Looking for Nero source code

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Roland Chastain
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Looking for Nero source code

Post by Roland Chastain »

Hello!

I see in this discussion that the source code of the Nero XBoard engine has been available. Would someone know where I could download it ? It's for my collection of Pascal programs. :)

Regards.

Roland
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Guenther
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Guenther »

Roland Chastain wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:07 pm Hello!

I see in this discussion that the source code of the Nero XBoard engine has been available. Would someone know where I could download it ? It's for my collection of Pascal programs. :)

Regards.

Roland
Hi Roland, as it looks you will try this on more programs in the future, I suggest first looking at the XB/UCI chronology,
may be it contains older links which contain what you want.

Ok, in this case it would not have helped, therefor my second suggestion, if above fails, go to the WB forum and do
a little search for the concerning program and you'll most likely find an old link, if this link doesn't work, just open the
great Wayback archives (https://web.archive.org) and insert the old link there :)
(Sites of chess programs often were archived by request of chess afficionados and programmers)

In one minute I had found this: On page 2 you'll see results for the Nero source of three versions (unnamed, 5.1 and 5.3 - no trace for 6.x yet)

https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ww ... 7Ehuikari/*

I tested one download link and it works and leads to this (Nero 5.3 src):
https://web.archive.org/web/20060624001 ... rowb53.pas
https://rwbc-chess.de

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Chessqueen + chessica + AlexChess + Eduard + Sylwy
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Roland Chastain
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Roland Chastain »

Guenther wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:25 pm I tested one download link and it works and leads to this (Nero 5.3 src):
https://web.archive.org/web/20060624001 ... rowb53.pas
Thank you Günther. I didn't know that one could use Wayback like that.

Regards.

Roland
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Gerd Isenberg
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Gerd Isenberg »

Roland Chastain wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:41 pm
Guenther wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:25 pm I tested one download link and it works and leads to this (Nero 5.3 src):
https://web.archive.org/web/20060624001 ... rowb53.pas
Thank you Günther. I didn't know that one could use Wayback like that.

Regards.

Roland
Wow, funny source code!
no negamax, but in evaluate which is the recursive search

Code: Select all

    if ((forwhite) and (bestvalue>=beta[depth-1])) then cutoff:=true;
    if ((not forwhite) and (bestvalue<=beta[depth-1])) then cutoff:=true;

    if ((forwhite) and (bestvalue>9000)) then cutoff:=true;
    if ((not forwhite) and (bestvalue<-9000)) then cutoff:=true;
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Roland Chastain
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Roland Chastain »

Gerd Isenberg wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:32 pm Wow, funny source code!
The programs compiles and runs on Linux, but I failed to get it to work, neither in CuteChess nor in XBoard. If I have the time I'll try to see what's wrong.

If someone had the source of the version 6, that would be good.
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tmokonen
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by tmokonen »

I have this archive I downloaded from Dann Corbit's old site:

https://mega.nz/file/y1dQgDQB#U0iln1orL ... 21Qtd9TO7o

It's a Lazarus compile of Nero 6.0, including source. I don't know if Dann modified it in any way to get it to compile with Lazarus. Sorry, I don't have the source for version 6.1, unless it's hidden in a folder on one of my numerous old drives.
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Roland Chastain
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Roland Chastain »

tmokonen wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:18 am I have this archive I downloaded from Dann Corbit's old site:
Great! Thank you.

It compiles without any problem on Linux, but I can't get it to work with XBoard, I don't know yet why. It doesn't answer to my first move e2e4.

The weird thing is that if I enter manually in a terminal the same commands that I see in xboard.debug,

Code: Select all

locale = fr_FR.UTF-8
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
shuffleOpenings = 0
shuffleOpenings = 0
Version: xboard 4.9.1 + Nerowb60 ()
Reset(1, 0) from gameMode 0
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
GameEnds(0, (null), 2)
shuffleOpenings = 0
StartChildProcess (dir="/home/roland/Documents/pascal/echecs/nero/60/") /home/roland/Documents/pascal/echecs/nero/60/Nerowb60
321 >first : xboard
protover 2
10322 >first : new
random
10322 >first : st 60
10322 >first : post
10322 >first : hard
Impossible move , type = 0
nps: w=-1, b=-1
nps: w=-1, b=-1
15251 >first : time 6000
15251 >first : otim 6000
book hit = (NULL)
15251 >first : e2e4
GameEnds(27, White resigns, 2)
Interrupting first
38532 >first : result 0-1 {White resigns}
38533 >first : force
GameEnds(27, White resigns, 2)
41943 >first : quit
the program answers as expected:

Code: Select all

[roland@localhost 60]$ ./Nerowb60 
new
random
Illegal move: random
st 60
post
hard
time 6000
Illegal move: time 6000
otim 6000
Illegal move: otim 6000
e2e4
move e7e5
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Guenther
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Guenther »

Roland Chastain wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:56 am
tmokonen wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:18 am I have this archive I downloaded from Dann Corbit's old site:
Great! Thank you.

It compiles without any problem on Linux, but I can't get it to work with XBoard, I don't know yet why. It doesn't answer to my first move e2e4.

The weird thing is that if I enter manually in a terminal the same commands that I see in xboard.debug,

Code: Select all

locale = fr_FR.UTF-8
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
shuffleOpenings = 0
shuffleOpenings = 0
Version: xboard 4.9.1 + Nerowb60 ()
Reset(1, 0) from gameMode 0
recognized 'normal' (-1) as variant normal
GameEnds(0, (null), 2)
shuffleOpenings = 0
StartChildProcess (dir="/home/roland/Documents/pascal/echecs/nero/60/") /home/roland/Documents/pascal/echecs/nero/60/Nerowb60
321 >first : xboard
protover 2
10322 >first : new
random
10322 >first : st 60
10322 >first : post
10322 >first : hard
Impossible move , type = 0
nps: w=-1, b=-1
nps: w=-1, b=-1
15251 >first : time 6000
15251 >first : otim 6000
book hit = (NULL)
15251 >first : e2e4
GameEnds(27, White resigns, 2)
Interrupting first
38532 >first : result 0-1 {White resigns}
38533 >first : force
GameEnds(27, White resigns, 2)
41943 >first : quit
Is this with ProtocolVersion 1?

Usually I run very old programs in WB with

Code: Select all

/firstProtocolVersion 1 /secondProtocolVersion 1
flags
https://rwbc-chess.de

trollwatch:
Chessqueen + chessica + AlexChess + Eduard + Sylwy
tmokonen
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by tmokonen »

I have not been able to get the supplied compile to work for me. I tried several GUIs, and even wb2uci, and no luck. I noticed it was a 64 bit executable. Perhaps Dann was trying some modifications. I saw a link to an old thread on the Chess Programming Wiki's entry for Nero.

http://www.talkchess.com/forum3/viewtop ... 73&start=3

Perhaps that's what this archive contains. Gerd is fast with his CPW updates. I see he already included a link to this very thread.
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Roland Chastain
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Re: Looking for Nero source code

Post by Roland Chastain »

It seems that XBoard doesn't receive anything from the engine. No idea why. I continue to search.
Guenther wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:03 am Is this with ProtocolVersion 1?

Usually I run very old programs in WB with

Code: Select all

/firstProtocolVersion 1 /secondProtocolVersion 1
flags
I have just tried. It doesn't solve the problem. But anyway it's certainly a good idea to use it.
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