Overnight last night, my pc completed one whole chunk of work, called a work unit, which it then sent back to base and got another one - all it needed was to be connected to the internet (or if I was using dial-up it would wait until I was next connected) and that's it. I didn't even notice - and my response from the internet and my pc haven't changed at all because it only ever uses spare processing time and any needed for my own programs takes priority. Simple !
So what next? Go and have a closer look at WCG's website
And, once you've signed up and your pc/mac has started processing, you can join a team, if you wish, and see the accumulated time and points your collective processing power has done - or stay as an individual and see your own score add up. I've got my own team and would love you to join
What has it achieved so far? Well, recent projects have helped in the fight against cancer, finding a cure for AIDS/HIV and against Muscular Dystrophy. It has also helped scientists in gaining an insight into Human Proteome Folding! And, no, I don't understand what that is either, but you can find more details on their website if you want to.
Good, you've turned over the page so you must still be interested!
Distributed Computing Grids - or how to get your pc doing something really useful!