Motivations of cybervolunteers in an applied distributed computing environment: MalariaControl.

net as an example
By Viola Krebs, all rights reserved

Abstract
Research laboratories and scientific modeling projects often lack computing power to run complex simulation models solely with in-house computing resources !ne form of volunteer computing" uses an interface called the B!#$% software platform that allows hundreds of thousands of volunteers worldwide to participate in projects such as &'(#)home and *alaria%ontrol net, searching for extraterrestrial intelligence or contributing to research linked to malaria control (hese volunteers are effectively acting as cybervolunteers, meaning volunteers who, in part or entirely, use a computer or the #nternet for their volunteer activity+ ,e conducted a study on the motivations of *alaria%ontrol net and B!#$% cybervolunteers -re volunteers only donating %./0 power or are they making other contributions1 ,hy do they participate in projects such as *alaria%ontrol net1 (he aim of this paper is to present results obtained, formulate useful conclusions from them, and identify patterns in the motivations of volunteers that may be useful to other distributed computing projects, in particular, and the understanding of cybervolunteerism, in general Volunteers living in 23 countries participated in our en4uiry ,e found that a majority of them indicated either solidarity and5or a cause as their main deciding factor for getting involved (his trend was stronger for *alaria%ontrol net than for general B!#$% volunteers Volunteers remained involved if they felt useful (he study clearly suggests that the recognition of cybervolunteers is important6 volunteers invest their time in a project without financial compensation, but not for free (he paper also summari7es technical and communication suggestions made by volunteers with regards to *alaria%ontrol net and B!#$%

Key Words
Volunteer computing, distributed computing, cybervolunteers, MalariaControl.net, volunteer motivations.

Introduction
Scientific modeling projects and research laboratories often struggle to obtain the required computing power to run complex simulation models. Volunteer computing can be a solution if in house computing resources are not sufficient to address the challenge. Volunteer computing is defined as a type of distributed computing through which volunteers donate their
! #

See "ntroduction. $ote that we will further elaborate this point in the section on the Current State of %esearch. & Central 'rocessing (nit.

computers) idle time* +such as processing power and storage, to one or more scientific projects.- "n this way, projects are able to tap into the enormous processing power of thousands of individual computers around the world. Currently, the most commonly used middleware. system for such shared computing efforts is an open source platform called /0"$C, the /er1eley 0pen "nfrastructure for $etwor1 Computing.2 "nitially developed to support S34"5home, searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, the /0"$C software platform is, at present, used by a range of other distributed applications in areas as diverse as mathematics, medicine, molecular biology, climatology, and astrophysics.6 "n #77-, a volunteer computing project called 8frica5home was launched by the 3uropean 0rgani9ation for $uclear %esearch +C3%$,, the (niversity of :eneva, the Swiss 4ropical "nstitute +S4",, "CVolunteers, and #nformaticiens sans fronti8res +"S;,.< 4his project has enabled the Swiss 4ropical "nstitute to use /0"$C and create the =MalariaControl.net= platform in order to harness sufficient computing power for its simulation model that aims to study the epidemiology of malaria. Simulation models of the transmission dynamics and health effects of malaria are an important tool for the control of the parasite that is responsible for close to one million deaths a year.!7

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"n computer science, the time during which a piece of hardware in good operating condition is unused. S8%M3$48 >ouis ;.:., ?/ayanihan@ Aeb /ased Volunteer Computing (sing Bava.C "n ,orldwide computing and its applications, ,,%-9:;, 4su1uba, Bapan, !<<6. Ae argue that the term ?Volunteer computingC could also be used for other forms of volunteer involvement online. Dowever, given that volunteer computing is a very new field, the term is currently mostly used to refer to distributed computing efforts. . "n a distributed computing system, middleware is defined as the software layer that lies between the operating system and the applications on each site of the system. 4he software consists of a set of services that allow multiple processes, running on one or more machines, to interact. %ef. Era1owia1, Sacha, ,hat9s middleware1 0bjectAeb.org. %etrieved #77- 7- 7.. 2 See http@FFboinc.ber1eley.eduF for more details. 6 8s a Gquasi supercomputingG platform, /0"$C has about -6.,777 active computers +hosts, worldwide processing on average #.2 peta;>0'S as of $ovember #77<, which tops the processing power of the current fastest supercomputer system +"/M %oadrunner, with a sustained processing rate of !.7#. ';>0'S,. < See@ http@FFwww.cern.chH http@FFwww.unige.chH http@FFwww.sti.chH http@FFwww.icvolunteers.orgH http@FFwww.isfswb.org. !7 Dalf of the world=s population is at ris1 of malaria. 4here were an estimated #*2 million cases in #77., causing nearly one million deaths, mostly among children in sub Saharan 8frica. %ef.@ Aorld Dealth 0rgani9ation, ,orld *alaria Report +<<;, :eneva, #776. 4he advent of long lasting insecticidal nets and artemisinin based combination therapy, plus a revival of support for indoor residual spraying of insecticide, presents a new opportunity for large scale malaria control. %ef. %oss et al. *odelling the 'pidemiological #mpact of #ntermittent .reventive (reatment against *alaria in #nfants, #776. www.plosone.orgFarticleFinfo@doiF!7.!&2!Fjournal.pone.777#..!

4o donate computing power to this particular project, volunteers may simply download a screen saver from a public website, MalariaControl.net. Currently, MalariaControl.net has about !7,777 active users +&2,77# registered, from !<6 countries. 4his corresponds to !-,777 active computers and !2,777 C'( years to date. 8s of writing, S4" has been able to obtain !-,767.*< :iga;>0'S!! +!-.767 4era;>0'S,!# of calculation performance. Aithout MalariaControl.net, it would have ta1en S4" &77 years to obtain the same computing power with the *7 machines available in house at S4". Ae wanted to learn what motivates the thousands of volunteers worldwide who participate in projects such as 8frica5home and MalariaControl.net.!& Ahat pushes volunteers to contribute to research through the "nternetI 8re they only donating C'( power or are they ma1ing other contributionsI Ahat is their social and professional bac1groundI Ahat can ma1e it more interesting for these cybervolunteersI Can we apply what we learn from this study to other distributed computing projects, in particular, and cybervolunteerism, in generalI 4hese are some of the questions we were trying to answer.

Current State of Research

Study of motivations Mira /elen1iy et al.!* loo1 at the different strategies a central authority can use to distribute computation to entrusted contractors in the context of distributed volunteer computing projects such as S34"5home. 4hey discuss the lin1 between motivation and trust building in the relation between the project and the volunteer. 8ndrew :illette!- examines the motivations of /0"$C users from an economic perspective. De loo1s at the /0"$C community framewor1 and its potential as a scalable mar1et model and finds that /0"$C participants get involved because they believe it is a good cause.
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"n computing, ;>0'S +or flops or flopFs, is an acronym meaning ;>oating point 0perations 'er Second. 4he ;>0'S is a measure of a computer=s performance, especially in the field of scientific calculations that ma1e heavy use of floating point calculations, similar to the older, simpler, instructions per second. !# http@FFwww.allprojectstats.comFpo.phpIproje1tJ& !& http@FFafrica at home.web.cern.ch F http@FFmalariacontrol.net !* /3>3$E"K Mira, CD8S3 Melissa, and 3rway Chris. #ncentivi7ing !utsourced %omputation, /rown (niversity 4echnical %eport CS 76 7-, presented at Seattle, (S8, #776. http@FFwww.cs.brown.eduFLcceFpapersFoutsourcing netecon76 tr.pdf,http@FFwww.pub9one.orgFpagesFpublicationsFshow'ublication.doHjsessionidJ<<*2-32.<.C.**&8/668-. C<-//M*<C/IdeleteformJtrueNsearchJvenueNposJ6Npublication"dJ-<!!67 !:">>3443 8ndrew. ?4he "nvisible Dand and Didden Mar1ets of the /0"$C Community 'latform@ 8n 3conomic 'erspective.C 'aper presented at the *th 'an :alactic /0"$C Aor1shop, :renoble, ;rance, September !!O!#, #776.

