SETI: GUI or CLI? Think about it....

[RigorousT]

Okay, before I get grilled.. I'm just putting this up for discussion (purely for scientific advancement and all that jazz...)

---> How much worse off are we if we coach new members into using the GUI (screen saver) first? <---

I have always been a proponent of the CLI+Driver combo.. but I got to thinking -- "Are all these new members putting
a shortcut for the CLI or Driver in their startup folders?" or even better, "How soon before they lose interest and stop running
it?"

I know I started out with the GUI and thought the screen saver was the coolest thing on Earth.. (heh)... then I moved over to the CLI
after I got bored and wanted to max out.. Don't get me wrong, with assimilations you can hook up with a SETI service without a hitch,
but for the Win98/ME crowd, should we give consideration for instructing them to install the screen saver version at the onset? The
handicap isn't so much and you can easily tell them to get setup in 2 steps
1) download the screen saver .exe and run it
2) go into screen saver properties and set it to run after 5 minutes inactivty

Does anyone have any statistics of the past week for new members and if they were consistent? I'm too lazy too lookup Smokeball's
daily update page But there has to be some wisdom in this.. I was going to change my sig to another page that just touts the GUI setup,
but wanted some feedback on what you guys think. New members are GREAT but not if they only run the program until the computer
reboots..

edit> Maybe I just need to try out the new beta installer you TeAm programers are working on... something to take the "duh, huhh" out of
the CLI process

 

[conjur]

It's the stats, man...the stats!!

Crunch on!

 

[RigorousT]

it's the stats for me and you.. but someone on Hot Deals isn't gonna feel the warm and fuzzies WUs bring.. atleast until
they stick with it awhile

 

[Logix]

I totally agree with you, RigorousT. It was all the pretty colors of the GUI screensaver that initally drew me in, along with the slim prospects of actually detecting E.T. I used that for nearly a year, simply because it was really easy to setup on any computer.

Then, I was drawn into Team AnandTech by all the friendly faces here in the forum, and improving my stats became something I wanted to do. Without the team atmosphere, stats and the desire to improve them were pretty much irrelevant to me.

 

[ICXRa]

I was a Hot Deals ONLY reader!
was

CLI + driver all the way.
For some reason I found the GUI not to be cool, kind of like a power point presentation over and over forever!

 

[Kris]

You might have a good point. I started with cli/driver yesterday, and stuck with it having RC5 experience enough to know it would work eventually if I figured out all the parameters. Without that incentive, I can't say I would have found what would seem perplexing to the average user worth enduring.

Don't lose sight of the fact that all the recruiting enthusiasm in the world won't translate into a satisfying stimulus for the newbie. Experienced users have the benefit of stats addiction to obscure any inconveniences we encounter. It might be hard for some of us to remember what it was like for stats to have no bearing whatsoever on our daily existance...

Getting seti gui actually running on 75% of those who demonstrate the slightest interest would benefit us more than getting cli functional on only the 50% who have the perserverence to see it through to functional status. While I realize these percentage figures are stabs in the dark, the theory holds...

 

[zeruty]

I agree. I used the gui client for my first wu, watched the pretty colors, cheered on my best gaussians, triplets, and spikes, but then it was over and I've been CLIng ever since

it does make it more interesting to know what the program is doing, and that is what the gui is good for

 

[ICXRa]

<< but someone on Hot Deals isn't gonna feel the warm and fuzzies WUs bring >>



Yep just saw this post in Hot Deals while bumping threads!
It is funny though!

clstrfbc


Blah blah blah ..... seti .... blah blah blah


I joined 4 months ago for the last race, it's been thourougly exciting.. (yawn)
I pretty much lost interest during the name change fiasco,
OMG you actually updated the "Team" page, thats new.... (yawn)
Well, good luck guys,

As thrilled as I am to help (sarcasm),
I still leave my 1.2 athlon DDR system cranking away 24/7 for the "team".......
Thats one WU every 6 hr 30 min,
On the positive side, it requires absolutely no effort on my part.

-------------------------
If I come off like a smartass, it's probably because I am


He is still Crunch'n though

 

[DeathLiRE]

...Tweak.....Tweak....

I've never tried the GUI ver....
But what attracted me to SeTI...and of course AnAndTech....was Idoxash....
I wanted to find some Aleonas....and I found out on setispy....how much cpu power i was using....and all that
and since i like to oc comps alot....that kinda helped me out....but now i use SetiDriver...set to high....
BTW...i'm using a 233 Pent1 MMx..and this thing crunches about 1 or more wu's a day..depending on how cool it is.

Well Seeya...:Q

 

[RigorousT]

DeathLiRE hits it on the head.. there are two main kinds of SETI ppl --
those that have some vested interest, be it in astronomy, or computing "ummph," or just testing limits/havin' fun... and then there are those who the rest of us conned into running it for the betterment of the project and "mankind."

I guess I'm concerned about the "SETI for Dummies Crowd." Just want to make sure we retain some of these newbies. I suppose there are many different ways like showing them the pretty colors of the screen saver, getting them involved in the forums, buying them lunch in exchange for their ignorance.. etc.. etc..

