Thoughts...

Discussion of anything and everything relating to chess playing software and machines.

Moderators: hgm, chrisw, Rebel

bob
Posts: 20943
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:30 pm
Location: Birmingham, AL

Re: Thoughts...

Post by bob »

Rolf wrote:
Uri Blass wrote:
bob wrote:
Graham Banks wrote:
Alexander Schmidt wrote:
Remember how the engines inproved in the last years. After years of stagnation Fruit (and later Glaurung) appeared. Are you sure no one copied some code? Did you ever blame a commercial author for the improvement in his engine because he maybe took some code?

You did not, and that is fine.

You did not when Rybka 1 appeared, allthough it was 600 ELO points stronger than it's predecessor.

You did it not even when I showed similaries between Rybka and Fruit. This is also fine to me as long as you apply the same standart for all engines.
Despite Zach posting that he'd provide absolute proof that Vas had taken code from Fruit for Rybka 1.0, nothing has been shown after more than a year.
Despite this, some here are still making accusations without proof.
Is there a link to where we can all view the absolute proof?

Cheers,
Graham.
There was _more_ than enough "proof" offered. But one has to look at the proof with an unbiased eye, otherwise there is no proof good enough. This _really_ did happen. Does it mean anything on the cosmic scale? nope. Just shows that some have slightly different moral standards than others. One has to live with himself, first, and with others, second.
There was no proof that most people accepted as a proof.
Rybka continue to play in tournaments and is considered by most people as an original engine that has nothing to do with fruit.

It seems that your evidence is not convincing for the people who organize chess championships(otherwise they are not going to allow rybka to play in the world computer championship and in other tournaments).

Uri
Uri, thanks for your stand. Isnt it strange that in Wch where at least as famous and experienced guys like Bob are prresent, one a veritable IM in chess, see no reason to defamate Rybka while Bob, the scientist, coughs up something of moral values. Why doesnt he show up with scientific proof, what Zach indeed had announced. Nothing came. But now from a scientist the legendary moral warning as if the closed commercials had ever been morally challenged.

A. Schmidt has interesting arguments, mainly that nobody in the cloner party should be convicted without a fair trial and evidence. But then the same Schmidt naively makes a biased verdicht against Rybka,

The alleged moral of Dr. Hyatt is also very splitted. When I challenged him and asked why he wouldnt condemn someone like N. Schmidt, a guilty cloner deviant, he used the weak argument that someone with such experience would be highly suiting the attack against Rybka. Nothing od in dubio pro reo and for all after mean attacks by a convicted multiple cloner.

So, Uri, Dr. Hyatt is trusting people who announce evidence but then dont show it at the confirmed date, he trusts cheaters who SOLD clones, he trusts whining former stars who insinuate evil doing because they cannot imagine how else someone could profit from, he trusts guys like A. Schmidt who dont even master a minimum of sober logic, when they ask for respect which they deny to the Wch, but Dr. Hyatt then distrusts experts and academics like Dr. Levy and Prof. Dr. J.d.Herigh and IM Rajlich and the whole community who supports Rybka.

I ask everybody to grant Bob some trust because he might well be in a double bind as scientist and honest expert. Perhaps he might have clear evidence already for his opinions but he cant publish it as academic if it then came out that the information could only be attained by illegal acts. And also before the background that other closed progs were never likewise "researched" or violated.

For me personally as interdisciplinary observer there is no reason to distrust Vas when he admitted that he learned a lot from Crafty and Fruit. But that he didnt simply copied code. On the other hand the actual clones were stolen from Rybka nafter what Vas said.

In summing up the conflict, I must accept that all positions are understandable as such.But I would expect that CC experts and programmers would know a minimum of logic and lawyer debating style. Did nobody learn that my theories could never be proven by as many collected evidence as possible if I could destroy the beautiful picture with a single contradiction? It' not a proof if a 30 man big group agrees on a topic if the truth cant be positively proven as such because someone might find the opposite? Therefore we in Europe have a different court system. Before we condemn someone juridical experts have their say and NOT a majority of people who are lays. And for all we mostly follow the guide in dubio pro reo. Which means we would prefer to let someone go who is guilty before we condemn someone who is innocent.