&

8ccording to :illette, participation is not entirely dependent on speciali9ation of 1nowledgeH general interests are sufficient. De points out that most people want to be involved in changing the world in a positive fashion. 0n a more theoretical level, the literature on human motivations differentiates between those that are intrinsic +the activity is valued for its own sa1e, and those that are extrinsic +providing indirect rewards for doing the tas1 at hand, +8mabile,!. ;rey,!2 %yan and Meci!6,. 8ccording to %yan and Meci,!< ?"ntrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather than for some separable consequence. Ahen intrinsically motivated, a person is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external prods, pressures or rewards.C 3xtrinsic motivations, on the other hand, provide an external incentive@ people change their actions because they are induced to do so by an external intervention +;rey#7,. >erner and 4irole +#77##!, propose a rational calculus of cost and benefit in explaining why programmers choose to participate in ;reeF0pen Source Software +;F0SS, projects. 4hey argue that as long as the benefits exceed the costs, the programmer is expected to contribute. >erner and 4irole suggest that the net benefit of participation correspond to immediate and delayed compensations. 8s von Dippel## shows, ;F0SS participants may receive payment +immediate, or develop software they need +delayed,. Earim >a1hani and %obert :. %.Aolf#& report on the results of a study regarding the effort and motivations of individuals in contributing to the creation of ;reeF0pen Source Software. ;or their study, they used a web based survey, sent to .6* software developers in #62 ;F0SS projects, to learn what lies behind the effort put into such projects. 4hey found that
!. !2

8M8/">3 4eresa M. %reativity in %ontext. Aestview 'ress, /oulder, C0, !<<.. ;%3K /runo. $ot =ust for the *oney6 an 'conomic (heory of .ersonal *otivation. 3dward 3lgar 'ublishing Company, /roo1field, V4, !<<2. !6 %K8$ %ichard M., and M3C" 3dward >. ?"ntrinsic and 3xtrinsic Motivations@ Classic Mefinitions and $ew Mirections.C %ontemporary 'ducational .sychology #-, #777, pp.-* .2. !< "bid p.-.. #7 ;%3K /runo. $ot =ust for the *oney6 an 'conomic (heory of .ersonal *otivation. 3dward 3lgar 'ublishing Company, /roo1field, V4, !<<2. #! >3%$3% Bosh and 4"%0>3 Bean. ?Some Simple 3conomics of 0pen Source.C =ournal of #ndustrial 'conomics -7 +#,, #77#, pp.!<2 #&*. ## Von D"''3> 3ric. (he &ources of #nnovation. 0xford (niversity 'ress, $ew Kor1, $K, !<66. #& >8ED8$" Earim and A0>; %obert :. %. ?Ahy Dac1ers Mo Ahat 4hey Mo@ (nderstanding Motivation and 3ffort in ;reeF0pen Source Software 'rojects.C "n ;3>>3% B., ;"4P:3%8>M /., D"SS8M S. and >8ED8$" E. +3ds.,, .erspectives on >ree and !pen &ource &oftware, M"4 'ress, #77-. http@FFfreesoftware.mit.eduFpapersFla1haniwolf.pdf

enjoyment based intrinsic motivation O namely how creative a person feels when wor1ing on the project O is the strongest and most pervasive driver for volunteers developing ;F0SS. 4hey also found that ;F0SS volunteers consider as important the need for intellectual stimulation derived from writing code and the possibility to improve programming s1ills. Technology-related volunteering Manuel 8cevedo and Viola Erebs define volunteerism related to "nformation and Communication 4echnologies +"C4, as all activities performed by volunteers who aim to promote the use of digital technologies +#77&#*,. "smael 'eQa >Rpe9 +#77-#-, distinguishes four terms for volunteerism related to "C4@ !, online volunteering, #, virtual volunteering, &, "C4 volunteering, and *, cybervolunteering. De defines as an online volunteer someone who volunteers through the "nternet and is physically located elsewhere than the beneficiaries of his or her actions. 'eQa refers to the definition proposed by 3llis and Cravens +#777#., to describe a virtual volunteer who is carrying out ?tas1s completed, in whole or in part, via the "nternet and a home or wor1 computerC. 8ccording to 'eQa, an "C4 volunteer is a person who is wor1ing to foster the implementation and use of "C4s. De or she may install hardware, software or carry out "C4 training programs. 'eQa points out that in order to be an "C4 volunteer there is no need to be online. "n his research, he treats the term ?cybervolunteerC as synonymous with ?online volunteeringC. De notes, however, that the term is sometimes used to describe activities broader than pure online volunteering, and more in line with the definition of the "C4 volunteer. ;or this paper, we consider that a cybervolunteer is someone who may volunteer online but may also carry out offline activities that are related to information and communication technologies. Ae define a cybervolunteer as a person who entirely or partially uses a computer or the "nternet to carry out his or her volunteer wor1 and has a direct interest in information technologies and their development.
#*

E%3/S Viola. ?Volunteers@ 8n 3ssential /uilding /loc1 for a Society of Shared Enowledge.C "n (he ,orld &ummit on the #nformation &ociety6 *oving from the .ast into the >uture, preface Eofi 8nnan, ed. ($ "C4 4as1 ;orce, $ew Kor1, #77-, pp.!<! !<2. 8C3V3M0 Manuel. ?"ntroduction, Volunteering and "C4s@ 3stablishing the ;ramewor1 for 8ction.C ,orld &ummit on the #nformation &ociety Volunteer >amily Report. "CVolontaires.org, :enSve, Suisse, #77*. http@FFissuu.comFcybervolunteersFdocsFwsisTvolunteeringTreport #>U'3P "smael 'eQa. '-?earning for @evelopment6 a *odel, (0C Moctorate on the "nformation Society %esearch, "C4logy Aor1ing 'aper Series V!, #77-. #. 3>>"S Susan B. and C%8V3$S Bayne. (he Virtual Volunteering Auidebook, "mpact 0nline, 'alo 8lto, #777.

