Because of the huge number of PCs in the world, volunteer computing can (and does) supply more computing power to science than does any other type of computing. This computing power enables scientific research that could not be done otherwise.
This advantage will increase over time, because the laws of economics dictate that consumer electronics (PCs and game consoles) will advance faster than more specialized products, and that there will simply be more of them.
Volunteer computing power can’t be bought; it must be earned. A research project that has limited funding but large public appeal (such as SETI@home) can get huge computing power. In contrast, traditional supercomputers are extremely expensive, and are available only for applications that can afford them (for example, nuclear weapon design and espionage).
Volunteer computing encourages public interest in science, and provides the public with voice in determining the directions of scientific research.
Come to think of it, isn’t true that you’re barely using the full capacity of your computer’s horsepower? You conduct a performance test only to find out that the fraction of your computer’s full capacity and capabilities that you use on your average e-life could be delivered by an another computer costing less than what’s on the price tag of your machine?
Simply put, you’re not using your computer to its full capacity, hence its full monetary value. That’s your hard earned-money idling away inside a metal box with a lease to be on the “latest model†shelf for barely three years.
Worry not too much. For there is hope in turning this investment into something worth every centavo you’ve sweated and toiled over for it.
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