And above all the leading commercial engines dont sell drogues or poison but software chess masters to our aid in chess.
I'm not going to respond to all the nonsense, other than to say I have not been a party to _any_ illegal acts. There is no law on the planet that prevents someone from buying a copy of Rybka and then using a disassembler to see what is inside the thing.

I think it is absolutely amazing that you want to say "we rushed to judgement, offered no proof that Rybka 1 was derived from fruit." yet you are perfectly happy to let Vas say that Robo* is a clone, with absolutely no evidence of any kind being offered. Can you spell/say "double-standard"? This is a prime example.
bob
Posts: 20943
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:30 pm
Location: Birmingham, AL

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by bob »

Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interests are a little more tightly constrained than that. I am interested in making my program stronger. And in doing so, I am interested in helping others achieve the same results. Ken Thompson, Dave Slate, Tom Truscott (Belle, chess 4.x, duchess) among others spent hours on the phone with me answering questions and helping me make my program better. And occasionally I had ideas that made theirs stronger. That's all I care about today. The commercial interests are off my radar. And always will be. If you look at 40 years of computer chess, almost all of the dishonesty, bending the rules, etc, have been done by commercial chess developers. Some of the early WMCCC events were classics in deception, dishonesty and conspiracies. Our non-commercial events went off without a hitch. Until the two were combined.
Hi Bob,

this is actually the last part.

First of all a question that interested me since long. I just ask even if it's stupid in the eyes of real experts.

In the times you created the CRAY chess computer or better the software for the CRAY, how was your code protected? Was it linked with the famous factory? So that a violation could have cost the intruder much money? I just want to ask this in our actual context because you seem so cool while debating a possible damage for the commercials like Rybka while long ago you were a commercial too, well without cutomers who could have bought it but for the company it was certainly a relevant piece of advertisement having a winning chess machine, no?

Code was not protected. It was freely available to anyone that asked. I have encountered a copy of blitz IV on ICC earlier this year. Cray Blitz source was distributed on the Cray User's Group library tape set in fact. So the question makes little sense to me. When was I "commercial"? Never sold a copy of a chess program in my entire life.

Did you have any protection at the time against cheating by opposing competition? Was that your job or was that done in the CRAY company?
Again, no idea what you are talking about. Cray provided me with computer time. Nothing else. What ever cheating happened, happened. Just as it does today, still.

Years ago you told me that those days had also a lot of stress compared to these days now. What was the reason? Could you explain it a bit? Money wise or what stress?
When you are at the top, it is much harder to stay there than it was to get there, there are always others nipping at your heels. And when you don't keep ideas secret, but openly publish them and the source code, it does tend to make you easier to catch.

Another question: how was the control of new competitors done at those times? How could you experiment on their machines? Or was it more based on casual observations during the tournaments?
Don't know what "experiment on their machines" means. These programs only played each other once a year at the ACM events. Other development was done by playing in human tournaments when possible.

Back then, did you ever observe a case where something to copy had indeed been copied or stolen? How was that done, since you didnt distribute the software I assume.
Never encountered a copy of my own program, even though copies of the source were publicly available, as was the source for many other programs. Greenblatt's program. Chess 4.x source. Coko source. Etc...

Bob, another critical question:

would you totally exclude the possibility that a smart MIT absolvent could analyse the FRUIT details and then find a way to profit from that code even when he had no reason to copy the code in parts because the strength of his new engine was NOT to copy by definition since Fruit was weaker than Rybka.
Of course it is possible to learn from a program without copying code. But in this specific case (Fruit/rybka 1) that did not happen.


Another technical lay question:

is there somewhere a collection (just as a summary of subjects) of known computerchess programming tools open to all interested? How many big topics?
Not that I am aware of, other than in the large repository of chess programs that are open source.

Then:

A usual chessprogram, how much individually different % it contains compared with its open to all code parts? 5% or more?
Do not know what you mean there. Since my source has always been available, from the late 60's onward. So in my case, 100% of the code matches its publicly available part.