Okay so here's the bottom line, the perfect solution.. Someone needs to find a screen saver mimic of SETI.. A demo, what have you. This
is just for the show.. then, get them to run 1 .exe file that sets this as the screen saver and also installs SETI as a service.

Now that would be golden.

Somehow get
them to install SETI as a service, and then set their screen saver to a demo of SETI running the gausian curves.. hehe.. Seriously if someone could make a demo of the SETI gui and have the real CLI running as a service, that would be huge

 

[ShotgunSteven]

I started out using the GUI simply because I did not know there was anything better out there. I did like watching it process, but I like using SETI Spy much more. I check the SkyMap so often to see where these WU's are from that I can now pick out and name contellations in the sky outside.

 

[RaySun2Be]

I've never run the GUI version. I came from another DC project, so I was wanting best performance. CLI gave me that.

I don't look at the skymaps much either. But I do check my SETIQ stats a LOT.

But if we can get only some new members by wowing them with the GUI, maybe they will stick around long enough for us to get them addicted to the stats. Once addicted to stats, they will want to convert to the CLI on their own.

 

[Poof]

When I started SETI back in '99, it was on Linux only. And at that time, there was no GUI for linux and no CLI for windoze.

I think there are more than 2 types of folks. I'm thinking 3:

1.) Those "in the know" about DC in general, who run SETI for that ETI possibility, but who are also aware of the stats possibilities when optimizing the machine and client...

2.) Those who have some interest in ETI, but are computer... *ahem* "challenged" ... But... who are also somewhat gregarious and like to interact on forums and with the teams... However, running a machine 24/7 (especially a windoze one) is alien to them... LOL.

3.) And finally, those who are the epitome of geekdom - the ones who you might recruit right out of the CPU and/or Motherboard forums... Ie., those who by practice, DO use the CLI (and other tools)... But not for the project itself, but to "test" their OC and cooling. And if they ARE willing to continue to run SETI full time, then chances are certain that they would definitely continue to opt with a text client. Plus they must have their stats fix, as that would give them the necessary feedback reinforcing the fact that they have completely mastered control over the WU times.

Depending on which group one might recruit - the message would correspondingly need to be worded differently. Expect that the #2s are the most likely to run the GUI, be the trickiest to switch from it, and may become transient members.

 

[Kris]

I think Poof is right about the three types, although the description of the #2 type might benefit from slight modifications for the sake of harmony and whatnot. But the question still remains, should recruiting efforts aimed at type2 push GUI?

 

[Lithium381]

Yeah, i think as long as they have one of them running, it's better than nothing! I used the GUI for a 40hr wu, then switched to CLI for a 9hr wu.......with the help of engineer, you da man!

 

[daclayman]

Girls and boys, I just updated to the CLI thingy tonight. I scraped an hour off from my WU avg.(woohoo) to get me to 6 hours and change per WU. What you geeks are missing is that you need to make it REAL easy for the average shmoe to load the CLI thingy. Spam the forums left right and indifferent. I downloaded the 2 files, but I forgot the instructions. I knew where I got them from, but not exactly where. If I had to search for more than 10 minutes, I would have given up. It's not that don't care (because I really don't), it's the fact that you can grab ALOT of cpu time if you cater to the 'I think I wanna help' peeps. I was 7.5 hrs/WU; with the CLI thingy I'm now around 6.2 hrs/WU. If this stuff interferes with my daily computing, then it's history. A client that doesn't interfere with daily activities (at all) and is easy to setup will attract and keep alot of DC newbies. More and easier directions for the DOS client (and possibly a cash payment after X WUs) will draw new members by the masses. Please don't massacre me for the capitalist side of this....as I don't care.

Clayton

 

[JBChance]

I think that recruiting might be easier if people knew what it was from the beginning. I had seen threads
around talking about SETI, but they never seemed to grab my attention. Finally, I just kind of stumbled on
it the other day and realized what it was: search for ET.

Telling people to use the GUI first will probably get them more interested. It'll probably be pretty easy to
get them to use the CLI later, especially around here, where performance is king

Maybe you could recruit with something like "Use your rig to spot ET - Join SETI and TeAm Anandtech",
then get 'em to a site w/ a picture of the screensaver or something. I don't know; I just started and I
probably don't know what the Hell I'm talking about. I started of w/ CLI 'cause I like to screw around
with my 'puter and mess things up

One thing you should say, though, is that the Berkeley server is down often so you have to be patient and
try several times. I know that was a little nerveracking for me.

 

[Poof]

Well one thing that was helpful was that last year, there was a "Jag" ep that prominently featured the SETI GUI (albeit, very much manipulated by Hollywood... ), and that seemed to spark interest among computer-owning/net-connected Jag fans.

These types of fictional and non-fictional (eg., occassional stuff on TLC, Discovery, PBS, & their world-wide counterparts) tend to be good recruiting tools in and of themselves, and it's up to the DC community to be aware when such programming is scheduled for broadcast in order to recruit potential newbies!