Robert Flesher wrote:
If it is a clone, and to this we have seen NO evidence but only conjecture. The idea of Houdini < Rybka is clearly "Argumentum ad Novitatem" It is likely that he did exactly what VAS did. Looked at code (Vas ,used Fruit, Robert / Ippo*) saw the ideas, and made them better. If it's ok for Vas, it should be fine for Robert. If it is only a clone why is it so much stronger ?
From a customer point of view, ( I paided good money for Rybka 2, 3, 4), Robert provides a stonger, better analysis tool, far better endgame player, and regular updates. All for free! If tommorrow he was to sell the next version, I'd buy it.
Lastly, Houdini appears to be at very least 50 ELO stronger than Rybka 4.0. Give credit where credit is due! As envy is the pursuit of fools, and you do not strike my as such.
What I am saying it is a clone of Ippolit, nothing more, nothing less. Has it improved on the original source. Sure. Am I saying people can't use it? Obviously no, as that is your choice, just as it is mine to not use it or any of the other derivatives in that family of engines.
Nor am I envious of what he has accomplished. Being on the Crafty team has taught me that even 1-5 elo gains are impressive, because the hard work involved and the insane amount of testing that goes into each of those small incremental increases feels awesome when they are verified improvements.
Taking someone's code, improving on it slightly when you already have one of the strongest source projects to start as a base doesn't impress me. Write something from scratch that beats the #1 program by 50 elo and I will be impressed.
My initial question was to see the source based on Robert Houdart's claim that he used "ideas" from Crafty. He states there is no actual code, and I have nothing to refute that with as there is no source to look at. So I have to take his word on that until one day it might be released.
In my opinion it is a clone, and I'm entitled to that opinion just like you are yours.
Peter
I was kicked out of Chapters because I moved all the Bibles to the fiction section.