On Sun, 3 Feb 2002, Aaron Blosser wrote: > Well, I think that most people on the list know of my past... it's when > someone does a Google search on me that I think borders on stalking. > One can only wonder what you might find if you did Google searches on > everyone on this list. :)
I did no Google search on you. I only needed to search the Mersenne list archives to make sure I had details right. It would not bother me if someone Googled me to find out about my past, feel free to do so if you wish. > Anyway... the gardening analogy doesn't pass muster. How about the sand castle analogy? > First, may I point out that neither GIMPS nor PrimeNet *owns* the > Mersenne exponents being tested. I would posit that *anyone* is free to > test *any* exponent they choose. That is true, however George and Scott do own Prime95 and PrimeNet and can set terms for their usage. The case here is not over somebody just testing these on their own randomly, it is over people using George and Scott's resources in a way that violates the terms for usage. To find these exponents, one has to access the PrimeNet Assigned Exponents Report or George's databases. To turn them in, you have to access PrimeNet or submit them to George via email. > Clearly, the purpose of GIMPS/PrimeNet is to optimize this search by > assigning exponents in an orderly fashion. And one of those optimizations is to reduce as much as possible the unnecessary duplication of work. > I'm not advocating poaching since I feel that Scott/George's system > works fine. But I am saying that if someone wants to poach exponents, > while I might disagree, there's nothing really wrong with it. > > Stealing someone's plants is illegal. Nobody owns these exponents so > there's nothing to steal. That's my only point. Rude, yes. > Morally/ethically/legally there's really no problem with doing it. Legally perhaps not (however, they are using PrimeNet in a way that violates the stated terms of usage), morally and ethically I do think (and I suspect most people would think) it is wrong. Not terribly surprising that you don't think it is, I suppose. _________________________________________________________________________ Unsubscribe & list info -- http://www.ndatech.com/mersenne/signup.htm Mersenne Prime FAQ -- http://www.tasam.com/~lrwiman/FAQ-mers