Methodology
4o conduct this study, we developed a standardi9ed questionnaire. "ts initial version was refined based on the contributions of researchers from /0"$C, the Swiss 4ropical "nstitute and C3%$, during an 8sia5home wor1shop in 4aipei in May #77<.#2 0nce finali9ed, the questionnaire was posted through the internal message system of MalariaControl.net. Ae adapted it for an identical study among general /0"$C users +not specific to MalariaControl.net,. 8 lin1 to this second questionnaire was posted in the news section of the /0"$C website. ;or the question related to individual motivations, we used the classifications obtained through a study of the motivations provided by the !7,777 volunteers involved in "CVolunteers.org,#6 an international non profit organi9ation that coordinates a networ1 of cybervolunteers +4able !,. Ae distinguished the individual motivations by whether they can be considered intrinsic or extrinsic. ;or the MalariaControl.netF/0"$C study, we as1ed respondents to rate the motivations on a scale of ! +not important at all, to - +very important,. Ae loo1ed both at absolute and average results.
Table 1: Respondents were asked to rate motivations on a scale of " to B .ossible ratings were6 $ot important at all C"DE $ot so important C+DE *oderately important C0DE #mportant CFDE Very important CBD Extrinsic/Intrinsic 3 3 3 3 3 3 " " " " Motivation 4o acquire professional experience 4o get to 1now people and build a personal networ1 4o learn and acquire new s1ills 4o share 1nowledge acquired over the years 4o 1eep involved@ wanting to remain involved after retirement Credits@#< to obtain credits as a sign of contribution Solidarity@ wanting to give to a community and human beings in need Cause@ getting involved for a particular cause 'ersonal reasons@ because of past experience, friends involved, personal satisfaction, enjoyment Self expression and empowerment@ to have an opportunity to interact, express ideas

! # & * . 2 6 < !7

#2 #6

http@FFevent.twgrid.orgFisgc#77<FasiaathomeF 4hese motivations were given at the moment of their registration with the organi9ation. #< 4his is an online listing that shows the most important contributors of computing time for /0"$C. 4his listing contains information specific to each project.

Results
Demographics Ae received a total of !,-7- answers, !,7<2 to the MalariaControl.net enquiry and *76 to the general /0"$C questionnaire. MalariaControl.net respondents indicated that they resided in .& countries, with -.W in 3urope and &&W in $orth 8merica. 0nly .W reported that they lived in 8sia 'acific, *W in South 8merica, and !W in 8frica. 8mong the top ten countries of residency were the following@ (nited States, (nited Eingdom, ;rance, :ermany, Spain, Canada, 8ustralia, "taly, the $etherlands, and /elgium +;ig. !a,. %espondents to the general /0"$C questionnaire indicated that they resided in *< countries, with **W in 3urope and **W in $orth 8merica. 2W reported living in 8sia 'acific, followed by &W for South 8merica, and #W for 8frica. 4he top countries of residency were in this case@ the (nited States, which obtained &2.-W of all responses, followed by the (nited Eingdom, :ermany, Canada, ;rance, 8ustralia, "taly, Spain, 4he $etherlands, and Menmar1 +;ig. !b,. 4he great majority of respondents to both questionnaires were between #7 and -7 years old. ;or MalariaControl.net, &*.2W indicated that they were #7 to &- years old and *7.-W fell into the category of &. to -7 years old. *!.<W of general /0"$C study respondents indicated that they were #7 to &. years old, and &7.*W said they were &. to -7 years old +;ig. #,. More very young respondents answered the general /0"$C questionnaire, corresponding to 2.*W of all respondents, compared to only !.6W for MalariaControl.net users. !<.2W of MalariaControl.net users were -! to .- years old, compared to !..#W for general /0"$C respondents.

8mong the respondents of the two surveys, there were !#.#W women and 62.6W men +$J.<&, +;ig. &,. Most of the MalariaControl.net respondents were "4 professionals +software and hardware engineers, networ1 administrators, system analysts, web designers, and "4 helpdes1 staff,, university students, and teachers and professors in "4. Some also came from the medical field, where they wor1ed as doctors and researchers. 0thers wor1ed as journalists, photographers, designers, architects, ban1ers, and attorneys.&7 8 majority of respondents to the general /0"$C study also indicated that they were "4 professionals, students, and teachers. ;ewer respondents said they had a medical bac1ground and more had non technical jobs, such as drivers +taxi, truc1,. 4here were a number of respondents who indicated that they were in the (S 8rmy, others were housewives and people with disability +some of them indicated that they were not able to wor1,. Ket others had a bac1ground in bioinformatics, law, and translation. Xuite a few indicated that they were retired.&! Motivations Concerning motivation, solidarity ran1ed by far the highest in importance for MalariaControl.net respondents with an average score of *.*- out of - +;ig. *a,. "nvolvement in a cause came second, with &.2#, followed by personal reasons with an average of #.2&, and their credit rating with #.7& +$J!,7<2,. %espondents indicated that professional experience, networ1ing, learning, and 1nowledge sharing were not as important as reasons for their involvement. 4hey gave average ratings ranging from !.&2 to # for these motivations. 4his
&7

8cademic +Student, 'rofessor, %esearcher, Statistician,H 8dministrative +8ccountant, ;inancial 8dministrator, Chartered 8ccountant,H 8eronautical 3ngineerH 8rchitectH 8ttorneyH ;inance +/an1er,H /usiness ConsultantH ChemistH Civil ServantH Communications +Bournalist, :raphic Mesigner, ;ilmma1er, Ariter, 'hotographer, %adio 8nnouncer,H MisabledH 3conomistH 3ngineer +4elecommunications 3ngineer, Software 3ngineer,H :eologistH Mechanical Mesign 3ngineerH "4 +Computer 'rogrammer, Software Meveloper, Matabase 8dministrator, "4 Support Delpdes1 3mployee, Aeb Mesigner, $etwor1 8dministrator, Systems 8nalyst,H Medical +Medical 'ersonnel, Med 4ech, Medical Scientist, Medical Moctor, Medical 4ranscriptionist, /ioinformatics Specialist,H $:0 employeeH %etiredH Sales ManagerH 4rainerH 4ruc1 MriverH (nemployed. &! 8cademic +Student, %esearch 8ssistant, 4eacher, >ecturer,H 8dministrative +>egal Secretary,H 8gricultural 8dvisorH 8nalytical ChemistF"C4 ManagerH /ioinformatics SpecialistH /usiness +/usiness 8nalyst, /usiness Manager,H Civil ServantH Communications +'hotographer, Media Specialist,H Misabled +unable to wor1,H Mriver +4axi, 4ruc1,H 3ngineer +Dardware 3ngineer, 3ngineering Student, Mechanical and ;ield 4est 3ngineer,H 'hysicistH ;inance +;inance /ro1er,H ;oreman in the Chemical "ndustryH DousewifeH "4 +'rogrammer, Aeb Meveloper, Software 3ngineer, $etwor1 Manager, Computer Consultant, %etired "4 'rofessional, H >ifeguardH Medical 'hysicistH >ab 4echnicianH %etiredH Social Aor1erH 4eacher +3S> 4eacher,H 4ranslatorH (S 8rmy SoldierH Volunteer Coordinator.

