17/05/1999
The SETI@home project was launched. The project has created the equivalent of a giant supercomputer by harnessing the computing power of more than 3 million computers worldwide, using their processors whenever the screensaver comes on, indicating that the computer is idle.
SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Its purpose is to analyze radio signals, searching for signs of extra terrestrial intelligence, and is one of many activities undertaken as part of SETI.
The project employed the BOINC software platform, hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory, at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States.