SETI@home is transitioning to BOINC. Last month I mentioned BOINC and how you could run several projects with one client. SETI’s client was getting a little long in the tooth, and BOINC lets new calculations be done on the data without totally rewriting the client. I think part of the reason they switched is that SETI@home is losing it’s appeal. By switching to something that can run multiple projects, SETI@home increases the chances that people will stick with SETI, even if they also run another project.
I’m still running the old command line version on the iMac, but I installed BOINC on the PC. It can can in the background and can kick in when the user is idle, I have it set to start working after I’m idle for 10 minutes. It seems to work okay, although I’m not sure how the credit system works.
If you have any doubt that searching for ET life is a nearly impossible task, check out this page on the famous Fermi Paradox. Fermi’s paradox serves as a reality check for the Drake Equation.