differs somewhat from trends identified for other types of cybervolunteerism, where extrinsic motivations ran1ed quite high. :eneral /0"$C respondents also valued solidarity highest, with an average score of *.! +$J*76,. Dowever, the rating obtained for solidarity was slightly lower than for MalariaControl.net respondents. "n contrast, respondents gave a higher ran1ing to a cause +*.7!, and personal reasons +&.*.,, as well as credits +#.-*,, and self expression and empowerment +#.-!,. >earning and acquiring new s1ills obtained #.76 and #.7* respectively +;ig. *b,. 4he vast majority of volunteers +6#.<W, indicated that they remained involved in MalariaControl.net and /0"$C out of personal satisfaction. !&.2W were motivated by gaining a good credit rating and ..2W indicated that the learning experience was important. !<.6W mentioned other reasons, in particular their desire to help fight malaria +;ig. -,. ;rom the comments made by !<.6W of respondents, it appears that an important factor was feeling useful and proactive. "ndeed, when as1ed why respondents decided to remain involved in MalariaControl.net, many of them mentioned their own efforts to promote the project and /0"$C more generally spea1ing +4able #,.
Table 2: *ain types of comments made by +"3 volunteers on why they remained involved, $ G ",<:3 Promotion +of MalariaControl.net in particular and /0"$C in general, Technical support 'romote the project at wor1, among friends, through /0"$C groups, in ;orums, on 4witter, through >in1ed"n, in conferences, on other websites Send promotional emails, tal1 about it to clients and doctors 'resent MalariaControl.net to other /0"$C members 'rovide technical expertise in MalariaControl.net forums Delp out others with problems Set up /0"$C with MalariaControl.net on some friends) and family members) computers Arite one version of the /0"$C scheduler Mevelop a new screensaver Miscuss with students lessons learned and teach them how to ma1e use of distributed computing for their malaria studies and models Collaborate with professionals, through my computer and my time /e able to contribute grain of sand to the development of solutions to fight disease /e useful in my humble position Contribute to a worthy endeavor 'articipate in translation of documents into ;renchH provide user support in this language :et involved in an easy volunteer activity

Development of new modules

Personal satisfaction

Good cause Translation and technical support in French Ease

<

Volunteer

ctivities

8ll but three of the !,-7- respondents were involved by sharing the C'( power of their computer+s, with MalariaControl.net and other /0"$C projects. 8 small percentage of respondents were, in addition, involved in teaching, presenting results at conferences and providing technical expertise. &.-W of MalariaControl.net respondents mention that they participated in the promotion of /0"$C, by contributing to technical forums, helping friends install /0"$C and posting information about MalariaControl.net on different websites, such as their own andFor on social networ1ing sites, including ;aceboo1 and 4witter +$J!,7<2, +;ig. .,. 0n average, more respondents to the /0"$C general enquiry indicated that they provided technical expertise +<.&W, and were teaching +-.*W,. &.2W said they were presenting projects at conferences and *.&W had participated in the organi9ation of events +$J*76,. *2.<W of responding Malariacontrol.net volunteers were sharing # to - computers. *#.6W were providing one computer only. 4he remaining <.&W offered . or more computers, but only &.*W provided more than !! machines +;ig. 2a,. -#..W of general /0"$C respondents were sharing # to - computers. #..<W were providing only one computer. 4he remaining <.&W offered . or more computers, but only &.*W shared more than !! +;ig. 2b,. !se of Technology and "ifestyle 6-..W of all respondents indicated that they used Microsoft Aindows. 0f these, --W were exclusive Microsoft Aindows users, whereas !<.<W used >inux and ..2W used 8ppleFMacintosh in addition. &*.*W of all respondents indicated that they were using multiple platforms, for example >inux for some applications and Microsoft Aindows for others. 0f the #2.2W >inux users, only # reported using this platform exclusively. 0f the !*.*W 8ppleFMacintosh users, *.*W also used >inux. &.&W of the respondents used all three platforms +;ig. 6 and 4able &,. 2*W of all respondents +$J!!!&, provided an answer to the optional question regarding the average monthly expenses for means of communication +"nternet and mobile phone,. &<.-W of the respondents indicated that they spent between (SY-! and (SY!77 per month for communications, &#..W spent (SY!! to (SY-7, whereas !<.#W spent between (SY!7! and (SY#77 monthly. *.2W spent between (SY#7! and (SY*77 +;ig. <,.

!7

Close to -7W of all respondents +$J2&#, shared information on how much money they used on average for total monthly expenses. &&.&W of the respondents indicated that they spent between (SY#,777 and (SY-,777. #..#W indicated wor1ing with (SY!,777 to (SY#,777, !6.&W with (SY-7! to (SY!,777. !!..W said they had less than (SY-77 per month. ..2W had between (SY-,77! and (SY!7,777 and &.&W over (SY!7,777 +;ig. !7,. Comparing results obtained in ;ig. < and ;ig. !7, we can see that the MalariaControl.net and /0"$C volunteers who answered our questionnaire tended to spend !7W to #7W of their monthly budget on "4 and mobile phone communications. #abits and bac$ground of MalariaControl.net volunteers 4he vast majority of MalariaControl.net volunteers +6&.&W, reported that they learned about MalariaControl.net through the /0"$C portal +;ig. !!,. Many of the MalariaControl.net volunteers stated that they were involved in multiple volunteer computing projects. 'opular ones were the Aorld Community :rid, Seti5home, 8/C5home, Moc1ing5home, >hc5Dome, Magnetism5Dome, Mil1yway5home, 'oem5home, /oincsimap, XMC5home, 3nigma5home, ;olding5home, ;reehal5home, 8qua5home, XMC5home, %alph5home, Spinhenge5home, 3instein5home, %osetta5home, Climatpredition.net, XC$ 8lpha, and 's&:rid.&# %roposed &mprovements Ahen as1ed about sources of dissatisfaction with MalariaControl.net andFor /0"$C, many of the volunteers stated that they were happy with the system. 4hose who did indicate some amount of dissatisfaction mentioned that they did not feel sufficient orientation and feedbac1 was provided, e.g. not enough progress reports, clear mention of scientific objectives, etc. 0ne major complaint for MalariaControl.net was the fact that some volunteers were not able to get as many wor1 units as they would have li1ed. "n other words, the volunteers) eagerness to contribute computing power and obtain a good credit rating was hampered by the fact that, once the level of power required was attained, volunteers were put on hold. 4hey mentioned a feeling of frustration, as they had wished to continue giving +e.g. they were a long time without wor1,. 8lso mentioned was the lac1 of visibility of personal performance levels and
&#

See 8ppendix for extended list.

!!

ran1ing, and the lac1 of a function to invite friends. 0thers pointed out that the 8frica5home website should explain in easy words what the project was all about and where to find actions to be more activeZ ;or some, the screensaver was not attractive enough and thought it could be improved by bright colours and explanations of what it represented. Some also mentioned technical issues@ occasional computer slowdowns, system errors and computer crashes. 8bout &7W of all participants suggested ideas for technical improvements. Ae have classified them into !! categories and summari9ed the main ideas below +full list in 8ppendix #,@ 1) oftware and Interface Improvements! %espondents provided suggestions regarding the user friendliness of the interface. 4hey pointed out that the software should not be platform dependent. ;urther, wor1 units ought to be adaptable in si9e. %espondents felt that the stability of the system was very important and automatic updates useful. 0ne suggested that one single user account should be valid for all projects. 8nother user underlined that the system should be able to manage multiprocessing. ") #ardware Improvements! Volunteers suggested that research related to hardware should be encouraged. Some of them also felt that partnerships with the private sector would help improve the computer performance +e.g. cooling system, and allow improvements in the server capacity for individual projects, such as S34"5home. $) %ther Technical u&&estions! 0ne volunteer suggested that placeholders should be created for stopped projects. Some felt that an improved infrastructure was needed in order to avoid delays of downloading wor1 units. Some suggested that it would be very useful to have a C'( power donation control to avoid overheating a donating computer. Several respondents mentioned questions around credits and credit policies, which ought to be valid for all projects. 8ccording to some, only significant updates should be made, providing true improvements to the platform. 0ne screen saver per project would help to provide more incentives for sharing C'( power. ') %verview and tatistics! Centrali9ed status reports posted on one website would be helpful. 4hese should include progress reports and more graphics.

