Author: Albert Silver
Date: 17:55:22 11/17/04
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>>>>>>>Chess programs have no exemption. The 80/20 rule for software maintenance has
>>>>>>>been known for decades. If you do not plan for it, then it is an absolute sure
>>>>>>>disaster that will definitely happen.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I know that programmers like Amir Ban have full time job not in chess
>>>>>>programming and I did not see disaster.
>>>>>
>>>>>He wrote his program many years ago. In November 1997, he won the world
>>>>>champion, still as an amateur. If he honestly tells you the hours he has spent
>>>>>on it before then and since then, I am sure that the 80/20 rule applies.
>>>>
>>>>I do not know because I did not ask him but Junior of 1997 was clearly weaker
>>>>than Junior of today and I guess that he spent hours on improving the engine.
>>>>
>>>>I believe that he spent thousands of hours before 1997.
>>>>
>>>>If we assume that he spent 5000 hours before 1997 then to keep the 80:20 he
>>>>needed to spend 20000 hours about mintanence even without improving the engine.
>>>
>>>Maintenance includes improvements (of course). In fact, every act of
>>>maintenance is also an act of improvment, if you think about it. (Bug
>>>corrections, documentation, etc.).
>>>
>>>>20,000 hours in 10 years are more than 5 hours per day and he has full time job
>>>>so he could have no time for improving the engine.
>>>
>>>52 work weeks per year * 5 days per work week * 10 years = 26000 work days.
>>>That figures out to less than one hour per day.
>>
>>I'll save you some time -- it is 2600 days (at 8 hours per day a maximum of
>>20,800 could be spent).
>>
>>So I guess he spent 5000 hours. Which would put development time at 1000 hours.
>>I would be interested to know from Mr. Ban how accurate those figures may be.
>
>1000 hours / 8 hours per day = 125 days
>125 days / 5 days per work week = 25 weeks (about 6 months of full time work to
>write it).
>
>My estimate also would mean that in the last ten years, he would have put in
>four years effort in maintenance.
You might consider asking another long-time chess programmer like Ed Schroder or
even Bob Hyatt. Not that I think they spend time punching cards on maintenance
time as opposed to development time, but still...
Albert
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