Originally posted by: NMDJuggler
I used to run SETI@HOME on my computer because it looked "cooler" but I quickly realized that folding proteins for a possible cure was a much more worthwhile cause and stuck with that. But that doesn't take away from the fact that DC is an experiment in DC itself, that is, it's a test of its own usefulness. Each project's successes and failures tell us more about the possible applications and uses for DC in the future. I think one of the greatest fallacies is the saying ?Necessity is the Mother of Invention.? Most great inventions were not created to fill some void or need, but rather existed in a ?useless? or unperfected state for quite some time before ?getting the nod? to fill the limelight. For example, gas powered engines were invented in 1866, made it onto a bike in 1885, and finally made it onto a truck in 1896. In 1905 cars were still the playthings of the rich only, and it really took a world war until the switch to cars started to happen?horses were fine after all! So for five decades they were sitting around practically useless, but you can?t tell me cars are useless today (good or bad). Furthermore, all inventions build on the backs of other inventions. The Wright brothers, as clever as they were, were preceded by numerous unpowered manned gliders and powered unmanned gliders. My point is that a project?s usefulness now doesn?t necessarily correlate to its usefulness in the future. Our findings may have unforeseen use in the future, or perhaps in the future the whole concept of distributed computing will be improved upon to enhance its usefulness. Our cooperation will aid in this, and someday we may be known as pioneers.
All that aside, I?m currently a medical student and I?ve studied quite a lot of biology and I can say with some confidence that F@H is a worthwhile project. Understanding protein folding is a really exciting and promising frontier. Sure, progress and results may be hard to come by, but I?d be really hard pressed to find anyone who could seriously say F@H DEFINITELY will amount to nothing. And whether or not you believe in evolution, the science done under its continually validated theories has and will continue to benefit your life and mine to an incredible degree. Happy crunching!