In reply to fay aron charles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> It shows that the countdown to testing all exponents below M(6972593)
> at least once is 33. I see this a very large milestone. Last week the
> countdown was 34, and the week before that it was 34.
Patience. All earlier milestones were passed, and this one will be
achieved and passed also.
> I would assume the slow progress is because the last few exponents are
> reserved by people with very slow processors who still update with the
> server at least every 60 days.
I have one of those exponents reserved, and am actively conducting its
L-L test on my P75 even as I read your message and compose this
response.
With this processor I have completed L-L testing on more than 30
Mersenne numbers (in addition to factoring work on about that many
others) since I joined GIMPS. Never have I delayed the achievement of a
GIMPS milestone.
Never -- not once -- have I quit any test without immediately properly
checking the exponent back in. In a few cases, I stopped testing an
exponent and checked it back in because a revision in my private theory
about the occurrence of Mersenne primes indicated that there was no
chance for that candidate to be prime.
Why do I participate? The slim chance of fame in case I discover a
Mersenne prime.
Even though my private theory about the occurrence of Mersenne primes
predicts that exponents other than the ones I have reserved through
GIMPS have higher chances of being prime, I continue to cooperate with
GIMPS by working with exponents I am assigned, instead of "poaching" by
testing exponents that are assigned to other participants.
> Could these last few exponents be assigned for double checking now?
> It would at least satisfy my curiosity.
... and, by allowing someone with a much faster processor to L-L test my
assigned exponent, it would also allow that someone to determine whether
the number under test is prime, or not, _before I do_.
I.e., your proposal would rob me of my chance for fame by breaking the
current contract that my reservation means that only I have the
opportunity for potential fame in discovering that "my" M(6xxxxxx) is
prime, as long as I fulfill my part by making reasonable progress.
If that were allowed, then why should I continue contributing to GIMPS
at all ...
... when my just-arrived Athlon 1.2 GHz (that's 16 * 75 MHz) processor
is ready to join in?
If GIMPS breaks its contract with me, I'll take my new "fast" processor
elsewhere.
_________________________________________________________________________
Unsubscribe & list info -- http://www.scruz.net/~luke/signup.htm
Mersenne Prime FAQ -- http://www.tasam.com/~lrwiman/FAQ-mers
