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Subject: Re: How to Measure [knowledge based vs bean counter

Author: Amir Ban

Date: 10:02:04 11/17/00

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On November 16, 2000 at 15:19:38, Bob Durrett wrote:

>On November 16, 2000 at 12:38:05, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On November 16, 2000 at 12:01:56, Bob Durrett wrote:
>>
>>>On November 16, 2000 at 11:50:29, Bob Durrett wrote:
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>>source code] dedicated to position evaluation, assuming one can find out this
>>>>information.  For example, a program with several lines of code devoted to
>>>>position evaluation might be [perhaps arbitrarily] declared to be "knowledge
>>>>based" whereas one with a few hundred or less might be called "bean counter."
>>>>The problem here is that the source code may not be available.  You would have
>>>>to ask the programmer.  He/she might be willing to answer that question even if
>>>>unwilling to reveal the code itself.
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>Sorry about that.
>>>
>>>I meant to say "several thousand lines of code" yeilds "knowledge based"
>>
>>I disagree with the method of counting the number of lines of the source code.
>>
>>It is possible that one programmer knows to write the same evaluation by less
>>lines of codes so it is possible that 2 programs with exactly the same knowledge
>>will have different number of lines of code.
>>
>>Uri
>
>Yes, that makes sense.
>
>We are faced with the problem of trying to make a determination based on
>inferences rather than direct evidence.
>
>One could simply ask the programmer what his/her intent was.  If the answer were
>to be "I intended for the program to be knowledge based," then we might be
>tempted to declare the program to be "knowledge based."  Similarly if the intent
>were "bean counter."
>
>But, the rest of the chess-playing program programmers might say that the
>programmer failed in his/her intent.
>
>There is also the closely related problem that there does not seem to be any
>universally accepted precise definitions of "knowledge based" and "bean
>counter."
>
>As for the importance of the issue:
>
>If a new programmer decides to make a knowledge based program, maybe simply
>asking for advice from experienced chess-playing program programmers would
>suffice.

You are missing the point that there do not really exist two separate
approaches. The term "bean counter" (as used in this thread, it originally meant
something else) is derogratory. The term "knowledge based" is mostly hype.

Amir





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