Author: Micheal Cummings
Date: 23:53:10 05/26/99
Go up one level in this thread
On May 27, 1999 at 02:39:03, Ed Schröder wrote: >On May 27, 1999 at 01:55:55, James Robertson wrote: > >>On May 27, 1999 at 01:50:09, Prakash Das wrote: >> >>>Reading this board (on an occasional basis) that Rebel will be using the fastest >>> PC available, I hopped over to the rebel site, and see Ed's site boasting of >>>using a Kyrotech. >>> >>> It occurred to me whether the various programs will be competing on their own >>>chosen hardware? Thus, one participant would bring a fast computer while another >>>will be using something else. This will surely hurt the guy on the slower >>>computer. >>> >>> Shouldn't an event like wmcc be held on even hardware for all? Otherwise, >>>what's the meaning of these results. Considering that the result will be used >>>heavily for marketing purposes, etc. >>> >>> On another note, for a user like me, it doesn't matter if Rebel (just an >>>example), finishes first using the fastest PC.. I never use the fastest >>>processor, so the results are bit meaningless for me as user. What's the point >>>of using the fastest processor etc, for the majority of end users? >>> >>> Even some older programs would do well, given the best hardware around. (I hope >>>Rebel is not going to loudly use it's results for marketing. It already showed >>>in the GM game it has big holes in positional understanding.) >> >>Part of the logic in this tournament revolves around competing chess "systems", >>involving both software and hardware, rather than just the program. When this >>thing was first started, there were systems from Russia, USA, etc. competing. >>Because everyone built their own hardware and wrote their programs in assembler, >>there was no way to force the programs to use similar hardware. >> >>For a tournament with more even hardware, the World Microcomputer Chess >>Championship is held; all programs are limited to readily available commercial >>hardware. > >The basic idea to allow any hardware is that you will see the programs >play on their strongest. I think that is a good choice also practiced >in other sports. > >The disadvantage is of course you can not rely on the results based >on equal hardware. > >Rebel and Chess Tiger surely have the fastest (single processor) PC but >some will using multiple processors which will give them a hardware >advantage over Rebel and Chess Tiger. > >Who cares, it will be a great show anyway. > >Ed Schroder > > >>James I agree, I think whatever the developer of the program wants to use then that is fine. They will either live or die by their actions. As for the people who use muliple processors. well it is like Deep Blue, no one will be able to buy it, there is only one. So apart from seeing how it plays chess, the program or machine will not be taken noticed of by the mass market. Say for instance that Rebel beat a multiple processor chess program, then I would say all the better for Rebel. I would not see any marketing value in running commercial programs on multiple processor machines. Who apart from a select few would be able to afford or bother to run it like that. The only thing I do not like is when you have other people who do not officially represent the programmer or developer playing the program in whatever tournament on a pathetic piece of hardware and the the organizers make a big deal out of the results.
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