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Subject: Re: I'm being too harsh, but still

Author: Bruce Moreland

Date: 13:17:31 12/18/02

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On December 18, 2002 at 15:55:58, Omid David Tabibi wrote:

>Std R=2 is shown to be stronger than std R=3 (see Heinz '99). I don't have to
>prove it again. This is how scientific research is conducted. If you disagree
>with Heinz' paper, then publish your counterclaims; but as long as you haven't,
>his work can be considered accurate, and a source for future work to be based
>upon.
>
>Taking your line of thought, one can continue the criticism, saying why Gamma,
>Marginal Forward Pruning, or Razoring were not compared to Null-Move Pruning.
>
>This is the basic of scientific research, you don't have to re-prove something
>others have already proved. Anyone who has ever engaged in scientific research,
>should know that.

All of this "science" relies on similarities between chess programs whose
sources in many cases are not even made public.  You can't assume that anything
will produce the same results in your program that it does in other programs.

If we were all working on the same program, in order to find the *one* change
that makes it better, of course what you are saying is true.

We have a bunch of blind men sharing tips with each other about how to avoid
tripping over furniture in their own houses.  Each house has a similar
floorplan, but is not identical.  Sometimes one blind man will say to the
others, "If I take three steps into my bedroom, I will trip over the bed."

The other blind men have to derive what they can from this, but they can't
assume that if they take two steps into their bedroom that they won't trip over
their bed, or if they take three steps that they will.  The bed might be in a
different spot.

The only way to do "real" science here is to figure out *why* R=3 cannot beat
R=2, *ever*, and write a paper on *that*.  But this kind of root cause thing is
probably beyond all of us.

Until someone does that, everyone has to do their own test, because to do
otherwise is to stagnate.

bruce



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