overly complicated

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strange_albatross

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Message 39613 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 10:02:27 UTC

about 7-8 years ago i started using SETI@home, for one reason or another i stopped using it (reformat computer/big toe hurt/etc). about 2-3 years ago i tried to re-install BOINC and start using my computer for something better then playing flash games on the net, it, unfortunately, would not work with my graphics card at the time.

Today i tried re-installing it again and found the sign up/account manager process all too hard. BOINC install fine, but wait i have to sign up for an account manager? huh? ok... why can't i just select the projects and time i wish to allocate to each project from BOINC? why is an account manager even there? OK i can deal with that, sign up. Mess around with BOINC trying to get it to work with account manager. give up. go to work. try again this evening. give up.

I really want to do this, however the rigamarole associated with install and sign up is tiresome at best.

Make it easy for morons (such as I) to make things work. install, add projects and allocate percentage, have weekly update with new projects, all in the one program.

tl;dr

Please, make it easier for me to donate my computer to a good cause.
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Profile Jord
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Message 39614 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 10:07:46 UTC - in response to Message 39613.  
Last modified: 12 Aug 2011, 10:16:23 UTC

The choice is to Add project or Use account manager:


BOINC Manager Simple View->Add project->Add project->List of projects to choose from, etc.
BOINC Manager Advanced View->Tools menu (top bar)->Add project or Account manager->Add project->List of projects to choose from, etc.

So why you specifically wanted to go the Use account manager route, I don't know. A BOINC Account Manager is a 3rd party website through which you can set up your BOINC, attach to multiple projects at the same time and in the case of Grid Republic also download a BOINC version with everything you set up pre-installed.
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strange_albatross

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Message 39619 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 14:52:24 UTC - in response to Message 39614.  

I can only apologize completely and totally.

I am an idiot.

I take back my previous comments and can only thank you for explaining to an aforementioned idiot to follow simple tasks, and perhaps to RTFI (Read The Frickin' Instructions).

Again I am sorry

(it is at this point i will go back to commenting on you tube videos)

Again sorry for taking up bandwidth and generally sucking up otherwise useful brain cells of those around me.

(For years i've been criticizing people on the web for asking stupid questions/posting stupid comments. Today i was one of those people. Lesson of the day; don't be a douche. Be thankful of people that are patient and take the time to tolerate idiots)

Thank you Jord
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Message 39620 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 15:24:47 UTC - in response to Message 39619.  

Now now, don't lambast yourself over nothing. There are no stupid questions, only those not asked.

You're welcome! :-)
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White haired granny

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Message 39630 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 18:21:58 UTC - in response to Message 39613.  

Exactly, strange_albatross.

Everything was fine running SETI on our old Windows XP computer until we hit BOINC and it became far too complicated. Why Complicated? Because it assumed that every single person had an intimate knowledge of how their computer worked. You may drive a car - but are you an expert on the internal combustion engine? I very much doubt it.

Now we have an iMac and thought we would have a go at offering computer time to the LHC. Well of course I should have remembered our earlier experience with BOINC because nothing has changed.

Everything seemed to go ok with installing VirtualBox.
THEN I moved on to installing BOINC. All seemed to go (fairly) well until I was hit by;-

"Download the script: EnablingVirtualBox
If you have BOINC installed and running, please stop it before running the script. Otherwise BOINC may stop working.
Run this script by opening a terminal, changing directory into the download directory where the script resides, and executing the command:
sudo sh ./EnablingVirtualBox.sh yourusername admin
(You will need to enter your Mac admin password if asked)
Finally you can attach your BOINC client to the project. All pre-existing projects will still work normally.
Note that this script has to be run again after each update of the BOINC client software is installed!
Note: The zip file has two extra files. The file *.md5 can be used to check if the script has been modified since its publication, and the *.sig can be used to check who is the author of the script, as this file is the GPG digital signature of the script."

So, once again a brick wall has been hit i.e. I got as far as downloading "EnablingVirtualBox" which opens in TextEdit and do not have a clue how to progress from there - and spent well over an hour proving this to myself.

There cannot be so many computer/operating systems in the world that there is not a 'page' available to show HOW this is done for those of us who admit to not being experts.

I do not want to have a Skype conversation. I want simple instructions that I can read.

If I get no help within a few days I will be uninstalling it all again.

Such a shame.


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Message 39631 - Posted: 12 Aug 2011, 18:33:40 UTC - in response to Message 39630.  

VirtualBox is a 3rd party application being developed by Oracle. It has nothing to do with BOINC or with how you set up BOINC. It is required for the Beta test at Test4Theory.

Any complaints you have with how the installation manual of VirtualBox is difficult to follow, are best addressed at the T4T forums (only if you have an account there already), or at the VirtualBox forums.

Best start by reading http://boinc01.cern.ch/test4theory/forum_thread.php?id=11.
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White haired granny

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Message 39647 - Posted: 13 Aug 2011, 11:28:58 UTC - in response to Message 39631.  

Hello Jord,

Thank you for your reply but I am still none the wiser.

"VirtualBox is a 3rd party application being developed by Oracle. It has nothing to do with BOINC or with how you set up BOINC. It is required for the Beta test at Test4Theory."

Do I have a complaint with how the installation of VirtualBox is difficult to follow?

I was simply following the instructions on the LHC@home 2.0 page headed "Installing Boinc in Mac OS X".

Although I dislike the phrase 'computer geek' it is almost seems as if instructions are written by said geeks for those who 'know'! What is wrong with having a bit of joined up thinking by the organisations engaged in this sort of research and having them come up with a common sense 'installation for amateurs/idiots/etc guide' that we can click on?

I was just hoping for help in enabling my computer to help the LHC by advising me on opening a terminal, changing directory and executing a command when 'that' part of my computer is unknown to me - for the very simple reason that for the work I do on my computer I have no need to know.

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Profile KSMarksPsych
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Message 39648 - Posted: 13 Aug 2011, 12:49:39 UTC

In a way, I feel your pain. I had some difficulties because I didn't read the FAQs.


I will also say that this new project isn't for the feint of heart. It does require dropping down to a terminal to do specific things.

Start by downloading the dmg for Virtual Box. Make sure you have version 4.1.
At that point it's just like installing any other piece of software. Double click on the VB icon in the installer and let it do its thing. If you're running an an admin account, then it should do it thing. If not, it will prompt you for administrator name and password.

That's the last thing you'll ever have to do with Virtual Box (aside from updating if needed) unless you want to run Windows or Linux or some other OS in your virtual machine.

Now install BOINC. Download the latest stable version. Install the same way you did Virtual Box.

Right now (AFAIK) there is no work and signups for Test4Home are closed.

But... You'll eventually need to download the following script http://boinc01.cern.ch/sites/default/files/EnablingVirtualBox.zip. First double click to extract it then follow the instructions in the FAQ. Post back if you have trouble with the sudo part. I'll try to help, but it was a struggle for me.[/url]
Kathryn :o)
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Message boards : Questions and problems : overly complicated

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