!#

() Trainin& and Education! Several respondents pointed out that provision of training and education about /0"$C seemed very important. )) *etter +ommunications a,out what is &oin& on *ehind the cenes! Many volunteers felt that more news and information would be beneficial. Such information might include details about remaining time and updates about research. %espondents suggested that regular email news flashes would be useful. 0ne user also mentioned multiple languages@ not all users and potential users have mastered 3nglish. 4herefore, it would be useful to translate project and platform related information into multiple languages. Several respondents underlined that it was important to communicate the cause behind the projects +e.g. cure for cancer, fight against malaria, etc,. -) Increased .wareness! Many respondents underlined the importance of awareness raising around /0"$C. 4hey stressed that the public at large needed to 1now more about the technology and about the fact that it would not compromise security. /) 0ewards! %espondents also underlined that it was important to provide tangible rewards. Several respondents felt that there was a need to create a fun environment for volunteers with games and more interaction between the client and the server. 0ne user suggested that tax reductions would be a good incentive. 8nother mentioned awards or pri9es. 1) %nline +ommunit2! Some volunteers would li1e to see more of an online community spirit. 13) Improved 4ser Manuals and Documentation! Several respondents mentioned the importance of documentation and suggested that it could be improved. ;unding could help finance such improvements. 11) Promotion! 8 number of survey participants stressed that publicity among the public at large was needed. 4hey also suggested that governments, schools, universities, $:0s and businesses should get more involved.

Discussion
*ain motivations of *alaria%ontrol net users6 solidarity and a cause !&

"t is interesting to note that many of the cybervolunteers involved in MalariaControl.net had strong social interests and indicated that the main determining factor for getting involved was either solidarity andFor a cause. Many saw MalariaControl.net as a useful means in the fight against malaria. ;or the majority of MalariaControl.net respondents, volunteer computing appeared thus to be more than just a computer widget or game. /0"$C general respondents gave higher mar1s to personal motivations and learning than MalariaControl.net respondents. 4hey indicated a broader range of bac1grounds, but still seemed driven by the idea of doing something useful. Volunteer computing as a concrete form of digital solidarity 8nother interesting trend related to demographics@ given that 6<W of all respondents indicated they lived in 3urope or $orth 8merica, we can see that volunteer computing is a technology put to use a great deal in 3nglish&& in so called developed countries, all, with the exception of 8ustralia, in the $orthern Demisphere. 4his contrasts with the fact that MalariaControl.net helps research efforts for a disease that hits tropical and developing countries in the Southern Demisphere. 8s such, it is possible to qualify the MalariaControl.net application as some 1ind of digital solidarity, where not only computing resources are distributed, but where giving is so too. #ndividual volunteerism rather than corporate volunteering :iven that over <7W of respondents provided ! to - computers, we can conclude that the majority of MalariaControl.net contributors were individuals or small businesses rather than big corporations or laboratories +;ig. 2,. 4he results suggest that, for the moment, security concerns limit the number of big corporations involved. -mount of effort vs personal satisfaction %esponses clearly indicate that volunteer computing is seen as an easy way to ma1e a difference. 4hey further show that feedbac1 and communication with volunteers are very important for volunteer computing projects. "t would thus be false to assume that volunteers give and do not expect anything bac1. Ahile the reciprocation is not monetary, volunteer computing is nonetheless based on an exchange. 4his exchange needs to be ac1nowledged and valued. $ew forms of recognition could be developed to respond to this need.
&&

$ote that a ;rench spea1ing /0"$C community, for example, does exist, but that many projects remain exclusively in 3nglish.

!*

*alaria%ontrol net5B!#$% cybervolunteers seem to value hands-on activities ;urther, volunteers seemed to li1e hands on involvement. 4hus, when as1ed why they remained involved, many of the respondents commented on their efforts to promote MalariaControl.net. 4his indicates that some appreciated the chance to contribute without significant effort on their part, while others sought an opportunity to be more proactive.

!-

%hange of demographics with improved application 0ur study also shows that the great majority of /0"$C volunteers are men studying or wor1ing in the field of "4. "t appears that the demographics of volunteers involved may evolve as installing applications becomes easier.

Conclusions
4here is something to be said for user friendly applications@ it should be easy, even for a non "4 savvy person, to install /0"$C. Ahile /0"$C runs reasonably well, it could attract more participants with technical improvements. 4hese would include ma1ing it easier to change priority, personali9e the screen, and understand the project. Communication is critical to motivate volunteers. 4hey get involved without financial compensation, but not for free. "nstead, they want to feel recogni9ed and ac1nowledged. 8s pointed out by several respondents, volunteers may need occasional ?feel goodC messages to 1eep from feeling that their donations are ta1en for granted. 4hey want to see how much they contributed and what results were obtained than1s to their involvement. Communication with volunteers could be improved through newsletters, orientation, as well as progress and feedbac1 reports. "t appears that volunteer computing projects ought to always include a social component. "ndeed, cybervolunteers want to be connected with volunteers who are already involved, as well as potential future volunteers. "t would thus be a good idea to create tools to improve communication with and among volunteers. /0"$C seems to still be a relatively closed online community. 'ublicity would help to attract more people to the various projects if needed. ;or this promotion, it appears useful to first start with "C4 communities +e.g. engineering schools, and "C4 industry and consultants associations, and then expand it to a wider public. /ased on our findings, we recommend /0"$C projects clearly state and emphasi9e their cause. 4his will help attract volunteers. >ast but not least, it is worth mentioning that in #772, Mr. Mavid 8nderson, creator of /0"$C, launched two new software projects@ /ossa +middleware for volunteer thin1ing,, and !.

/olt +a framewor1 for web based training and education in the context of volunteer computing and volunteer thin1ing,.&* 8 new wave of projects for online 1nowledge sharing ta1es the idea of participative science to a higher level. 8s ;ran[ois :rey +#77<&-, reports, a popular example is the project :alaxyPoo, for which volunteers are as1ed to classify images of galaxies from the Sloan Migital S1y Survey as either elliptical or spiral. "n a matter of months, some !77,777 volunteers classified more than one million galaxies via a simple web interface. Ahile only few of the respondents to our survey appeared to be involved in these new forms of online participation, the latter clearly seem to constitute a great potential for future research and online volunteering. Aith this study, we have seen one 1ind of cybervolunteering. Many others do exist to which the question of motivation also applies. "f we extrapolate our findings, we can conclude that the lin1 between incentive, recognition and reward is of utmost importance.

Acknowledgments
Ae would li1e to than1 those who provided input into this study, in particular $icolas Maire of the Swiss 4ropical "nstitute, Mavid 8nderson of /0"$C, ;ran[ois :rey of C3%$, Christian 'ellegrini of the (niversity of :eneva and Koshi1o Eurisa1i of "CVolunteers. Special than1s also go to Sarah Aebborn and %andy Schmieder for the reviews and editorial suggestions.