Now the killer question without irony:

Why is it so difficult for making Crafty as strong as Rybka if you a) know Fruit like everybody else and b) might have got the secret tricks of
Rybka itself. Why do you chose to be below the commercial machines and now aslo these Fruit profiters?
I don't "choose" to be below them, other than by making a choice to release the source. Whatever I do, everybody can see. What other open source programmers do, I suppose I could see if I had the time. The commercial programs have a significant advantage there, as they can take what works for others, and keep what works for them secret.


Another important question from recent debates:

GPL topic. You argued but then didnt continue to explain that if Fruit were GPL and someone copied code from Fruit then also this copy is GPL. The question came if then Fritz and Shredder or other commercials who profited from Fruit would also be GPL in future? Or is there a method to copy that you couldnt discover? - That chapter was the reason why I asked you to help that the interested commercial programs for many million people should NOT be destroyed. And that you should help to protect them, because you as a scientist, are you not interested in the many users who use something that you helped to grow in the past decades? Your Crafty UCI is even officially on the page of ChessBase. So, excuse me, you cant be a total enemy of commercial companies in our hobby?
I'm not an enemy of anyone. But if you copy source code from a GPL program, your program is bound by the GPL as well. Copying ideas is a different thing entirely, as has been explained at least a hundred times now. So, if by "profit" you mean they copied source code, then yes they must be GPL as well. If they copied ideas, no problem.



That's it for now. I only hope that the many readers understand the legitimity of the topics.

All the best to you for the weekend. -Rolf
User avatar
Rolf
Posts: 6081
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:14 pm
Location: Munster, Nuremberg, Princeton

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Rolf »

bob wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interes
Bob, just as info. This message from me is already old. I have no idea from where it again popped up, but anyway thanks for again answering it. It must be couple of weeks or such that I asked you this about Crafty. Anyway - since you were absent here all day (European time) it seems that you really has some work to do. Thanks for always being such a fine communicator. What I only wished is that some critics would understand that although you often think what a stupid question, but that in general you are not unhappy to answer my many questions. I am certain that you have understood since long, that some of the topics have interest for the more average readership here on board. Isnt this the truth? Just confirm it for the general audience please.

BTW I have learned that there are no stupid questions but only stupid answers. Of course there is stupidity in this world. But if that were a problem for you or a reason to refuse to answer the laymen, you were not Bob!

Thanks so far. For me Vas is still innocent, Bob! IMHO this will come out. You dont bet. Well, better not, that would cost you a real fortune. :)

-Rolf :evil:
-Popper and Lakatos are good but I'm stuck on Leibowitz
User avatar
slobo
Posts: 2331
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:36 pm

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by slobo »

Rolf wrote:
bob wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interes

Thanks so far. For me Vas is still innocent, Bob! IMHO this will come out. You dont bet. Well, better not, that would cost you a real fortune. :)

-Rolf :evil:
If you think that a tribunal is a place where you could always find the truth, you are an innocent or a stupid man.

But the fact that Vas is innocent for you, speaks a lot about yourself:

You are a shameless supporter of a cloner
who shouts out: "Catch those cloners, catch those cloners!"
"Well, I´m just a soul whose intentions are good,
Oh Lord, please don´t let me be misunderstood."
Anton
Posts: 3549
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 5:53 pm

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Anton »

Rolf wrote:
bob wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interes
Bob, just as info. This message from me is already old. I have no idea from where it again popped up, but anyway thanks for again answering it. It must be couple of weeks or such that I asked you this about Crafty. Anyway - since you were absent here all day (European time) it seems that you really has some work to do. Thanks for always being such a fine communicator. What I only wished is that some critics would understand that although you often think what a stupid question, but that in general you are not unhappy to answer my many questions. I am certain that you have understood since long, that some of the topics have interest for the more average readership here on board. Isnt this the truth? Just confirm it for the general audience please.

BTW I have learned that there are no stupid questions but only stupid answers. Of course there is stupidity in this world. But if that were a problem for you or a reason to refuse to answer the laymen, you were not Bob!

Thanks so far. For me Vas is still innocent, Bob! IMHO this will come out. You dont bet. Well, better not, that would cost you a real fortune. :)

-Rolf :evil:
Rolf,

You have wrote enough words on this subject in the last couple of weeks to make a book :shock:

You could call the book "How to hypnotize patients with words" By Psy Rolf.

