Author: Ed Schröder
Date: 12:51:28 03/19/98
Go up one level in this thread
>Posted by Amir Ban on March 19, 1998 at 08:16:49: >>Adding the AUTO232 code is a one day job. You only have to sent the >>moves played by Ferret to the printer. The supplied NONAME driver >>does the rest. >Ed is talking about the DOS autoplayer. Won't work for you. For your >Win32 program, you need the Windows autoplayer. Ask Chrilly Donninger >for the code. Should be about a week's work of integrating and testing. >I've found one problem that I posted here recently. Otherwise it works >ok. You also need the special cable. >What Ed says is not true even for the DOS autoplayer. What's involved is >not only printing the moves (in some obscure format, including move >numbers and tabs that I never really managed to figure out). You also >need to have the ability for text mode, and then you have to support a >bunch of text-mode commands. All this is documented mostly in German. >Integrating the Windows autoplayer is easier because it just puts out >messages that you can service as you like. Besides it's source code and >part of your program, so you can modify it any way that suits you. >I think Ed doesn't know this because he never had to do this. The >"standard" DOS autoplayer is really a TSR that steals some interrupts, >and it knows about the common commercial programs (Rebel, Genius, Hiarcs >etc.) knows how their UI works, so it maniplates it programmatically. >For other programs there's the hook of the NONAME protocol, which each >must implement on its own. In fact every NONAME interface is a >proprietary non-standard autoplayer (not that there is anything >standard about an autoplayer that knows exactly how the Rebel menus >work). You are right, I forgot about that. My job was easy, just sent the moves to the printer. The rest is done by the driver. >>From my perspective there is no such thing as a standard autoplayer. >There isn't one now, there can't possibly be one, and really there's no >need for one. Obviously Ossie Weiner doesn't really understand what he >is asking for in technical terms. >While there's no standard autoplayer, and this thing is a red herring, >there is a standard autoplayer PROTOCOL, which is something completely >different. Everyone can implement the protocol and then be able to play >with another one using the protocol. This protocol is not very well >documented, but that's a different issue. The implementation of the >protocol is always proprietary and specific to one program. This is >inevitable and not at all suspicious. The proof that someone >implementated the standard correctly is that the protocol works, and >that's all that matters. Where is the information about the protocol? How much (estimated) time to implement? >In regard to Fritz, I have no idea what their autoplayer does, but the >fact that it cooperates successfully with other autoplayers is proof >enough that it is standard AUTO232. If someone feels that things like >sticking to the same color, or saving games is a mandatory part of the >standard, they can easily enforce it on their side of the protocol. I disagree. It should be not allowed that the Fritz autoplayer can rule over other programs. There are at least 2 strong indicators that this happens. I can't accept that. - Ed - >Standards usually evolve out of consensus or by committee, and are a >good thing since they enable independent parties to cooperate. I think >this is a good opportunity to define by committee what the AUTO232 >protocol is, and then no one is obliged to support anything outside what >is defined, and everyone should implement what is defined, or else risk >not being supported. I propose that Chrilly Donninger, who wrote the DOS >autoplayer, will publish his proposal for the standard protocol, >including any extensions he feels are necessary now, and put it up for >debate here. I hope when doing that he will also be speaking for Ossie >Weiner, and that will solve that problem too. >Amir
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.