&*

;or more information see http@FFboinc.ber1eley.eduFtracFwi1iF/ossa"ntro and http@FFboinc.ber1eley.eduFtracFwi1iF/olt"ntro. &:%3K ;ran[ois. ?Viewpoint@ 4he 8ge of Citi9en Cyberscience.C "n %ern %ourier, 8pril #<, #77<. http@FFcerncourier.comFcwsFarticleFcernF&62!6

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Bibliogra hy
%ublications 8M8/">3 4eresa M. %reativity in context Aestview 'ress, /oulder, C0, !<<.. /3>3$E"K Mira, CD8S3 Melissa and 3%A8K Chris. ?"ncentivi9ing 0utsourced Computation.C Brown /niversity (echnical Report CS 76 7-, presented at Seattle, (S8, #776. http@FFwww.cs.brown.eduFLcceFpapersFoutsourcing netecon76 tr.pdf ;%3K /runo. $ot =ust for the *oney6 an 'conomic (heory of .ersonal *otivation . 3dward 3lgar 'ublishing Company, /roo1field, V4, !<<2. E%3/S Viola. ?Volunteers@ an 3ssential /uilding /loc1 for a Society of Shared Enowledge.C "n (he ,orld &ummit on the #nformation &ociety6 *oving from the .ast into the >uture, preface Eofi 8nnan, ed. ($ "C4 4as1 ;orce, $ew Kor1, #77-, pp.!<! !<2. >3%$3% Bosh and 4"%0>3 Bean. ?Some Simple 3conomics of 0pen Source.C =ournal of #ndustrial 'conomics -7 +#,, #77#, pp.!<2 #&*. >8ED8$" Earim and A0>; %obert :. %. ?Ahy Dac1ers Mo Ahat 4hey Mo@ (nderstanding Motivation and 3ffort in ;reeF0pen Source Software 'rojects.C "n ;3>>3% B., ;"4P:3%8>M /., D"SS8M S. and >8ED8$" E. %. +3ds.,, .erspectives on >ree and !pen &ource &oftware, M"4 'ress, #77-. http@FFfreesoftware.mit.eduFpapersFla1haniwolf.pdf M8"%3 $icolas. ?(sing Volunteer Computing to Simulate the 3pidemiology and Control of Malaria@ malariacontrol.net.C "n@ @istributed H Arid %omputing I &cience *ade (ransparent for 'veryone. 'rinciples, 8pplications and Supporting Communities. 3d. Aeber, M.D.A. %echen1raft.net, Marburg, #776. %K8$ %ichard M. and M3C" 3dward >. ?"ntrinsic and 3xtrinsic Motivations@ Classic Mefinitions and $ew Mirections.C "n %ontemporary 'ducational .sychology #-, #777, pp.-* .2. S8%M3$48 >ouis ;.:. ?/ayanihan@ Aeb /ased Volunteer Computing (sing Bava.C "n ,orldwide computing and its applications, ,,%-9:;, 4su1uba, Bapan, !<<6. SM"4D 4homas, M8"%3 $icolas, %0SS 8., 48$$3% M. ?8 'latform for Stochastic Modeling of Malaria 3pidemiology and Control.C "n .roceedings of the ""th #nternational %ongress of .arasitology, #77., pp.!6< !<&. Von D"''3> 3ric. (he &ources of #nnovation. 0xford (niversity 'ress, $ew Kor1, $K, !<66. ?Volunteering and "C4s@ 3stablishing the framewor1 for action.C ,orld &ummit on the #nformation &ociety, Volunteer >amily Report. "CVolunteers.org, :eneva, #77*. http@FFissuu.comFcybervolunteersFdocsFwsisTvolunteeringTreport

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 Aorld Dealth 0rgani9ation, ,orld *alaria Report +<<;, :eneva, #776. 'ral %resentations (selection) 8M08E0 'eter, 8''0%8 3loi, E8>>" Siham. ?Cybervolunteering@ a Millennium Solution for Mevelopment by Koung 8fricans.C 8t the :lobal 8lliance for "C4 and Mevelopment Kouth ;orum, September #-, #772, :eneva, Swit9erland. :">>3443 8ndrew. ?4he "nvisible Dand and Didden Mar1ets of the /0"$C Community 'latform@ an 3conomic 'erspective.C *th 'an :alactic /0"$C Aor1shop, :renoble, ;rance, September !!O!#, #776. :%3K ;ran[ois. ?Viewpoint@ 4he 8ge of Citi9en Cyberscience.C Cern Courier, 8pril #<, #77<. http@FFcerncourier.comFcwsFarticleFcernF&62!6 E%3/S Viola. ?;rom 8frica5home to 8sia5home@ "nnovation and 'erspectives.C :lobal Enowledge 'artnership, :E&, Euala >umpur, Malaysia, Mecember #776. E%3/S Viola. ?Cyberspace between ;iction, 'erception and %eality@ the 3xample of the Volunteer Movement 0nline.C Communication 'olicies and Culture in 3urope, 3uropean Communication %esearch and 3ducation 8ssociation +3C%38,, /arcelona, #776. M8"%3 $icolas. ?Stochastic Simulation of Malaria 3pidemiology and Control.C (S:3/ #772, /asel, March #772. M8"%3 $icolas. ?Volunteer Computing for Modeling Malaria Mynamics.C S4" %esearch Symposium, /asel, Mecember #77.. M8"%3 $icolas. ?MalariaControl.net@ /ac1ground, Status, 0utloo1.C #nd 'an :alactic /0"$C Aor1shop, September #77.. '3>>3:%"$" Christian. ?"nternet and $ew 4ools for Medical Calculations@ 4owards Shared Migital %esources.C 4owards :lobal 8ccess to Dealth, :eneva, 8ugust &7O September !, #77.. '3>>3:%"$$" Christian. ?8frica5home@ plateforme de calcul b\n\vole pour des applications biom\dicales.C !#Smes Bourn\es ;rancophones d="nformatique M\dicale O B;"M#772, /ama1o +Mali,, Banuary !!O!#, #772. '3>>3:%"$" Christian. ?>a Suissafrique@ partenariats scientifique et acad\mique, 8frica5home@ un projet de calcul volontaire pour l)8frique.C September !*, #772. '3>>3:%"$" Christian, :%3K ;ran[ois, E%3/S Viola, 8M08E0 'eter, 8''0%8 3loi, E8>>" Siham. ?"C4s for 8frica@ 3ducation, %esearch, Volunteerism applied to 8griculture and Dealth.C :eneva, Swit9erland, September #!, #772. M8"%3 $icolas. ?Dands on /0"$C.C 'resentation at Mo Son 8C:%"M School, one day tutorial on /0"$C including presentation of latest 8frica5home results, Danoi, Vietnam, $ovember -, #772.