But seriously for a non anon like myself, I find this reaction over too big if not to be corrected when the road leads to the door of our good the Vas who like to lead a quiet life and for the Bob is no greater respect for sharing with the anon in the very place where this over occur for essential requirements of the ear plugs.
User avatar
Rolf
Posts: 6081
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:14 pm
Location: Munster, Nuremberg, Princeton

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Rolf »

slobo wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interes

Thanks so far. For me Vas is still innocent, Bob! IMHO this will come out. You dont bet. Well, better not, that would cost you a real fortune. :)

-Rolf :evil:
If you think that a tribunal is a place where you could always find the truth, you are an innocent or a stupid man.

But the fact that Vas is innocent for you, speaks a lot about yourself:

You are a shameless supporter of a cloner
who shouts out: "Catch those cloners, catch those cloners!"
I can only state that I will never more again defend the Tribunal victims for shameless 3,45€, for in total hard work of 2 years, which was a friendship price at the time. This time you either support my support for Vasik here on CCC or you will have to fight alone for the Human Rights of these Defendents in The Hague.

You decide. I will not go down in blackmail!!! Either you pay the 120000€ per month or K. will roast in hell. I could also play chess against him. Otherwise we are split again and I dedicate my time for Vas. He sends me emails and PM every hours almost.

Last Will, please dont publish the message on CCC. They will eat me alive!




:P
Last edited by Rolf on Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Popper and Lakatos are good but I'm stuck on Leibowitz
User avatar
Graham Banks
Posts: 42765
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:52 am
Location: Auckland, NZ

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Graham Banks »

slobo wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote:
Rolf wrote:
bob wrote: My interes

Thanks so far. For me Vas is still innocent, Bob! IMHO this will come out. You dont bet. Well, better not, that would cost you a real fortune. :)

-Rolf :evil:
If you think that a tribunal is a place where you could always find the truth, you are an innocent or a stupid man.

But the fact that Vas is innocent for you, speaks a lot about yourself:

You are a shameless supporter of a cloner
who shouts out: "Catch those cloners, catch those cloners!"
If Vas is proven to be innocent, how many of you will have the balls to apologise publicly? That's a good measure of a man's integrity and credibility. It should be interesting.
gbanksnz at gmail.com
User avatar
Rolf
Posts: 6081
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:14 pm
Location: Munster, Nuremberg, Princeton

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Rolf »

Anton, thanks for your support, and take a look into ChessBase for the pics of Gelfand who wears now I dont know exactly but it must be a chinchilöla zobel or other just like your dream hat. :)

-Rolf
-Popper and Lakatos are good but I'm stuck on Leibowitz
User avatar
Rolf
Posts: 6081
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:14 pm
Location: Munster, Nuremberg, Princeton

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Rolf »

Anton wrote: But seriously for a non anon like myself, I find this reaction over too big if not to be corrected when the road leads to the door of our good the Vas who like to lead a quiet life and for the Bob is no greater respect for sharing with the anon in the very place where this over occur for essential requirements of the ear plugs.
Anton, just a question for you as linguist, is this the new b language the Russians have invented to fool all West? Because I found a couple of grammatical inconveniences me thinks. No joke.

Rolf
-Popper and Lakatos are good but I'm stuck on Leibowitz
Anton
Posts: 3549
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 5:53 pm

Re: Science &Law should be impartial = neutral without b

Post by Anton »

Rolf wrote:Anton, thanks for your support, and take a look into ChessBase for the pics of Gelfand who wears now I dont know exactly but it must be a chinchilöla zobel or other just like your dream hat. :)

-Rolf
Gratitude is for the bearer of good gifts, granted, positiveness is good for the one, in the positive light was delivered the gift of Robbolito which give new impetus to the code punchers, as if out of the deep blue sky fall the purpose of the challenge for the benefit of all. lets not march like angry warriors obsessed with moralistic duty from God, for this delivering not on the path of redder fruit, as we lose sight of what a hobby is, away from the fun and enjoyment in our base meant.

Anon t.