Author: Don Dailey
Date: 18:17:36 02/16/99
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On February 16, 1999 at 19:18:02, Fernando Villegas wrote: >On February 16, 1999 at 13:47:51, Mika wrote: > >>One possibility might be to post the source code of only about every 10th >>generation of Crafty, or share the code once per year, and then only after >>you've made changes. Still another possibility would be leave a few things >>slighty broken in the shared code, so that Crafty clones can't proliferate with >>impunity. They always play a few hundred points lower. >> >>That way, the cutting edge Crafty, the REAL one, is always a moving target, >>somewhat ahead of it brothers. >> >>I think sharing the code is an admirable thing. However, I don't think there is >>any obligation to share it in its strongest version. A slightly weakened version >>should be enough to get any beginner started. > > > >Maybe we should change our apreciation of Crafty as a tool for beginners. It is >clear that by its very same sophistication is not more so, if ever was. A >beginner can go to much simpler and so useful -for the beginners- sources. >Once we have made that change of mind, we maybe could understand that the very >core of Crafty contribution to the progress of the field is in the top level of >amaterurish programming. I repeat: that let people to get and to do undued >things, but in a way or another you cannot cooks egss without you know the >continuation. Graet things are as a real human being should be according to >Nietzche: just a bridhge dfor something better. The glory of an idea is sooner >or later to be defeated by a superior one. But to defeat it must be available, >of course, in its integrity. If ever a new genius develops a wonderful program >just because he tried to do something sustantiallly better and different than >Bob, that's will be the greatest victory of crafty and the best contribution of >his author. >Fernando >>Roger I don't have a problem with the proliferation of Crafty clones myself. I think there are problems, but there are always problems and the good outweighs the bad. I also think the problem is somewhat self correcting. Crafty is the most visible and the most available program, so legitimate programmers will tend to tune against it. Those who cheat with Crafty gain little, when they win they will not get real satisfaction from the victory and when they lose it has to be a real drag, going to a lot of trouble, taking a big chance on being humiliated and then not even being able to win with another mans labor. I would add to Bob's statemements about this kind of person that he also lacks a sense of self worth. I think probably Bob himself is hurt the most, and he seems to have a good attitude about this. The new programmer will face some discouragement when getting pounded by Crafty's, but they will have to deal with this and their enthusiasm will carry the day in my opinion. I am prepared to deal with the possibility that I may someday get beat by an illegal Crafty clone in an important event. I'm sure this will suck but that's life. On the other hand the benefit of Crafty source code is substantial in my opinion. I think it encourages beginners a lot more than it discourages them. In the long run, we will have stronger programs because the beginners are being nurtured and they will be the authors of the strongest program in the world in the near future. - Don
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