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Subject: Re: Having Read David Levy's Charges about LIST>>>

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 17:00:10 11/27/03

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On November 27, 2003 at 17:55:19, Bob Durrett wrote:

>On November 27, 2003 at 17:42:58, margolies,marc wrote:
>
>>These are not charges based upon LIST's <<performance>> in a direct
>>way--Although all of LIST's defenders offer counter-proof regarding different
>>performance characteristics between Crafty and LIST.
>>The charge is PLAGIARISM-- lifting of (some)code. The Programmer in question has
>>not responded to the commitee's request for proof with a defense (according to
>>Levy's Report--I have no direct knowledge) therefore the Commitee had to act to
>>protect the legitimacy of the Tournament. Also the commitee's action were a
>>response to a complaint by an (unnamed) tournament participant who has standing
>>to do so.
>
>The "committee" has no legal authority.  Plagiarism is a violation of law, at
>least in some Countries.  The individual suffering damages from plagiarism can
>seek and obtain compensation in a duly constituted Civil Court of Law. The
>"committee" is NOT a Court of Law.  They have no business trying to pretend
>otherwise.  They run risks by their own actions.  They have no authority to
>judge and punish someone for a law violation and they have no authority to
>create their own laws either.  In other words, this "committee" has put itself
>out on a very fragile limb.  Let's just hope that the programmer has a very good
>sense of humor.
>
>Bob D.


I disagree with you here.  The ICCA has _always_ had a requirement that a
program be "unique".  The ACM had the same rule(s).  I _always_ carried a
print-out of Cray Blitz with me to events, as required by the rules.  I was
never accused of copying another program, although such claims happened more
than once and were found to be true.

But here, the venue is a tournament, and the organization hosting the
tournament clearly has the right to stipulate any requirements for participation
that they deem reasonable.  And if any of the requirements are not met, removing
that participant from the event is not unreasonable.  IE take the Olympics.  You
can be banned and have your medal removed for using various types of drugs that
are not illegal to use for a normal person.  But the IOC establishes the rules
and enforces them by limiting participation in their sponsored events.

I'm not taking sides in the debate, as I am debating in a partial vacuum.  I
know Crafty's code front to back.  I've never seen the code for list, have
never looked at its games, nor have I ever played against it on ICC that I am
aware of.  Therefore I know nothing about it, and can draw no conclusion about
its ancestry in the present information vacuum.



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