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What is Grid.org and the United Devices Cancer Research Project?

Grid.org is a provider of distributed computing services. This means they combine the computing power of tens of thousands of computers from all over the world by using the idle time and unused processor cycles to work on big computing projects that would normally take enormous amounts of time.

One of the projects they work on is the search for a cure for cancer. This project is called the United Devices Cancer Research Project, or "UD" for short. The idea is to check certain chemical molecules against certain proteins that are thought to be key elements in cancer growth. However, there are millions and millions of combinations to check, and doing this on only a few computers in a lab would take a very long time.

This is where regular computer users like you come in. By installing a small program on your computer Grid.org will send your computer a UD work unit to complete. Your computer will work on it when it is idle, using only unused processor cycles, not interfering with anything you do on your computer. When the work unit is completed, it uploads it to the Grid.org web site and retrieves the next unit to work on.

You probably get the idea. With thousands and thousands of computer users across the planet installing the UD software and donating their free unused computing time, processing can be distributed over many computers to help speed up the process.

For more detailed info on the United Devices Cancer Research Project go to http://www.grid.org/projects/cancer/.

For more detailed info on Grid.org go to http://www.grid.org/about/

Grid.org also runs other distributed computing projects, e.g. Smallpox research and finding cures to diseases that are known to be potential weapons of bioterrorism.

Join Grid Team PC911 In The Fight Against Cancer

Come join Grid Team PC911 and help put the combined computing power of PC911 to work for a good cause!

Download and install Grid.org's UD agent from this page http://www.grid.org/download/gold/download.htm.

Then join Grid Team PC911 by going to this page http://www.grid.org/services/teams/team.htm?id=8BE7082D-C894-4BC1-9B00-71204C6D7F7E

Now come and visit your new team mates at the Grid Team PC911 forum by going to this page http://www.pcqanda.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=5

UD Team PC911 Statistics

You can view Grid Team PC911 UD statistics at http://www.grid.org/services/teams/team.htm?id=8BE7082D-C894-4BC1-9B00-71204C6D7F7E.

UD Team PC911 Logos

Of course there can't be a great team without a logo. Thanks to our creative and artistic readers Roni, Miztrial, and Synjynn, we have three great Grid Team PC911 UD logos.

Logo #1 by Roni Logo #2 by Miztrial Logo #3 by Synjynn

To display these logos on our own web site and make them link to this page, please use the following HTML code:

Logo #1:

<a href="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/"><img src="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/udteampc911_1.jpg" alt="Join Grid Team PC911 UD - Help Fight Cancer" border="0"></a>

Logo #2:

<a href="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/"><img src="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/udteampc911_2.jpg" alt="Join Grid Team PC911 UD - Help Fight Cancer" border="0"></a>

Logo #3:

<a href="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/"><img src="http://www.PCNineOneOne.com/ud/udteampc911_3.gif" alt="Join Grid Team PC911 UD - Help Fight Cancer" border="0"></a>

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much money does it cost to run Grid.org's United Devices program?
A. The UD program is free.

Q. How will UD affect other programs running on my computer?
A. The UD program is non-invasive. That means that it runs in the background. UD only uses computer resources that no other program is using. It is by default a Low priority program.

Q. What kind of maintenance is involved after I install UD?
A. You do not have to do anything after UD is installed. The program automatically uploads results when a job is finished and downloads another job.

Q. How big is the UD program?
A. The UD program is small. It will not take up more than a couple of Megabytes on your hard drive.

Q. Is UD spyware?
A. UD is not spyware. You're welcome to check all the lists of known spyware. UD is not on them.

Q. What's in it for me to use UD?
A. UD gives you the satisfaction of doing something worthwhile (Cancer research) with your computer.

Q. How complicated is the UD program?
A. You do not have to be a computer-geek techno-head guru to run the UD program. It is extremely easy to install and use.

Q. Will UD work on a dial-up connection?
A. UD works well on a dial-up connection.

Q. Will UD work if I am not on the Internet 24/7?
A. UD does not require a permanent always-on connection to the Internet. It can process while you're offline and will wait until the next time you're online to upload the results and download the next workunit.

Q. Will UD run when I am not connected to the Internet?
A. UD runs in the background whether you are on or off the Internet. Internet connection is only required when returning results and downloading a new work unit. This will only take a couple of minutes.

Q. Why should I join the UD Team PC911?
A. As part of the UD Team PC911 you will enjoy camaraderie, friendly competition, and lots of help from some of the most computer-savvy people anywhere.

Q. Are there other advantages to running UD on my computer?
A. Running UD to do cancer research gives you a legitimate excuse to upgrade or get a new computer to be able to do more research.

Q. Will my old computer run the UD program?
A. The minimum computer system requirements to run UD are: Intel Pentium processor or equivalent, at least 48 MB RAM, 500 MB Hard Disk Drive with at least 20 MB available for use, the ability to display 8-bit graphics at 800x600 resolution and an Internet connection.

Q. Are there any computer configurations that can cause problems with UD?
A. You will not be able to join the Grid Team PC911 if the Internet security setting in Internet Explorer is set to "High". You will have to change the setting to "Medium" or "Medium-Low" to join. After joining you can return the setting to "High".

Q. Will UD interfere with my game play if I leave it running while I play one of the more intense games, like Serious Sam, Red Alert2, or Black & White?
A. The short answer is No. This question has been posed many times in a number of forums and to date we have rarely seen negative comments about running UD along with game play. In our experience, game play with Serious Sam or similar games while running UD works with no problems at all.

   
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