Why some detectors are not connected?


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Profile krzyszp
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Message 1302 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 13:29:56 UTC

As you can see on map, average 180-210 detectors are send data to server.
What about rest of them (currently about 350 are send to volunteers)?
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Message 1304 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 17:38:05 UTC - in response to Message 1302.

Perhaps some were never delivered.
Perhaps some were damaged in transit.
Perhaps some users can't figure out how to connect the tube etc.
Perhaps some users can't get it to work with linux.
Perhaps some USB ports just can't start the detector up.
Perhaps some users only connect to the internet once a week.
Perhaps some users didn't even install BOINC.
Perhaps some users electrocuted themselves ;)
Perhaps it's a government conspiracy :)

Seriously, the typical user is surely smart enough to deal with nearly all of the above. Best case, 140 detectors are missing off the map? Very strange.

But I guess you know who they were sent to and can correlate the connected ones to orders and find out who's AWOL, then send an email/letter pointing them here for support?

Cheers,

Al.

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Message 1305 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 19:33:53 UTC - in response to Message 1304.

We send queries to everybody who not set position on map but didn't get answers (not a lot).
As I suspect, detectors was ordered by the persons who know how to connect it...

Also I know one order where 10 detectors order one person and only 4 of their detectors was connected...
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Message 1508 - Posted: 13 Dec 2012 | 18:40:18 UTC - in response to Message 1305.

Only 189 detectors showing today.

Are 50% of them really not in use or is there something wrong with the server/database/map?

Cheers,

Al.

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Message 1509 - Posted: 14 Dec 2012 | 8:11:26 UTC

I lost 2 detectors to Deutsche Post, they never arrived with the user.
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Message 1511 - Posted: 14 Dec 2012 | 9:41:07 UTC
Last modified: 14 Dec 2012 | 9:49:06 UTC

Many detectors are not connected because this project won't allow them to connect using the given URL. Sounds crazy but it's true. Detach your host then try to join again. When the wizard tells you it's not the URL of a BOINC project then do exactly what 90% of users are going to do and copy 'n paste the URL from the home page into the wizard. That assumes some 90% even realize there is a homepage and have bothered to read it or are even capable of reading it which we know from experience is not a wise assumption. Anyway, in the vein of general optimism, see how far you get with that procedure. <snickers>

Right. That's why my detector isn't reporting and it's going to stay that way until the server is configured properly.
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Message 1512 - Posted: 14 Dec 2012 | 13:34:33 UTC - in response to Message 1511.

That assumes some 90% even realize there is a homepage and have bothered to read it or are even capable of reading it which we know from experience is not a wise assumption.


That assumption is a no-brainer with this project, as only people who are active involved had an opportunity to get one of this machines.

I never had any problem with attaching, even my Samsung Galaxy S2 was able to attach. Will try with my Windoze machine once I'm home again.
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Message 1514 - Posted: 14 Dec 2012 | 14:57:14 UTC - in response to Message 1511.

Many detectors are not connected because this project won't allow them to connect using the given URL. Sounds crazy but it's true. Detach your host then try to join again. When the wizard tells you it's not the URL of a BOINC project then do exactly what 90% of users are going to do and copy 'n paste the URL from the home page into the wizard. That assumes some 90% even realize there is a homepage and have bothered to read it or are even capable of reading it which we know from experience is not a wise assumption. Anyway, in the vein of general optimism, see how far you get with that procedure.


The URL in BOINC (and BoincTasks as well), that's the one delivered by Berkeley, is wrong, so far you're right,
But the one on the homepage here works like a charm, just got my first WU for the computer without detector.

What's your problem?
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Message 1517 - Posted: 14 Dec 2012 | 18:49:33 UTC - in response to Message 1514.
Last modified: 14 Dec 2012 | 18:57:12 UTC

My problem? LOL. Saenger you should know by now that I don't have problms. I have solutions.

On the homepage *I* see the URL is http://radioactiveathome.org/boin. No,not a typo here, that is exactly what I see, that is exactly what many users will see, that is what they will use. No, they won't fix it. Because their eye/brain will adjust what they see to what they usually see (Google reading and sight words to understand why that happens) and so the problem and the solution will elude them. Yah, it *is* a simple solution for the user to just add the c but simplicity alone doesn't guarantee it will happen.

Getting attached is just one thing. After a user attaches they can have problems getting the device on the map. I could not believe it until I actually saw it but some people actually cannot grasp online maps... zooming, panning, thinking... it's too much. For many, many people half-baked is good enough so attached but not pinned to map works just fine for them because the tasks come, the results go, the lights blink, it's all good. Except it's not. Geeks like us often know what we need to do even before we get the device in our sweaty little paws but we are a minority. There are people inquiring about the device in this forum and it is obvious from their posts they are technology challenged and it will be a struggle for them. They won't struggle. They'll just do it half-assed and tell themselves whatever lies they need to hear and ignore any truths they don't need to hear to convince themselves it's setup properly. That's the way people are, admit it and curry their favor or go against their grain and lose them.