!<

 S3:8> /en. ?Volunteer Computing for 8frica.C 4he /ioinfogrid Symposium #772, >"48, Milan, "taly, Mecember !!, #772. S3:8> /en. ?8frica5home@ Volunteer Computing for Dealth.C Dealth:rid #772, :eneva, Swit9erland, 8pril #*O#2, #772. A">S0$ Bay. ?8frica5home@ Volunteer Management on a Mistance /asis.C 8ssociation for %esearch on $on profit 0rgani9ations and Voluntary 8ction +8%$0V8,, 8tlanta, (S8, $ovember !2, #772. %ress Coverage (selection) 8 complete 'ress %elease 4raining for 4rainers on Volunteer Computing for 8frica http@FFwi1i.aims.ac.9aFmediawi1iFindex.phpF'ressT%elease@T4rainingTofT4rainersTonTVol unteerTComputingTforT8frica ?Spreading the >oad.C "n (he 'conomist (echnology Juarterly, Mecember ., #772. 0nline $ews of the 8sia5home wor1shop held in 4aipei in 8pril #77<. http@FFevent.twgrid.orgFisgc#77<FasiaathomeFwi1iFindex.phpFMainT'age

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endi!

ppendix *: +igures and Tables

Malariacontol.net - Countries of ,esidency of Volunteers
South America 4% Africa 1%

-'&.C - Countries of ,esidency of Volunteers

Asia Pacific 7% Africa 2% South America 3% North America 44%

Asia Pacific 6%

North Amercia 33%

Europe 56%

Europe 44%

>igure " aD

>igure " bD

Figure 1: %ountries of Residency of Volunteers who participated in the survey aD >or the *alaria%ontrol net survey, $ G ",<:3E bD >or the general B!#$% survey, $ G F<; (he vast majority of participants in both surveys reside in 'urope and $orth -merica

>igure + aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure + bD6 B!#$%

Figure 2: -ge of volunteers who participated in the study aD >or the *alaria%ontrol net survey, $ G ",<:3E bD >or the general B!#$% survey, $ G F<;

#!

!omen: 12 2%

"omen men

Men: 87 8%

Figure 3: Aender of the *alaria%ontrol net and the B!#$% respondents, $ G 2;0

>igure F aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure F bD6 B!#$%

Figure 4: Respondents were asked to rate on a scale of " Cnot important at allD to B Cvery importantD *alaria%ontrol net respondents rated solidarity by far the highest with an average score of F FB out of B Aeneral B!#$% respondents also ranked solidarity highest, with F ", followed by a cause with 0 3+ and F <" respectively

>igure B aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

##

>igure B bD6 B!#$% Figure 5: Reasons for cybervolunteers to remain involved in *alaria%ontrol net, aD *alaria%ontrol net, $ G ",<:3 bD Aeneral B!#$% study, $ G F<;

>igure 2 aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure 2 bD6 B!#$%

Figure 6: -ll but 0 C",B<BD respondents are involved by sharing the %./ power of their computerCsD with *alaria%ontrol net and other B!#$% projects - small percentage of respondents are in addition involved in teaching, presenting results at conference and providing of technical expertise !n average, more respondents of the B!#$% general en4uiry indicated that they were involved in providing technical expertise C: 0KD and teaching CB FKD 0 3K said they were presenting projects at conferences and participated in the organi7ation of events CF 0D, $ G F<; 0 BK of *alaria%ontrol net respondents mention that they participate in the promotion of B!#$%, by contributing to technical forums, helping friends install B!#$% and posting information about *alaria%ontrol net on different websites, such as their own and5or on social networking sites, including >acebook and (witter, $ G ",<:3

#&

>igure 3 aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure 3 bD6 B!#$%

Figure 7: F3 :K of responding *alaria%ontrol net volunteers were sharing + to B computers F+ ;K were providing " computer only (he remaining : 0K offer 2 and more computers, but only 0 FK go above "" (his means that most of the contributors to *alaria%ontrol net are individuals or small businesses rather than big corporations or labs, $ G ",<:3 B+ 2K of general B!#$% respondents were sharing + to B computers +2 :K were providing only " computer "" :K provided 2 to "< computers, while the remaining ; 2K "" computers or more, $ G F<;

>igure ; aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure ; bD6 B!#$%

Figure 8: ;B 2K of all respondents are using *icrosoft ,indows +3 3K indicate using ?inux and "F FK -pple5*acintosh ,e can thus see that *icrosoft ,indows is the most used, but also that some users are using multiple platforms, for example ?inux for some applications and *icrosoft ,indows for others, $ G ",<:3 :0 2K of all respondents are using *icrosoft ,indows 0" "K indicate using ?inux and "< BK -pple5*acintosh Both the *alaria%ontrol net and the B!#$% general study indicate that *icrosoft ,indows is the most used platform, $ G F<;

Table 3: BBK of all respondents are only using *icrosoft ,indows ": :K use *icrosoft and ?inux, followed by : ;K who are exclusive *acintosh 5 -pple users 2 3K of all respondents indicated that they were using *acintosh5-pple and *icrosoft ,indows (hey were followed by users of *acintosh5-pple and ?inux CF FKD

#*

and users who use all three platforms C0 0KD -ccording to the responses obtained, only + people used ?inux exclusively, $ G ",<:3
Platform Used N Platform s 1 1 1 2 2 2 N of Users: MC 611 108 38 206 62 36 36 1"0 ! %: MC N of Users: BOINC 218 34 16 1#8 14 3 14 408 1,505 %: BOINC

Microsoft Windows Macintosh / Apple Linux Microsoft Windows and Linux Macintosh / Apple and Microsoft Windows Macintosh / Apple and Linux

56 10 3 1 6 3 3 100%

54 8 4 2! 3 1 3 100%

Macintosh / Apple" Microsoft Windows and 3 Linux #otal indi$idual studies &rand #otal

)*er &S'4## &S'2#1(4## &S'1#1(2## &S'51(1## &S'11(5# %ess than &S'1#

# 3% 4 7% 1$ 2% 3$ 5% 32 6% 3 7% ## 5# 1# # 15 # 2# # 25 # 3# # 35 # 4# # 45 #

Figure 9: 3FK of all respondents answered this 4uestion, which was optional, regarding their average monthly expenses for means of communication C#nternet and mobile phoneD #t appears that 0: BK of the respondents spend between /&LB" and /&L"<< per month for communications, 0+ 2K spend /&L"" to /&LB<, whereas ": +K spend between /&L"<" and /&L+<< monthly F 3K spend between /&L+<" and /&LF<<, and < 0K of all respondents have expenditures that exceed /&LF<<, $ G """0

)*er &S'1#+### &S'5+##1(1#+### &S'2+##1(5+### &S'1+##1(2+### &S'5#1(1+### %ess than &S'5## ##

3 8% 6 7% 33 3% 26 2% 18 3% 11 6% 5# 1# # 15 # 2# # 25 # 3# # 35 #

#-

Figure 10: F:K of all respondents answered this 4uestion, which was optional, regarding their average monthly expenses, $ G 30+

>igure "" aD6 *alaria%ontrol net

>igure "" bD6 B!#$%

Figure 11: *eans of communication through which volunteers learned about the project, aD *alaria%ontrol net, $ G ",<:3 bD B!#$%, $ G F<;

ppendix /: Suggestions for improvements %espondents made a range of suggestions. Ae have classified them into !# categories and summari9ed the main suggestions. 15 oftware and Interface Improvements /ser-friendly6 "mprove software in such a way that it is easier to install, configure and use, with a more user friendly interface, usable by ?ordinaryC users. %ompatible6 Ma1e the software platform independent and compatible with any operating system +0S,, as well as different video cards. ,ork units6 'rovide wor1 units that can adapt depending on the si9e of the machine. Smaller pac1ets should be provided as an option in order to enable faster completion of individual tas1s. &tability6 "mprove stability although it is not too badZ -dapt to the computer6 Ma1e sure that the computer is not slowed down because of too much %8M usage +automatic leveling of the amount of processing power used depending on the processor=s capacity and temperature +especially important for noteboo1 computers,. -utomatic updates6 3nable /0"$C to automatically updateH non proficient users never chec1 for newer versions. !ne account, multiple projects6 'rovide one account that gives the user the option to run as many projects as he would li1e +selection of projects from a list,, rather than individual accounts for each project. *ultiprocessing6 /0"$C should handle multiprocessing. "5 #ardware Improvements #.

