Bless me father for I have sinned

[kgburcham]

It has been four years since my last confession.

1. I released Version 3 without telling my customers that there would be a bs kns output.
2. Now I have released Version 4 with very little time spent on strength increase, and 4 is losing many games.
3. I released version 4 without a readme file and a thank you to my customers for making me a millionaire.
4. I released version 4 with several bugs that I knew about.
5. I released version 4 knowing the betas were losing many games.
6. My version 3 code is out and my modifications to the kns output of version 3 did not prevent others from finding my Frucode. I have decided to not tell my version 4 customers that I again will modify the kns count to keep Bob and other top programers from finding out that my node count when reading 500 is actually 12000 kns.

I have lost so many fanboys that I think this is my last version and I will just concentrate on rental versions.
Now give me my penance so I can be forgiven until next time.

KMA
Ves

[Dann Corbit]

It has been four years since my last confession.

1. I released Version 3 without telling my customers that there would be a bs kns output.

How, exactly, would you put an accurate KNS figure to work for you? "Hey, my KNS is bigger than your KNS!" It has no bearing on the answers produced by the engine. Now, the depth is something more of an issue for me, but that is neither here nor there.

2. Now I have released Version 4 with very little time spent on strength increase, and 4 is losing many games.

Despite this lack of effort, it's the strongest program in the world. Shrug.

3. I released version 4 without a readme file and a thank you to my customers for making me a millionaire.

If Vas becomes a millionaire, I think that will be something good for computer chess. It will mean that there actually is a market!

4. I released version 4 with several bugs that I knew about.

There is no such thing as bug free software. Crafty has bugs, Junior has bugs, Shredder has bugs. It's as much a part of software as anything else. While it is possible to make software that is nearly defect free (e.g. NASA standards) it will cost $10,000 per line of code.

5. I released version 4 knowing the betas were losing many games.

... Thereby giving my opponents a tiny shred of hope that they will not lose every game that they play against me.

6. My version 3 code is out and my modifications to the kns output of version 3 did not prevent others from finding my Frucode. I have decided to not tell my version 4 customers that I again will modify the kns count to keep Bob and other top programers from finding out that my node count when reading 500 is actually 12000 kns.

He mentioned the inspiration from Fruit in the 1.0 beta letter. Whether or not Vas has done something wrong here is very much open to debate.

I have lost so many fanboys that I think this is my last version and I will just concentrate on rental versions.
Now give me my penance so I can be forgiven until next time.

KMA
Ves

I will purchase within a week. I suggest all those who do not want to purchase it, they should not purchase it. And all those who want to purchase it should purchase it. I have spent plenty of good money on programs far weaker and less capable and I do not regret those purchases either. If we fail to support those who give their all to the art of chess programming then that is a sad thing.

IMO-YMMV

[Robert Flesher]

It has been four years since my last confession.

1. I released Version 3 without telling my customers that there would be a bs kns output.
2. Now I have released Version 4 with very little time spent on strength increase, and 4 is losing many games.
3. I released version 4 without a readme file and a thank you to my customers for making me a millionaire.
4. I released version 4 with several bugs that I knew about.
5. I released version 4 knowing the betas were losing many games.
6. My version 3 code is out and my modifications to the kns output of version 3 did not prevent others from finding my Frucode. I have decided to not tell my version 4 customers that I again will modify the kns count to keep Bob and other top programers from finding out that my node count when reading 500 is actually 12000 kns.

I have lost so many fanboys that I think this is my last version and I will just concentrate on rental versions.
Now give me my penance so I can be forgiven until next time.

KMA
Ves

This statement : and I quote, "I released version 4 knowing the betas were losing many games" , clearly was not looked at from an objective point of view in regards to chess engines being released by their creators. As with this logic, NO other engines should have been released after the orginal Rybka 1.0 and its predecessors ! Why ? For years any engine being released would have surely suffered this same fate (HUGE losses) against Rybka. Yet many, many releases did occur, and as they should have ! Variety is the spice of life

[S.Taylor]

It has been four years since my last confession.

1. I released Version 3 without telling my customers that there would be a bs kns output.
2. Now I have released Version 4 with very little time spent on strength increase, and 4 is losing many games.
3. I released version 4 without a readme file and a thank you to my customers for making me a millionaire.
4. I released version 4 with several bugs that I knew about.
5. I released version 4 knowing the betas were losing many games.
6. My version 3 code is out and my modifications to the kns output of version 3 did not prevent others from finding my Frucode. I have decided to not tell my version 4 customers that I again will modify the kns count to keep Bob and other top programers from finding out that my node count when reading 500 is actually 12000 kns.

I have lost so many fanboys that I think this is my last version and I will just concentrate on rental versions.
Now give me my penance so I can be forgiven until next time.

KMA
Ves

According to Albert Silver, all these confessions are probably unnecesary, even if true. They are your (Vas'es) rights to do all this.

However for me,
I always had the impression that Vas spoke a little and did a lot. But now, I am scrutinizing this very carefully to see if this is still the case. It was this belief that was holding me here.

[S.Taylor]

It has been four years since my last confession.

1. I released Version 3 without telling my customers that there would be a bs kns output.

How, exactly, would you put an accurate KNS figure to work for you? "Hey, my KNS is bigger than your KNS!" It has no bearing on the answers produced by the engine. Now, the depth is something more of an issue for me, but that is neither here nor there.

2. Now I have released Version 4 with very little time spent on strength increase, and 4 is losing many games.

Despite this lack of effort, it's the strongest program in the world. Shrug.

IMO-YMMV

S. Taylor writing now........
Is this the case? Is Rybka 4 now the strongest in the world? Or just about equal with the strongest, soon to be well overtaken?
Regards
S.Taylor

[Sylwy]

Despite this lack of effort, it's the strongest program in the world.

No ! No ! No !
On 1-2 CPUs Houdini is the best ! Test please !

http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm

Silvian

[S.Taylor]

Despite this lack of effort, it's the strongest program in the world.

No ! No ! No !
On 1-2 CPUs Houdini is the best ! Test please !

http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm

Silvian

If this is the case, I would say, ok, if vas has done his best, and he doesn't have a version which he knows is stronger, for use in some other project, then i would say, i feel sorry for him, but he made a valliant effort, and i would feel very supportive of him still.
But if he dumbed it down on purpose, then i would say, OK, he has the right to do this, but he cannot brush off claims that he has let down his clientele, who believed that he is atleast making Rybka 4 to just about be at the top, if he has that possibility.
Wouldn't Albert Silver understand me in this?
Wasn't it a mutual, unwritten understang between Vas and his clientele?

[Dann Corbit]

Despite this lack of effort, it's the strongest program in the world.

No ! No ! No !
On 1-2 CPUs Houdini is the best ! Test please !

http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm

Silvian

I don't have the patience to run 1000 games, but someone else will

[Alexander Schmidt]

They are your (Vas'es) rights to do all this.

Without judgment if the accuasions are true or not:

Noone is allowed to use GPL'ed code without permission or without opening the source code. Not even an unimportant snipped of GPL'ed code.

And if a seller does a fudge on something he is obligated to return the money.