This project has the least expensive detector on the market. They can well afford to add a GPS to the device and make the thing goof-proof. Cutting corners on the USB in version 2 saved a whopping $5 and caused a $100 problem. Add a GPS and fix the "pin to map" problem too. You'll still have the least expensive detector on the market and you will *always* have the least expensive detector because your labor is given for free and users would rather spend an additional $5 and have a device that works out of the box as opposed to saving a piddling $5 and having a device that requires recurring attention. The device has a certain novelty at first and for that brief period of time they'll tinker with it but after the novelty wears off the device's need for attention becomes an annoyance so they will ignore it rather than go through the hassle of coming to the website to look up which page they need to go to to pin the thing to the map again (in the case where a user detaches and reattaches for one or more regularly occurring reasons).

That is far, far more truth-talking than 99% of you can stand so I know in advance it's going to get ignored. And you'll continue to wonder why only 50% of the devices are on the map. Until your attention gets diverted to something else then you'll stop worrying about it. Ain't it a wonderful world!
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Message 1526 - Posted: 19 Dec 2012 | 17:48:59 UTC

I got a mail that my detector (ID 3742) has no location set, but when I want to add it to the map, an other ID is shown for my computer (3070).

ruth
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Message 1527 - Posted: 19 Dec 2012 | 17:50:43 UTC - in response to Message 1526.

I got a mail that my detector (ID 3742) has no location set, but when I want to add it to the map, an other ID is shown for my computer (3070).

...
Oh, I see it now. I am logged in with my wifes's account...

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Message 1528 - Posted: 19 Dec 2012 | 17:54:47 UTC

OK, now logged in with my own account, but when I click on "add" it only shows my computer and no further option.

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Message 1529 - Posted: 19 Dec 2012 | 17:58:10 UTC - in response to Message 1528.

OK, now logged in with my own account, but when I click on "add" it only shows my computer and no further option.

Finally, I worked it out. Just had to read the instructions in the mail. LOL
Sorry.

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Message 1543 - Posted: 23 Dec 2012 | 6:46:13 UTC - in response to Message 1529.

Read the instructions <======= a very novel idea

Saenger never throws away an opportunity to correct me therefore I conclude he agrees with me: guilty on two counts of bad action with a URL.

Anyway I decided to attach my host in spite of my earlier "refusal" and guess what I discovered... more bad action. I attached a Linux machine, it downloaded the usual files and the app plus a task. When the task started it crashed. Here are the Event Log entries:

22-Dec-2012 15:13:53 [---] Fetching configuration file from http://radioactiveathome.org/boinc/get_project_config.php
22-Dec-2012 15:14:43 [Radioactive@Home] Master file download succeeded
22-Dec-2012 15:14:48 [Radioactive@Home] Sending scheduler request: Project initialization.
22-Dec-2012 15:14:48 [Radioactive@Home] Requesting new tasks for CPU
22-Dec-2012 15:14:49 [Radioactive@Home] Scheduler request completed: got 1 new tasks
*** stack smashing detected ***: ./boinc terminated
SIGSEGV: segmentation violation
Segmentation fault


I detached that host and attached a different host, another Linux machine, and received the same error. Why do you smash my stack? It's a nice stack so please don't smash it.

Then I attached a Windows machine and that was successful. I assume Windows doesn't have a stack else you would have smashed its stack too! (just kidding)

The Linux app worked fine here for many months. The only thing that changed here was a switch from Ubuntu to Debian. I doubt that's causing the problem. I think the app is attempting to stuff a 20 byte string into an 18 byte char* or something similar.

Bottom line: too much bad action going on here and that's why so few detectors are reporting.

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Message 2313 - Posted: 20 Jan 2014 | 4:38:13 UTC

So, as an update to this thread; is the process of joining the project (with boinc) and establishing a dot on the map more successful and streamlined now? I'm not really expecting any difficulty, myself.

Profile krzyszp
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Message 2340 - Posted: 2 Feb 2014 | 18:31:46 UTC - in response to Message 2313.

So, as an update to this thread; is the process of joining the project (with boinc) and establishing a dot on the map more successful and streamlined now? I'm not really expecting any difficulty, myself.

It is really easy.
Just set up BOINC client, attach to our project, do one work unit with detector connected and set up point on map in your computer settings in your profile...
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