'ncourage research6 3ncourage research around hardware to resolve issues related to it +e.g. graphics card and processing unit compatibility, cooling system, etc.,. &erver6 "mprove the capacity of the servers running /0"$C applications. %ollaborations with hardware manufacturers6 Convince manufacturers of processors +e.g. "ntel, 8MM, and noteboo1s to design proper cooling systems that actually wor1.

$5 %ther Technical u&&estions #mproved infrastructure6 'rocure more funding for the infrastructure of the systems. S34"5home, for example, seems to be maxing out its bandwidth, causing delays in downloading new wor1 units and uploading completed ones. .laceholder6 Create placeholders for stopped programs, so that users can pic1 up where they left off. %./ power donation control6 'rovide more control over how the computer is being used in order to not run the C'( over a certain temperature. :ive the option to provide -7W rather than !77W. %redit policy6 'ut in place ?credit policeC to ma1e sure that no project is grabbing the power from the others by granting too high credits. $o small updates6 Stop small upgrades that are buggy and do not seem to improve anything. "nform about the difference between the old and new version. #mproved user platform6 Create an improved end customer platform +graphics, options,. &creen savers6 'rovide screen savers for each of the projects. Better sharing of participants6 /etter sharing of participant computers between the projects. "f a project can use video cards to speed things up, use only compatible computers for these projects. A./ computation suspension6 :'( computation should be suspended when a game is started, many people would just uninstall /0"$C if it impairs their computer usage. #nteraction with client and server6 "f " am downloading an !6 M/ database file, why not 1eep that file on the hard drive and 1eep accessing it, instead of re downloading the whole thing. ?inking6 >in1 the projects with the users through the manager right away instead of having them go through all the separate sections and sites. 'fficiency vs reliability6 Ahen a project such as climate 'rediction ta1es thousands of hours to complete " get a little nervous that it won=t be able to upload and " will have wasted all that computing. :ambling days or even wee1s of computing is less scary than gambling months of computing. '5 %verview and tatistics &tatus report6 (pdate a centrali9ed status report website from all projects, which should include not just statistics but also progress reports for individual projects. *ore graphics6 /etter integration of statistics into the /0"$C client. (5 Trainin& and Education #mportance of education6 3ducation is also critical, especially with so many people paranoid of viruses and so many more that have never heard of this 1ind of project. )5 More information a,out what is &oin& on ,ehind the scenes *ore news6 " want more news of what)s going on behind the scenes and what the results have produced in a format that)s understandable for the layman. #2

#nfo about remaining time6 Some of the projects don=t estimate time remaining very well. ;or a while, " 1new to divide the estimated remaining time by & to get a better estimate of actual remaining time. 8nd if " can divide by three, so can the programmerZ /pdates6 Send emails every month to 1eep me informed on new projects, or on projects " do not 1now about. #nformation and feedback6 4ell people about the research that comes of it. /etter feedbac1F1nowledge of what was being achieved. Mo the individual results outweigh their impact on climate change +i.e. carbon dioxide from electricity generation,I (ranslation6 :iving some model of ?speechC, in different languages, to forward to contactsFschools. (he cause6 'ublici9e widely supported ideals behind the projects +i.e. finding a cure for cancer, to attract non technical users.

-5 0aisin& awareness Aet new users6 Contact universitiesFschools and as1 them to contribute to scientific research by running /0"$C as a bac1ground tas1 when their lab computers are idle and unused for any other purpose. 4hat alone would give /0"$C thousands more cores. Raise awareness about the system6 Show people that volunteer computing does not compromise security of >ocal 8rea $etwor1s in professionalFbusiness environment. *arketing6 /etter mar1eting, projects that can have a more immediate impact on society, especially in third world economies.

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/5 0ewards (angible rewards6 'rovide some sort of tangible reward. $ot necessarily cash +that would be nice,, but maybe stuff donated by someone +corporate entities or a philanthropist, with deep poc1ets. 0r perhaps credit for higher education tuition. Bring more fun for volunteers6 Create game running in the bac1ground. (ax reduction6 4ax credit for the energy we donateZ &ome pri7e incentives6 'rovide incentives for volunteers +e.g. pri9es, awards, money or lottery tic1ets,. Variable scoring6 Some projects may need to offer more credit to attract more volunteers. #mportance of credits6 %emember volunteers are not being paid or compensated for any of their wor1 O so what is the harm in letting them have a credit raceI 15 Ma6e it a communit2 %ommunity spirit6 Ma1e it more of a community by bringing developers closer to end users in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the issues that arise during implementation. 8 faster release cycle and simpler access to optimi9ed binaries on a variety of platforms would also be highly welcome among those who donate C'( cycles. 135 *etter user manuals and documentation !ffer written documentation6 Show some messages +news, as part of the /ionic wor1 screen to show how this is contributing to life on earth. Dave there been tangible benefits from the use of C'( time versus electrical costs of running each of the projects. >unding for projects and documentation@ /etter funding and project documentationFscience from project leaders. 115 Promotion .ublicity6 8dvertise much more about. 'rovide more information to a broader public. ,ord to *outh6 :et governments, schools, universities, $:0s and other organi9ations etc. to promote volunteer computing. 3ven private businesses could run it on their office computers and maybe advertise their involvement on their products. /ntapped computer power lies in universities and schools6 8 vast amount of untapped computer power lies in universities and high schools. ]My high school alone has over &77 computers, and " believe it is a fair assumption that universities have even more. Dowever, when browsing through profiles and groups, you rarely see schools.) ?ink to /% Berkeley6 8dvertise that the project is based at (C /er1eley.

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ppendix 0: "ist of other 1home pro2ects mentioned by volunteers 8/C5home, 8lmeregrid, 8'S5home, 8qua5home, 8rtificial "ntelligence System, /C>5Dome, /0"$C 8lpha 4est, /0"$C Simap, /0"$C test, /%84S5Dome, Cels5Dome, Cosmology5Dome, Moc1ing5Dome, 3nigma5home, ;olding5home, ;reehal5home, :enetic >ife, Dydrogen5Dome, "bercivis, >eiden Classical, >hc5Dome, Magnetism5Dome, Mil1yway5home, Mindmodeling, $queens5home project, 0rbit5home, 'oem5home, 'redictor5home, 'rime :rid, 'roteins, Xah5home, XMC5home, %alph5home, %amsey, %ectilinear Crossing $umber, %ieselsieve5home, %$M, Satisfaction, S34"5Dome /eta 4est, Search :ra9, SD8 !x, Sheti, S"M8', Spinhenge5home, Sudo1u, Superlin1, Superlin1attechnion, SP48E" Mes1top :rid, 4he >attice 'roject, (fluids, (D Second Computing, Virtual 'rairie, Vtu, Aanless#, Acg5home, Koyo5home.

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