Can someone please explaion "folding" to me?

[Tim Drake]

I constantly see people saying, "you should fold it" or "should I fold this?"

 

I am still quite new to this stuff and have NO clue what it means and no one will answer me.

[Rheinwasser]

http://folding.stanford.edu/

read this.

[Tim Drake]

http://folding.stanford.edu/

read this.

 

So is it like an unpaid charity version of Bitcoin mining?

[Rheinwasser]

So is it like an unpaid charity version of Bitcoin mining?

yes, basically.

it's for a good cause so it doesnt need to be paid.

[Tim Drake]

yes, basically.

it's for a good cause so it doesnt need to be paid.

 

Yeah, it's not a bad thing I was just trying to understand. It's for a good cause and whoever thought of this is an absolute genius.

[tobben]

Yeah, it's not a bad thing I was just trying to understand. It's for a good cause and whoever thought of this is an absolute genius.

Distributed computing is cool, but just to be clear.

 

When you mine you are running algorithms with

the purpose of giving security to the currency,

aka being unable to replicate them/making them

unique,  thus giving them some value.

@RuecanOnRails @AK0490  can probably elaborate.

 

When you do boinc or folding you are doing

calculations for research, be it churning through 

some real world data, doing simulations, solving

mathematical problems, or whatever else it may be.

 

I just love the fact that we can participate, as little

as it may be, it's still awesome.