Create a user-friendly Windows installer

[worldpeaceenginelabs]

Hi there.

My Cloud Atlas project will be using Bloomz, and I plan to incentivize all of my future users to run Petals on their machines.

But the first entry is not flawless, even i have problems finding the right configuration that does not crash.

Suggestion: An EXE file in your release section

• Prompt to choose between the different LMs
• The user will then be prompted to select the options typically set in the Docker Compose file, with brief explanations provided. (pretty much your FAQ as interactive prompt)
• The prompt will then generate a Docker Compose file, display a summary of the selected options, and ask the user if they want to execute the file. They can choose 'Yes' or 'No'."

Even cooler version
UI, and download and setup of docker and wsl2 included 😍

Why

We shouldn't underestimate the challenges that non-IT persons may face when installing or configuring software, but they make up the majority of users and cannot be ignored.

Although this solution doesn't solve the issue I'm experiencing, it does make it easier for non-technical users to install and run Petals on their machines.

This will even help us provide support to non-IT users in case of issues AFTER the exe installation process.
(configuration based issues which we now can communicate even to a non-IT person, which just hits the options into the prompt)

By using this approach, we can lower the barrier of entry and encourage more people to use Petals, ultimately contributing to the project's growth.

If the instructions are easy enough for non-IT people to follow, I promise the exe will reward you with more Petals. I have also spoken with some friends who are interested in incentivizing their users to install Petals too. It would be great if someone could develop this exe, as it would be a win-win situation and a great accelerator for Petals.

Thanks again for this awesome piece of Star Trek technology 🔥🙏🔥

[justheuristic]

Hi! (and thanks for a detailed suggestion)

Since it may be some time before we address this in more detail, here's a summary:

1. You are right to point out that Petals is (currently) hard to use on Windows - and for non-IT people in general
2. The features you requested would indeed help with both problems (non-IT and windows), but
3. these features would require a lot of work to implement, so, unfortunately, it will likely take a while until we implement them ourselves.

In the meantime, if you're willing to help implement some of this functionality as a pull-request -- or as your own project based on petals -- we'd appreciate the help.

[worldpeaceenginelabs]

Thank you for considering my suggestion. While I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the implementation of these features, I'm afraid I don't have the time resources to take on this project at this time.

I do hope that with the support of your community, you can find someone who is willing and able to make these improvements to Petals. I also wanted to mention that your call for volunteers or contributors in your Discord server or other community channels may have a stronger effect than if I were to ask. As a member of your community, you have more influence and credibility in attracting others to your cause.

It's possible that other members of your community may be interested in taking on this project or know someone who is.

If someone could create only the JS command line interface, I am able to convert that into an Electron executable with a visual setup guide, complete with screenshots and explanations. (i have that 1-2 hours available)

[makeasnek]

The Science Commons Initiative (a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to reconnecting the public with science) has placed a new $200 Bounty to make a windows installer for Petals. We hope this new installer will make it easier for new users to contribute their computational resources to the network and engage in the AI research it is furthering. The bounty amount will increase at random times and intervals until it is claimed. If you would like to contribute to this bounty (or want to claim it) see the link for more information. You can donate directly to the bounty with crypto, or donate to SCI with crypto, credit/debit card, or paypal. TheSCInitiative/bounties#16