Author: Stephen A. Boak
Date: 22:06:29 06/19/05
Go up one level in this thread
On June 20, 2005 at 00:26:57, Uri Blass wrote: >On June 19, 2005 at 23:19:07, Pallav Nawani wrote: > >>On June 19, 2005 at 11:04:24, Heinz van Kempen wrote: >> >>>Hi all , >>> >>>since the release yesterday morning CEGT testers are running a big Fruit 2.1 >>>test with CEGT time control 40/40 adapted to 2 Ghz via Crafty benchmark. >>> >>>So far we did not play with full power but can give 173 games played on seven >>>machines. Christian and Charles this afternoon decided to interrupt their CEGT >>>WCC for a while to give more games and Chris also joined now, so that we are >>>testing currently on ten fast machines. >>> >>>So here is what we have so far with still huge error bars: >>> >>>Code: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>Best Regards >>>Heinz >> >>The Elo has fallen by 3 points now, but still in the second place. No doubt >>Fruit 2.1 is the biggest sensation since... well.. Fruit 2.0! >> >>It is nice to have a GPL engine which leaves most of the commercials into dust, >>isn't it? >> >>Pallav > >Suppose you work hard to sell some product and suddenly somebody else give >everybody superior product for free. > >Will you also think it is nice? > >Uri Tsk, tsk, Uri--you sound exceedingly bitter (or jealous)! If you think about it, that's part of the reason why you have a powerful computer, nowadays. Someone invented electronic calculators & sold them to those who were tired of using pencils & slide rules. The calculators were initially very expensive. Pencils (and simple slide rules) became giveaway items. Pencil manufacturers & stationary stores converted to producing/selling calculators. As they mass produced the calculators more & more, they figured out how to manufacture them smaller & cheaper, with a lot more built-in functions. Some versions eventually became user-programmable. The simple calculators became free (giveaway) items for doing business with a bank or store, opening up an account, etc. They became entry level (no longer advanced) electronics. The electronics products that continued to fetch a good price in the market were far more advanced than the simple calculators that were being given away for free. And they indeed offered far more value for the dollar, since they transcended simple calculator electronics by leaps & bounds. The advancements in miniature electronics manufacturing & programmability fueled desktop computers, and more & more powerful software was programmed (chess playing programs, as an example), since the platform to host the software became big enough & fast enough to support complex software products. Stationary stores started selling desktops, laptops and handheld computers. Calculators became low end items (often giveaways). Eventually, you could program & sell your good chess software. Precisely because technology changed--obsoleting older standards--and became better & better. Even while things that once were prohibitively expensive became commonplace and cheap to acquire, often given away for free. I believe a good chess programmer (whether commercial or amateur to date) should now be able to rise to the challenge of the strong, free Fruit software--to improve his own program and make it even better than Fruit. After all, the author of Fruit merely dabbles at it right now (although the results are extraordinary). The Fruit author does not yet provide a fantastic free GUI in which to run his engine, does he? He hasn't solved chess yet, has he? Good! There is still room for improved chess software after all! And he does give to the commercial chess programming community (including you) something even more valuable than a strong, free chess program. He provides his source code for open inspection and benefit of *all* programmers, commercial & amateur alike. You should thank the free Fruit software releases for all the open source ideas that you may be able to incorporate in your own program. You won't have to pay for that with the blood, sweat & tears that often accompanies invention. Nor do you have to be born with or acquire through years of diligent practice the brilliant programming skills of the Fruit author in order to make similar progress in your program in seemingly effortless manner. With your programming knowledge and chess understanding, you should be able to adapt and improve. Even Movei may be someday able to compete with and defeat Shredder, Fritz, Junior, Fruit, etc. If so, you will receive a pretty penny for your product at that time. But I suspect you will probably forget to thank Fabien when it happens. Good luck, and don't hang your head so low. It's called progress! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Best regards, --Steve
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