Author: Uri Blass
Date: 18:34:42 08/21/05
Go up one level in this thread
On August 21, 2005 at 19:52:41, David Mitchell wrote: >On August 20, 2005 at 22:06:24, Uri Blass wrote: > >>Suppose that somebody look at some public source code and decide to write code >>that does the same algorithm but with different data structure so he cannot use >>copy and paste for chess tasks. >> >>Do you think that the program is a clone or use code of another programmer? >>Do you think that the programmer should not be allowed to participate in >>tournaments? >> >>Note that my opinion is that the programmer should be allowed to participate >>because copying ideas unlike copying code is allowed but before even considering >>to try this idea(I am not sure if I will try it even if it is allowed) I prefer >>to ask this question. > >You didn't put this in a framework, Uri, but let's take an example: > >I write a program, it uses the famous Quicksort function, to sort the data. I >need it because it has a lot of values to sort, and there is no sorting function >I know that will work as well. > >My program is clearly not a clone because it's original, and Quicksort is just a >small part of it, and was developed for that purpose. It isn't copyrighted. > >Now, let's look at a chess program. Mine uses alpha-beta, as does surely >everyone else's - in one version or another (OK, a few hold-outs use MTD(f), but >not many). It certainly doesn't make my program a clone! > >But note that my program does NOT share the same data structs, or functions, or >number of functions, or logic flow, or evaluation, or anything else, with that >of any (known) chess program. > >And I don't care if my program should behave EXACTLY like some other program - >trust me, it's NOTHING if it's not absolutely original. But I didn't re-invent >alpha beta, just like I didn't re-invent Quicksort, and I'm sure my alpha beta >function looks about like a lot of other (slow :) ) chess programs, in that >area. > >Using idea's from other programs, or their authors', is fine - that's what >idea's are for, and you can't copyright or patent, an idea, anyway. You don't >have to re-invent the wheel. > >Ultimately, only your conscience can guide you in this matter. No one will ever >be able to tell, EXACTLY how many lines of code you copied, or NEARLY copied, >without the source code, but you'll know. > >Especially in the area of logic flow, and evaluation, I think you have to work >hard and make sure the code is really all your own. > >If you really admire Fruit 2.1 or whatever, why not make a flow-chart of some >functions, and then incorporate some of those idea's, into the code you write >for your program? Nothing says you can't thank Fabien for the ideas, in your >program. I do not think that fruit's evaluation is perfect or close to perfect and I probably do not plan to have unmodified fruit's evaluation in the code as default option but I consider to have an option to use fruit's evaluation as a personality because I think to compare my evaluation to fruit's evaluation before accepting my evaluation. Uri
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