine, albeit at a
reduced speed. Is it OK to do this?
If you're using the S@h client only as a screen-saver, it does
nothing at all while you're using the computer for other things. If
you're running it as an application, it will grab all the spare CPU
cycles available, but will defer to most other tasks. (In the latter
case, keep the window minimized so as not to waste time displaying
the graphics.) Mac OS 9.x (or earlier) uses "coöperative" rather than
"preëmptive" multitasking, though, so you may notice some lagging in
games, video playback, &c. from running the client in the background.
(I wouldn't try to burn CDs, for example, with S@h running, as just a
few seconds' delay can cause a buffer underrun.) Unlike on Windows 9x
systems, the Mac version seems pretty accurate at logging the actual
processing time taken, so you can compare the time shown in the
window to the 'real' elapsed time to get an idea of what it's
actually using.
--
Odysseus 19# @ 41Y