Attaching Project--Instructions
6 Mar 2005 6:05:55 UTC
Topic 188300
(moderation:
Can I suggest that the instructions on getting started be amended to make it clearer that the project needs to be attached to the BOINC program before Einstein@home will work? Never having used BOINC before, it took me a while of staring and wondering why nothing was happening before I worked it out, and judging by some of the questions in other threads, I'm not alone.
Look here, brother, who you jiving with that cosmic debris?--Frank Zappa.
Attaching Project--Instructions
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> Can I suggest that the instructions on getting started be amended to make it
> clearer that the project needs to be attached to the BOINC program before
> Einstein@home will work? Never having used BOINC before, it took me a while of
> staring and wondering why nothing was happening before I worked it out, and
> judging by some of the questions in other threads, I'm not alone.
>
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. Boinc's user interface leaves much to be desired.
> I agree wholeheartedly with
)
> I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. Boinc's user interface leaves much
> to be desired.
Maybe Boinc needs to mature further so that these problems will lessen over time. However, in Boinc's defense, didn't the actual installation procedure, at the end, just popup a dialog box called "Attach to Project" which allowed you to input the URL and Account Key automatically? I must confess that the thing just attached E@H and started downloading all the stuff so I didn't really pay a great deal of attention to the exact steps involved. I've only attached to E@H but under Boinc's "settings" menu there is an "Attach to project..." menu-item which I imagine allows you to add other projects to your hearts content.
One thing that needs to be remembered is the distinction between the infrastructure (Boinc) and the science project (E@H). It's all too easy to comment on the E@H boards about problems that might be better put to a Boinc board. Please don't take this in any way as a criticism. I know I've been guilty of griping to E@H about things that can't be rectified by E@H and I just thought I'd remind all readers about the distinction between the two.
There's always an initiation period to become familiar with procedures and I think E@H has done pretty well with the amount of admin support visible in these lists. The front-page FAQ is expanding quickly and the link there to Paul D Buck's Boinc documentation site should be in everyone's bookmarks. It's a truly amazing site with an amazing amount of thoroughly researched and useful information - literally everything you could ever want to know about Boinc or the various Boinc supported projects.
Cheers,
Gary.
Hi Gary, > One thing that
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Hi Gary,
> One thing that needs to be remembered is the distinction between the
> infrastructure (Boinc) and the science project (E@H). It's all too easy to
> comment on the E@H boards about problems that might be better put to a Boinc
> board. Please don't take this in any way as a criticism. I know I've been
> guilty of griping to E@H about things that can't be rectified by E@H and I
> just thought I'd remind all readers about the distinction between the two.
Your points are well-taken, but it's worthwhile remembering that many of the people who join this project will never have even heard of Boinc before and for whom this is quite a leap in their technical experience. Such people need to be encouraged and indeed have their hands held a bit, to get them through the process. (Since I posted my first message in this thread, there's been another person asking why they've not received any WU yet....)
I suspect that some confusion might also arise from the fact that the E@H pages refer to the "Account Key", while the Boinc window asks for an "Account ID". Okay, it didn't flummox me for too long, but any flummoxing is too much flummoxing when you're trying to get people onboard for a project like this. And the proof is in the eating: people are getting confused. Whether they ought to be or not isn't really the point. :)
Look here, brother, who you jiving with that cosmic debris?--Frank Zappa.
Hi Mo, Thanks very much
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Hi Mo,
Thanks very much for your comments.
> I suspect that some confusion might also arise from the fact that the E@H
> pages refer to the "Account Key", while the Boinc window asks for an "Account
> ID". Okay, it didn't flummox me for too long, but any flummoxing is too much
> flummoxing when you're trying to get people onboard for a project like this.
I wouldn't have thought this would be the point of confusion as the email message makes it *very* plain that there are just two items to fill in, the URL and the account key. If you got the first one right then the other one just follows. It's also interesting to note the instructions under the "getting started" link on the front page of the website. There the term used is "Account ID", the same as in the Boinc dialog box.
I really think the problem is that people want to start in a hurry and simply don't want to spend time to read up a bit beforehand. For example, when you use the "Download Boinc" link to go to the Boinc website to get the installer, you have to read a few instructions to make sure you get the right installer for your OS. It's all laid out in a nice table so no problems. However if you read the next column to the Download column you will see it says "Installation Type - click for instructions". If you actually click the instructions for windows you get very detailed information about the Boinc GUI and all its tabs and menus. There is even an instruction that actually tells you to enter the "Account Key". Yes, in a perfect world we would use exactly the same word in all places... but people still wouldn't read it anyway.
> And the proof is in the eating: people are getting confused.
All you have actually proved is that people prefer to ask for a personalized set of instructions written out for them, the quality of which may or may not be as good as the pre-written instructions anyway. Even if the available instructions need some interpretation, wouldn't it be better to ask for that interpretation, rather than just saying, "I'm new here and totally confused... Just tell me what to do."
> Whether they ought to be or not isn't really the point. :)
And nowhere in my post did I say or even imply that. People always get confused about things that are new and different. So, my point was that they should remember to bring to the attention of the Boinc developers those things that are unnecessarily confusing about the installation and operation of Boinc.
The final point I would make is that I'm new here myself. This is my first Boinc project and I'm confused at times too. I've managed to sort out most of my confusion by reading and reading and by taking particular note of what people like BA and BM (and quite a few others) have to say and by attempting to answer questions when I think I know or can find the answer quickly. The main reason why I have done that is the fact that the best way of improving your own knowledge is by attempting to explain something to someone else.
I'm sorry this turned out a bit long winded. But, from your signature, I guess you could really relate to a phrase which goes... "The Lord helps those who help themselves". :). Which was, I guess, the main point of my message.
I hope you have a very productive stay here at E@H.
Cheers,
Gary.
> I'm sorry this turned out a
)
> I'm sorry this turned out a bit long winded. But, from your signature, I
> guess you could really relate to a phrase which goes... "The Lord helps those
> who help themselves". :). Which was, I guess, the main point of my message.
Touché. ;)
> I hope you have a very productive stay here at E@H.
Thanks. It's great so far.
Look here, brother, who you jiving with that cosmic debris?--Frank Zappa.
> I agree wholeheartedly with
)
> I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. Boinc's user interface leaves much
> to be desired.
>Are you talking about 4.1x or 4.2x. The UI has changed rather dramatically between the two.
BOINC WIKI
I believe there is sytem code
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I believe there is sytem code (I'm on WinXP Home), that could be utilized relatively easily, that provides textual info, upon 'mouse over', on what action or response one will receive from a specific button or input box.
It might alleviate some of the seeming confusion concerning user action or input requirements such as the requirement to 'attach project'. i,e; if my cursor rolls over or contacts the button labeled "Attach", a small text dialogue would appear explaining what action will occur or what input is required if that specific button were clicked upon.