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Subject: Re: Features in wb protocol 2

Author: Georg v. Zimmermann

Date: 02:56:35 12/30/01

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This is the reason why I am very happy with Tim Mann having compatibility as #1
goal. The feature way of extending a protocol is the way to go !
I hope that old commands like "white" or "black" will never be abolished, since
I rely on them and I am not interested in changing my protocol implementation,
there are many more interesting things to work on for me :).

Georg


On December 29, 2001 at 19:59:30, José Carlos wrote:

>  I posted this in winboard forum some time ago, but I got zero answers, so I
>think I can try, though it is a winboard question:
>
>[quote]
>
>I've decided to start a new thread about this because I think it is important.
>My question is: what should I do in case the GUI does not support a given
>feature?
>I understand that, if I want my engine to run under any wb protocol 2 compatible
>GUI, I must implement code for both possibilities for any feature, accepted or
>rejected. In the case discussed in the other thread: usermove.
>If I implemented usermove was just to avoid having to parse any command and try
>to guess if it is a legal move. With usermove, I know that the token following
>it, _must_ be a move.
>If I implement the possibility of usermove rejected, then why should I also
>implement usermove accepted?
>As for other features, what am I suppose to do if the GUI rejects it? If I
>support 'setboard' but the GUI doesn't, I simply can't set a board position.
>Nothing I can do about. If I support SAN but the GUI doesn't, either I must
>implement algebraic (in which case, why would I also implement SAN?) or simple I
>can't run under that GUI.
>My point is, if I (chess engine) must implement both possibilities (accepted and
>rejected), then it's easyer to only implement the rejected, and not use SAN or
>usermove.
>The possibility of both GUI and program implementing protocol partially means a
>bunch of compatibility problems, IMO.
>What if a GUI implements a new feature such as handling the book. If I implement
>that feature in Averno:
>- is correct to call Averno wb-proto2 compatible?
>- is that GUI wb-proto2 compatible?
>- why the hell would I implement such a feature if I have to consider the
>possibility that the feature is rejected, and then handle the book myself?
>
>José C.
>
>[end quote]
>
>  The 'usermove' thread mentioned was about Scid, which is supposed to be wb
>protocol 2 compatible, but doesn't support 'usermove' and doesn't even 'reject'
>the feature.
>
>  José C.



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