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Subject: Re: A "New" Idea for Adaptive Programs

Author: Martin Giepmans

Date: 16:46:59 12/23/02

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On December 23, 2002 at 19:11:10, Uri Blass wrote:

>On December 23, 2002 at 15:25:06, Martin Giepmans wrote:
>
>>On December 23, 2002 at 14:57:02, Bob Durrett wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Not being up-to-speed on reading programming journals in all languages, I am not
>>>sure that the following idea is original.  But I will "take my chances" in the
>>>hope of not being Zapped too badly if it is not original.  : )
>>>
>>>I am interested in adaptive programs, especially as the theory applies to chess
>>>engines.
>>>
>>>The basic concept is to produce a program that will change itself "in a big
>>>way," as the environment or problems being solved change.  This
>>>self-modification would take place several or many times in as short a time as
>>>an hour.
>>>
>>>Still trying to stay general: How to do this?
>>>
>>>One way, impractical for sure, would be to have a single overall program which
>>>was a package consisting of many specific programs.  As the environment or other
>>>factors changed, the program would be stimulated to jump from the current
>>>specific program to the more appropriate one, with the necessary data
>>>transferred to the new specific program.  This sort of jump could occur often
>>>and many times as the need dictated.
>>>
>>>Perhaps a more practical approach might be to have a single program with many
>>>parameters that could be set or reset quickly.  In this scenario, the stimuli
>>>would result in calling of a "reconfigure" program.  This program would then,
>>>very quickly, reset the parameters of the main program.  In this way, the main
>>>program would, in effect, be a new program.
>>>
>>>A more generalized version of the latter approach would be for the "reconfigure"
>>>program to VERY QUICKLY make extensive modifications to the main program.
>>>
>>>Are these ideas any good?
>>>
>>>If they are, are they currently in use in existing chess engines?
>>>
>>>If not, does this sound like a possible improvement for the future?
>>>
>>>What is your "gut feel" in this matter?
>>>
>>>Bob D.
>>
>>I wonder if there is a "real" difference between
>>
>>(a) a program that changes itself (even in a big way)
>>(b) a normal program that has code like "if a then x else if b then y .."
>>
>>Theorem: for every program of type a there is program of type b that behaves
>>exactly the same.
>>(ie no differences in output, although there may be differences in the "black
>>box")
>>
>>True?
>>
>>Martin
>
>No
>
>I assume limited memory and you simply do not have enough memory to write
>a program of type b to give the same output.
>
>Uri

if ... then load module x else if .. then load module y ...
Or is that a program of type (a)?
In the happy(?) days of DOS many "normal" programs did this. It was called
"overlay".

Martin




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