I was part of GIMPS for a long time until the stack of PCs under my desk at work started producing too much heat, but I still subscribe to this list because I enjoy these sort of discussions. I don't understand much of the maths but I do appreciate the professionalism in the way that these things are talked about and new topics given space. Maybe the person in question has found something new, maybe he hasn't but I still think he deserves to be treated respectfully. After all, there isn't THAT much traffic on this list that off-topic posts are a problem.
Alasdair P.S. The first program I ever wrote was a prime number generator in BASIC on a Commodore PET in 1980, but that's probably off-topic too. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike McCarty Sent: 11 June 2008 20:43 To: The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search list Subject: Re: [Prime] Ultimate Prime Sieve - Sieve of Zakiya (SoZ) Jabari Zakiya wrote: >> Sorry but you don't seem to understand, this stuff is not new to us >> here. Its nice you are finding it for yourself and all but reducing > your >> time from 92 minutes to 7 minutes is insignificant when someone >> already pointed out to you that a regular old LL test runs in a >> fraction of 1 > sec? > > Wew, such attitude........ I hope this one seems more polite and palatable to you. > 1) Don't be too quick to presume what others don't know. Like an > iceberg, the majority exists below the surface. You must probe to > truly know how much there is. Anyone who could reasonably analyze your algorithm, whatever it may be, is already intimately aware of sieveing. > 2) What you may think is interesting/important may not be what is > driving me. Half the time, I'm not sure what MY motives are for doing things, let alone someone else' motives. > 3) If you don't think you have anything to learn, then you have alot > to learn. This is certainly true. However, I don't see where he claimed that he had nothing to learn. However, anyone who is serious about prime testing/hunting in the large numbers searched by GIMPS knows everything necessary about sieveing. It isn't even possible to represent the sieve in a computer in these ranges. Hence, the lack of interest. >> By the way, just because a test is simple and/or easy doesn't mean it >> is > fast. > > Ah, but it doesn't mean that it isn't........... It can't be fast if it can't be run at all, which, I think, is the point. The subject matter here is GIMPS. Since a sieve just isn't feasible in the range GIMPS is exploring, a sieve is actually pretty much off topic. THAT is the reason for lack of interest. It isn't that what you have might not be interesting elsewhere, it just isn't a matter of interest to GIMPS afficionados.[*] I don't mean "of no interest at all", but I mean "when posting here". It's possible that there are many afficionados who would be interested in a variety of topics. I, for example, repair and restore to operation vintage tube (valve) radios. I participate in a couple of mail echoes which are devoted to these subjects. I do not, however, wish to see posts about those topics in this echo. If you got really interested in knitting by hand, and found a way to speed up knitting by hand twofold or threefold over the usual ways, and posted a message about it on an appropriate forum, you'd probably generate a lot of interest. If you posted it here, you'd find a lack of interest. Not because your discovery was not noteworthy, but because the people who collect here have a common interest in large primes, not knitting, though you might find one or two who have some interest in it. Likewise, since a sieve is an inappropriate method for searching for large primes, you find a corresponding lack of interest. That is not a comment on the noteworthiness of your discovery, but rather on its topicality in this mail echo. It's not much more on topic than a post about hand knitting. If you can find a list, echo, newsgroup, or web forum which has as its topic of interest speeding up algorithms for finding small primes, or just algorithmic analysis, or something like that, and posted there, you would likely find more interest. In the meantime, it seems to me that you are simply posting off topic. The moderator will make any decisions, of course. [*] Now, if you found a way to represent a sieve on a computer which would work in the ranges GIMPS explores, that WOULD be ground breaking news interesting to people here, simply because no one has ever figured out how to do such a thing. However, that doesn't seem to be what you claim. The interest might be somewhat fading, however, unless the speed could also compete with currently used techniques, which seems unlikely. Mike -- p="p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);} Oppose globalization and One World Governments like the UN. This message made from 100% recycled bits. You have found the bank of Larn. I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you. I speak only for myself, and I am unanimous in that! _______________________________________________ Prime mailing list [email protected] http://hogranch.com/mailman/listinfo/prime T-Mobile (UK) Limited Company Registered Number: 02382161 Registered Office Address: Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW Registered in England and Wales NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER This email (including attachments) is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, notify the sender immediately, delete this email from your system and do not disclose or use for any purpose. _______________________________________________ Prime mailing list [email protected] http://hogranch.com/mailman/listinfo/prime
