Actually there is almost no potential to hacks and viruses. Ten of thousands of folks are running this program (Folding @ Home) and no one has suffered any negative consequences unless it was user error.
It's really a win only situation. When you aren't using your computer, it just sits there. There is no really such thing is 'stopping' a computer from processing anything. So it idles, kind of like a car, still using up fuel. So why not turn those idle cycles into something productive that could cure a disease?
If you are inclined to make it as least obtrusive as possible, I can even teach someone how to turn it into a service, so once your computer boots up, it works away while you don't even have any evidences it's there (unless you go into your task manager).
BTW: Any one who flames you is a retard. This isn't a thread for attacking others, this is supposed to be a thread to help others.
