Author: Albert Silver
Date: 20:24:42 12/03/04
Go up one level in this thread
On December 03, 2004 at 22:41:40, Mark R. Anderson wrote:
>On December 03, 2004 at 22:30:48, Albert Silver wrote:
>
>>On December 03, 2004 at 22:01:16, Mark R. Anderson wrote:
>>
>>>On December 03, 2004 at 18:21:14, Albert Silver wrote:
>>>
>>>>The best copy protection I've seen would have to be for the professional
>>>>backgammon program, Snowie 4. It is a *very* expensive program ($380) and used
>>>>by almost every pro there is, so you can imagine that the demand for piracy
>>>>would be huge. But as far as I know, the piracy must be at a strict minimum,
>>>>since I've only heard of a handful of failed attempts. I'm a legal owner of it,
>>>>and can only say that there are 2 codes, plus a 3rd that is created especially
>>>>for the copy, and it must be activated via the internet or stop working within
>>>>21 days. It may sound very similar to many such protection schemes, but as I
>>>>said, I've been to quite a number of tourney halls and have yet to see even one
>>>>pirated copy.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Albert,
>>>
>>>About Snowie 4 ... I own a registered copy of Snowie 4 Student (the middle
>>>version, $100, equal in all respects, but won't do rollouts). I was a bit
>>>hesitant to upgrade to the Pro version because of the price ($300 for an
>>>upgrade), but I wanted to do rollouts, so I was going to "take the plunge."
>>>*Then*, I ran across GNU Backgammon for Windows, which is a fully-featured
>>>package ... at least an equal player to Snowie (this has been tested by myself
>>>and others ... also, Nack Ballard, #1 in the world, agrees with this), it
>>>performs rollouts, it has a better and easier to use interface, it's easier to
>>>analyze matches, games or sessions, it does many types of rollouts, it has a
>>>much nicer to use and ergonomic GUI, it has a more attractive boards, more
>>>features, etc. The price? $0. That's right ... zero. So, I say, $380 for
>>>Snowie Pro? They've got to be kidding ... no thanks.
>>>
>>>If you don't believe me, the popular "sparring partner" of the pros on one of
>>>the backgammon servers is "GG Raccoon." This is GNU Backgammon 0.14 set on ply
>>>0 (plies 1, 2, 3, and 4 are available and stronger, and rollouts are available
>>>too). GNU on Ply 0 is equivalent to Snowie on Ply 1 (a difference in the way
>>>they "count" plies). GNU on ply 0 is rated very highly and is a favored
>>>partner. Try GNU on ply 1 or 2 with an extended match against yourself and you
>>>will see that it's a toughie. Also, when analyzing matches, games or sessions,
>>>it's a harder "grader" than Snowie. Give it a try! Also, try playing it in
>>>matches against Snowie 4 using "Dueller" software, and you will soon be using
>>>GNU also. Of course, like me, no doubt you'll still want to keep Snowie. It's
>>>a formidable partner and good "teacher" and I have respect for it also. It's
>>>good to have a second opinion sometimes, like we here have with our chess
>>>engines.
>>>
>>>Oh, by the way, don't confuse GNU Backgammon with GNU chess. GNU chess is a
>>>weak program (yes, we need those too, to play against), but GNU Backgammon is
>>>strictly world-class and will *bury* you in a long match (as will Snowie).
>>>
>>>Mark Anderson
>>
>>I know a little something about GNU Backgammon:
>>
>>http://www.bkgm.com/gnu/AllAboutGNU.html
>>
>> Albert
>
>Albert,
>
>Well, am I blushing! Of course you do! I just *knew* your name was familiar
>from elsewhere, but couldn't place it (see what happens when you turn 50?).
>Well, my hat's off to GNU Backgammon. Love it! It rocks! Personally, I think
>the interface is not only vastly superior to Snowie, but that's it's a slightly
>better player than Snowie 4 (giving Snowie it's due as being #2), and it's
>simply a joy to use. I rarely use Snowie anymore, and only then when I want a
>second opinion on a position or suggested move (which is rare ... GNU does a
>good job. Rollouts show that GNU is not usually wrong on Ply 1 or 2). The
>article you wrote on GNU Backgammon is 1st rate. Thanks ... good job!
>
>Why anyone would shell out $380 for Snowie Pro when GNU is free is beyond me,
>but some people are just dying to be separated from their money. By the way,
>did you have a hand in writing the GNU BG program?
>
>Again, <blush>, sorry I didn't realized who I was talking to. As Homer Simpson
>would say ... D'Oh!
>
>Mark
I designed (not coded) the first unified GUI of GNU Backgammon. Oystein gets
full credit for the coding. When I began using it (GNU 0.12), the undocked
floating windows were the only way to use it, and you wouldn't believe how
annoying it was to move around through 3-4 windows while using other programs
such as JavaFIBS or Gamegrid. Ugh. Still, the decision was hardly unanimous, and
the hardcore Linux users and programmers were against it or thought it fine as
it was. Oystein was the only one who agreed with me, especially after I showed
him what I had in mind. Still, once done, there was a large amount of thank yous
and appreciative notes from users, confirming the correctness of the decision.
One can revert to the old way easily enough anyhow. Aside from that, the biggest
and key contributors are without a doubt Joseph Heled for the development of the
nets, without which GNUbg would not be the 600-pound backgammon gorilla it is,
and Jorn Thyssen who is behind at least 80% of the interface coding including
the rollouts, and every mathematical operation in it. About a year and a half
ago, Kinsey, a british programmer, took a look at the project and dumped the
entire outstanding 3D coding into it. All in all, it has been very much what one
would hope for in an open source project, with interesting and generous
contributions from diverse parties all around. Anyhow, it has been a pleasure
and privilege to have been a part of its growth and development.
Albert
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