Cosm (software)

{{Short description|Family of open distributed computing software and protocols}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Cosm

| logo =

| author = Adam Beberg

| developer = Mithral Inc.

| released = 1995

| programming language = C

| operating system = Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Unix-like

| language = English

| genre = Distributed computing

| website = {{URL|www.mithral.com/cosm/}}

| license = Apache License 2.0

}}

Cosm is a family of open distributed computing software and protocols developed in 1995 led by Adam L. Beberg, and later developed by Mithral Inc. Cosm is a registered trademark of Mithral Inc.{{cite web|url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=2734759&caseType=US_REGISTRATION_NO&searchType=statusSearch|title=USPTO registration number 2734759|date=July 8, 2003|publisher=US Patent and Trademark Office}}{{cite web|url=https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/011483286|title=CTM 011483286|date=May 27, 2013|publisher=European Union Intellectual Property Office}}

Early work on Cosm lead to Beberg co-founding distributed.net, which was used for cryptographic and mathematical challenges beginning in 1997.{{cite web | url = https://www.distributed.net/History | title = distributed.net History & Timeline | publisher =distributed.net}}{{cite web | url = https://www.distributed.net/Articles | title = distributed.net Articles of Incorporation | publisher = distributed.net | date = July 2, 1997 |accessdate= October 28, 2016 }} Beberg left the governing group of distributed.net in April 1999 to work on Cosm full-time.{{Cite web |title= A look towards the future |date= April 23, 1999 |author= David McNett |url= http://lists.distributed.net/hypermail/announce/0072.html |work= Distributed.net mailing list |archivedate= October 3, 1999 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/19991003201439/http://lists.distributed.net/hypermail/announce/0072.html |accessdate= October 28, 2016 }}{{Citation |title= Innovators Under 35: Adam Beberg, 25 |year= 1999 |work= MIT Technology Review |url= http://www2.technologyreview.com/tr35/profile.aspx?TRID=474 |accessdate= October 28, 2016 }}

The Cosm Client-Server Software Development Kit (CS-SDK) for building volunteer computing projects, along with experience in gathering volunteers gained from distributed.net, was used as the initial software framework for the Genome@home and Folding@home projects at Stanford University.{{cite web | url = http://folding.stanford.edu/English/About | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130425214422/http://folding.stanford.edu/English/About | archivedate = April 25, 2013 | title = Folding@home - About | work = Folding@home | publisher = Stanford University | accessdate = October 3, 2022}} The project grew to over 400,000 simultaneous machines achieving 8 PFLOPS,{{cite web | url = https://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=20011#p198840 | title = Six Native PetaFLOPS | author = Jesse Victors | work = Folding@home | publisher = phpBB Group | date = November 10, 2011 | accessdate = June 3, 2012}} aiding in protein folding research.{{Cite web |title= Stanford University: Protein Researchers Bring Mac Users into the Fold |publisher= Apple |date= February 2002 |url= https://www.apple.com/science/profiles/stanford/ |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20040404085734/http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/stanford/ |archivedate= April 4, 2004 |accessdate= October 28, 2016 }} The Cosm CS-SDK was also used for the first several years of the eOn project.

Beberg worked towards a Doctorate degree at Stanford from 2004 through 2011, using Cosm for his research.{{Cite web |title= Adam L. Beberg |publisher= Stanford University Computer Science Department |work= Researcher page |url= https://cs.stanford.edu/people/beberg/ |accessdate= October 28, 2016}}