If this task, https://www.primegrid.com/result.php?resultid=1156236872, becomes the oldest outgoing WW workunit, even for a short time, I will literally turn back on WWs, even for CPUs. Because with that WW luck (even if it is an odd kind), I’ll find the next special instance!

Cool, when was this WU created? The oldest one was created on December 6th at 20:35:01 UTC. Good luck finding the next special instance if you do have the oldest WU waiting for validation.

It was created 7 Dec 2020 | 18:59:01 UTC, a little over 22 hours after the original. With that short difference, it’s very likely that this WU is the runner-up for longest ongoing task. Here is what makes this (semi) likely:

Both WUs have an in-progress task by the user Cocagne, who seems to have given their computer an extra 1600-1700 WW tasks that it won’t be able to complete before the deadline.

These tasks both expire on December 23 at around 3:47 PM EST for the longest ongoing WU and 4:56 PM for my WU. That gives a little over an hour’s difference between when the tasks will expire.

What can happen in an hour? It took about 10 minutes in both cases for these tasks to be assigned to Cocagne after a previous user timed out, so it would likely take that long again. Then, some fast GPUs can run a WW in well under an hour, so by the time my WU gets a new task the other WU could be complete, likely giving my WU the title of oldest unfinished WU.

Now, this is assuming that both WUs get fast GPU tasks that report the results quickly. If, say, it only happens to my WU, the old WU will still be the oldest unfinished.

All I know is, at ~4 PM on December 23 I’ll be checking constantly for the results!

Does this user also have other tasks likely going unfinished earlier than yours? If so, there could be many similar tasks between the oldest WU and your WU, making it unlikely that yours will be the oldest.

Does this user also have other tasks likely going unfinished earlier than yours? If so, there could be many similar tasks between the oldest WU and your WU, making it unlikely that yours will be the oldest.

Edit: the guy auto aborts his tasks 24 hours before expiration. I didn’t check, but now the new oldest WU is slightly later than mine. And, the other WU finished about an hour before mine since it was aborted earlier.
I’m gonna go reenable WWs now.

Look at the message number.