Alpha testing: Answers the question "Does it work on our test systems?"
Beta testing: Answers the questions: Does it work on all of the OS and hardware platforms we service ? How long does it take on the various platforms ? Are there special conditions which may need to be met in order to accomplish the tasks in a timely manner(i.e memory, processor, gpu,etc.) ? What unforeseen problems might happen given the project's restraints ?
There are probably other questions also, but these come immediately to mind.
Cheers

This thread is being moved to the Suggestions/Feedback forum.

Thank you,
ErikaT

The team at Harvard had told us that they would at some point send us more challenging work units, which are the ones we've been running more recently. They're the same type of work units as previous runs, except the molecules being analyzed are larger. But while a somewhat higher than normal error rate was to be expected, this work is just as valid to the researchers.

As some volunteers may recall, the Harvard team recently welcomed new members. With this transition in team members comes new approaches - so the research team is looking to switch to a new type of work unit. We are currently testing these new work units, before making the switch.

If we didn't think the researchers were getting value out of the existing type of work units, we would've paused the project until the new ones were ready to be released. But the work currently running on CEP is just as valuable as it has ever been.

Thanks for your continued support.

Thank you for the reply.

I like crunching for WCG but at the same time when something goes wrong it would be nice to communicate to noobs, like myself, what is going on. 30 seconds is all it takes to get an official message out to there to allay fears.

Still think WCG should have a crunchers / science labs code of conduct or a watered down contract page just before the registration page. I suppose it just gives WCG a certain kind of.... authority and authenticity compared to the other Boinc projects currently running.

Example.
'We, WCG and labs promise to do A, B ,C, and not waste the very valuable resource which is your spare computing power.
Although every step is taken to test work units in a beta test fashion sometimes work units might appear to fail due to D, E, or F. DON'T PANIC!! These result still contain very useful information to the projects/labs of your choice.
At the end of the computing part of the project G, H, and or I will happen but the data generated by you is still relevant to and in need by other future WCG projects.

By joining WCG, you the cruncher promise crunch any WU fed to you.'

Thank you for your time and valuable spare computing power from all at WCG and project labs, past, present and future.

Signed WCG. '

Sugar coating science to get people to crunch is all well and good but if you want people to join and stay with WCG then they need to see and feel that WCG is serious about what its present and future goals are in relation to the data produced by the volunteers. What was produced with the data? What part did the data play, and how was it used to make a final product, if something tangible was indeed made using the data.
We live in a capitalist world and unless you show " the goods " as an example then people won't stump up the spare computing power unless you are of a certain age and certain income it seems.

Anyway, take care and thanks for the reply!

You know what's insulting?

Insulting is dumping error prone work units onto the grid causing a loss of machine trust status and validation loops.
Insulting is the grid crunching the same work units over, and over, and over.........
Insulting is the silence of the lab with respect to the issue.
Insulting is not taking 30 seconds to type a message to the crunchers saying they are aware of the issue and will explain what's going on in relation to the Ge WU.
Insulting is taking a resource such the grids computing power for granted.
Insulting is generating an unnecessary workload to crunch when that resource could be used to crunch other projects.
Insulting is just keeping quiet when there is something clearly wrong going on.
Insulting is not having an agreement or safeguards in place to stop something like this from happening in the first place.

WCGs' jhindo took the time to explain what was going on, and I am very grateful for the reply but I had to get what I felt out...... in that super clumsy manner. Sorry. But lets get something straight. No matter how noble the WCG cause is dressed up to be be it water purification, curing kids cancer, solar energy, Zika, AIDS, or ebola. The masses will not help WCG unless there is proof that something that has been crunched on the grid works in the real world. How long has WCG been going? What has it got to show, for all its efforts, to the world? Why waste energy helping when there are no returns on investment. It might seem harsh but unfortunately that's the way this world is. If WCG wants to grow, and expand then it needs to make more of an impact on the world whilst being seen to PROTECT and KEEP INFORMED the most valuable of all its resources.

And do you know what that resource is? That resource is the kindness, and generosity of total strangers. Strangers from all over the world.

That resource is you. And you should NEVER be taken lightly.

I apologise if I have caused you or anyone else any offence.

Happy crunching.