Author: Tord Romstad
Date: 08:27:13 02/13/04
Go up one level in this thread
On February 13, 2004 at 04:35:13, Uri Blass wrote: >On February 13, 2004 at 02:49:10, Tord Romstad wrote: > >>On February 12, 2004 at 14:37:29, William H Rogers wrote: >> >>>Think about it Bob. If someone came up with a new idea in chess and tested it in >>>their own program, and because of that their program started beating all of >>>their opponents, do you really think that they would give away their secrets? >> >>Yes, I actually think so. In the past, most of the top programmers have kept >>their tricks secret in order to achieve a competitive advantage compared to >>other professionals. I think this is about to change. Most of the new chess >>programmers these days have "grown up" here on the CCC, where ideas, techniques >>and algorithms are discussed every day, and lots of experts patiently answers >>the questions of beginners. We also have access to lots of online tuturials >>and papers, as well as tons of free source code. >> >>If I ever invent some new and revolutionary idea (which is unfortunately >>very unlikely), I will of course share it with the community. Having >>received so much help from others, I would feel ashamed to keep my >>algorithms secret. I am fairly sure that most of the other members of the >>"CCC generation" would say the same. >> > >You can earn money from doing your prorgram commercial if you have something >that is better than the top programs. >I do not think that it is going to change in the near future. I think it will get harder and harder to sell chess programs in the future. Even today, it is hard to justify buying the commercial chess programs. Do you think the difference between (say) Aristarch and Shredder is really significant to the average chess player? As the hardware improves, the difference will grow even less significant. >Why do you think to share something important that you may find with other >programmers when it means that you will not earn money from chess programming? There are many easier and more comfortable ways to earn money. Besides, considering how I learned all this stuff, selling a chess program without explaining its inner workings would be more like stealing money than like earning money. I cannot sell something which is 95% the work of others and 5% the work of myself, unless I contribute something back to the community by explaining the last 5%. At least to me, having a good conscience is much more important than some extra income. Perhaps I'm naive, but I expect that most others who learn chess programming by hanging around here would feel the same. Another important aspect is of course that of personal enjoyment. What fun is there in inventing new ideas if you never discuss them with anyone? Tord
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.