Comments on: Using online ads to build a massively distributed computing system

By: Marcus Robbins

Marcus Robbins — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:43:00 +0000

I had this idea too, I think it’s a good one, but too many baskets too few eggs!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:18:38 +0000

Seems someone has already decided to use online ads to build a distributed network — except to do a DDOS attack!

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:16:53 +0000

Hey Mike!

You _might_ be smokin’ crack. I don’t know how SETI loads up data on each of the client computers, but I think you’d run into a bunch of implementation problems, the least of which being your computing environment is a web browser plugin, which isn’t designed to do heavy mathematical computation.

Within the span of time a user is on a page (1 min, as you say) you have to 1. transmit work data 2. do the work 3. send the results back. I’m willing to bet 1 and 3 are not trivial tasks.

Also, you’d have to give this task a low thread priority, or you’d hijack the browser. I don’t even know if you can ask for that within the confines of Flash.

The devil, as they say, is in the details. But still, a cool idea.

By: Bronte Media » Ad Networks as Distributed Computers

Bronte Media » Ad Networks as Distributed Computers — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:38:16 +0000

[...] Mikeonads has a fantastic idea related to distributed computing: Let ad networks help. [...]

By: Jonah

Jonah — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:16:22 +0000

Good way to monetize your PSAs…