Best Buy type machines

[Vlade]

I have 1 of each semi-local Best Buy, Staples, Circuit City, and Office Max stores in my area, and I was wondering if anyone has experience installing Folding on those computers. I often find myself walking around staples browsing, and wondered how plausible installing folding would be on the high end machines. Will they be reformatted at all, and will all the points get through? If I could get say 5 machines operating maybe 50 hours a week each that could quickly add up to some nice points. I don't know if I will get around to it because it would seem odd going from computer to computer installing something without getting caught, but maybe on a crowded day at Best Buy i could do it.

[Koodauw]

I'm not sure if you mean installing the folding software on Macs or Windows machines, (Maybe Both?) But Non of the display computers are connected to the internet at Best Buy, in my area at least. Could the points count if they weren't connected? Anyways, its good thinking non-the less.

[wdlove]

I give you credit for thinking of unique ways to help the team. Hopefully you will be successful. I just wonder if it would work at a university, that would be a real gold mine.

[Crikey]

A few years ago I read that a university system administrator got fired for installing a distributed computing client (SETI@Home?) on all the machines in the lab he maintained. So mining that gold could be costly.


Crikey

[question fear]

from what i remember at best buy, which is fuzzy, i think they reset the computers fairly often. so it might not be worth it. also, best buy has filters and you can't access too many outside links.
sorry.

[MrMacMan]

It really comes down to two things:
1. Does it connnect do the internet?
2. How often are they reset?


To test the resetting, place a file somewhere on the computer and come back later and see if it is there.

[question fear]

they connect to the internet but they are filtered. a customer cannot use the internet explorer browser employees can use, you cant access a browser address.

they reset at least once a week, i think they might even more often than that.

i really dont think you cna use best buy computers, i was thinking about this after i initially posted, you need an employee id to get past that demonically annoying screen saver on the computer.

also, they wont let you access much beyond best buy's sites. and its on dialup.

all that crap about testing the electronics, try before you buy, all bull.

[Koodauw]

Since when are the machines reset? When I worked for the big yellow price tag, the only time a display was "reset" was when it was being sold, and they only sold the displays when they would not be getting any more instock. Otherwise they sat out on display all the time. Also, none of the display machines in the computer dept. were hooked up to the net. There was no password or anything, they just weren't hooked up. This may be different in other locations, but I don't think so. Thats all I know.

[mc68k]

the 2 big issues for folding on display machines are internet access and admin privs

if the machines dont have internet access, forget the whole thing-- u'll have to shuttle work on and off the machine and then flush it on a networked machine.

the second big issue is how will you get it to run invisibly. if you run the console client as a service, this will be ur best bet. if you run folding in the foreground, ppl will notice, will quit out of it and you will lose a whole days work for each quit because you will not be there to restart it.

a general rule of thumb i have figured out from doing this myself, is that salesppl in general are very dumb when it comes to 'deep' technical issues. so if u can find a tricky way to get something onto a machine, then chances are it will stay there.

[MrMacMan]

a general rule of thumb i have figured out from doing this myself, is that salesppl in general are very dumb when it comes to 'deep' technical issues. so if u can find a tricky way to get something onto a machine, then chances are it will stay there.
Me: 'wheres the mac section?'
Sales Guy: wheres the what section?
Me: Apple section, mac section?
Sales Guy: Whats that?
Me: is it over near the Pc section?
Sales Guy: uhhh, sure, its there...
*slaps self in face*
Me: How long have you worked here?
Sales Guy: 6 months.
[me in mind: ahhhhhh]


I've seen some nice hackage of the PC's in the demo machines ...

Just set one up in the beginning at like 'demo computer' on one machine if it works your good to go. :)