OpenChess

Hello to All,


This post in relation to Sean Evans' idiotic comments on his post:
Re: Why Is Houdini Not Entered In The WCCC??
Post by Sean Evans » Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:24 am

First, it has been posted a while ago but I still find Sean Evans' comments addressed to Robert Houdart in this particular posting to be plain rude, to say the least. Sean Evans should really have tone down his language because it is nothing less than inadmissible. To say the least. These comments are not only rude, they are idiotic, stupid basically and let me explain why. That Robert Houdart even bothered answering his idiotic comments is beyond my understanding really.

ROBERT HOUDART DESERVES FULL CREDIT FOR HOUDINI. WHY? Read on!
Secondly, Sean Evans does not understand that most of the ideas and source code of many types of applications have already been written and even made available on the Internet for all to read and use! That is true of a word processor, a spreadsheet, and many other applications. And in particular of chess engines.
Therefore, to want to have a programmer write an application from scratch or write a chess engine from scratch does not make sense at all. Why? Various improvements have been made in various areas related to the writing of chess engine programs. A good chess engine programmer has to take into account these past improvements, learn about them and move over them I could say by bettering them in several areas. Therefore, again, this idea of wanting a programmer to write a chess engine program from scratch is a question that comes from someone that has no clues whatsoever on how programs are written and why they are written the way they are and not another way!
Even if a programmer would start from scratch any type of application, many times, he would unknowingly use source code that has already been made available from an open source program that is available online and that was used before.
To conclude: there is no such thing as writing a program from scratch (!!) when this program has had an evolution for quite a while such as it is the case with chess engine programming. It does not make sense at all.

The gift of a programmer is NOT to write a program from scratch, it is to be able to learn all the past history and the intricacies related to programming a particular application and to overcome them and be able to make a program that will perform even better than what was available before. That is what Robert Houdart did for chess engine programming with Houdini.
Robert Houdart deserves ALL the credits for his chess engine program. It is not his fault if he did happen to do his work thoroughly and that he got inspirations from other open source chess engine programs. If he would not have done his homework thoroughly and would not have got inspiration from other sources, he would not have done his job properly.

Moreover, Robert Houdart has been fully honest on this matter. On his web site, he clearly acknowledges those who inspired him at improving the state of chess engine programming:
----------------
An invaluable resource for any chess engine author is the excellent Chess Programming Wiki maintained by Gerd Isenberg.
Without many ideas from the open source chess engines Ippolit/Robbolito, Stockfish and Crafty, Houdini would not nearly be as strong as it is now.
The Gaviota EGTB probing code used in Houdini is © Miguel A. Ballicora.
----------------

Sean Evans' comments seem to be like those of a jealous kid whose toy would have been taken away from him! He is really pathetic, to say the least. I am surprised that Robert Houdart even bothered answering Sean Evans' idiotic rant!


CONCLUSION: Robert Houdart deserves FULL CREDIT for his chess engine program Houdini. Moreover, it does NOT matter AT ALL that he happened to get inspirations from other chess engine programs whose source code is freely available on the Internet. More, he would have done a very bad job if he had avoided learning what is useful from these other chess engine programs!!
To Robert Houdart, don't even bother discussing with such people, you are above this type of guys!
As a payback for their ridiculous and completely idiotic accusations, Robert, do not publish a single bit of your source code!
The results obtained by Houdini is all that is needed to "prove" that Robert Houdart with Houdini made a giant leap in chess engine programming. Robert, keep improving Houdini further (if possible!) . For instance, use the RobboTripleBases that are used directly in RAM, as I have a feeling that it might even increase further the strength of Houdini compared to the current Gaviota tablebases.


Best Regards to All
MichaelIsGreat

MichaelIsGreat wrote:Sean Evans should really have tone down his language because it is nothing less than inadmissible. To say the least. These comments are not only rude, they are idiotic, stupid basically and let me explain why.

Shut your pie-hole troll!

JcMaTe wrote: Do me a favor please sean

not likely

JcMaTe wrote:stop with all your bull shit if you don't have nothing good to write

The truth based on the facts is "nothing good to write"?

JcMaTe wrote:..... then go head and play your self if you don't like it

The Houdini program is not original, if you want to believe it is I cannot help you to see the truth.

JcMaTe wrote: ... stop visiting us or even go head and kiss vas ass and play and their forum .. sorry Open-chess for this message but I'm getting tired of this Puppet.

It is funny, you offer someone the truth based on the facts and they refuse to accept it and then they throw mud and insults at you as they have nothing else to defend themselves with...shame!

Cordially,

Sean

Wow, that was one of the best rants posted to OpenChess ever. It was too well formatted though.

My favorite part was

Sean Evans should really have tone down his language because it is nothing less than inadmissible.

Oh the irony.

Robert Houdart has been fully honest on this matter.

Yeah right. He claims Houdini shares no code with IPPO*, while there is substantial evidence that it does.

Peter

So you feel the copy and paste of code is improving computer chess?! That is certainly an interesting philosophy, one I do not share with you.

Cordially,

Sean

explain me how copy and paste can improve and be the best chess engine stop written a lot of shit and prove what ever you have to say

guys, the tone you use reminds me much on conkie and his ctf guys.

maybe you want to leave open-chess and go there, where psychopaths and trolls belong?

This matter is not one for the user's to fight over, imo. It's a legal and bureaucratic one. For the courts, and the tournament organizers to deal with.

There are points to consider, on both sides of this issue.

As a user, we can just enjoy the accomplishments made by Robert with Houdini, and leave the work of others, to their respective labors.

Hello to All,


All the stupid people who have accused Houdini of being "just" a clone of any other chess engine have now been OFFICIALLY ridiculed by a recent article from David Levy entitled "Cloning Chess Engines" at http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/attack-of-the-clones/ . These stupid people who accused falsely Houdini of being a clone are obviously completely wrong! By the way, David Levy is an International Master and he is also President of the International Computer Games Association.
Why?
Even the programmer of Rybka clearly acknowledges to have been influenced by the ideas found in the chess engine Fruit whose source code is available on the Internet and by all sorts of other chess ideas widely available in the source codes of other chess engines. Here is what he says:
"I’m not really sure what to say. The Rybka source code is original. I used lots of ideas from Fruit, as I have mentioned many times. Both Fruit and Rybka also use all sorts of common computer chess ideas.
...
Vas"

CONCLUSION:
1) This idea that, for a program not to be a clone, he should not have incorporated many ideas that have also been made available in previous chess engines is stupid! On the contrary I should say, to add other people's good ideas is a requirement for improving a chess program!!
2) There is no such thing as a program that would be written from scratch! It is true for many types of applications (Word processor, spreadsheet, you name it!) but especially for chess engine programs!
Therefore, the idiotic complaints made by a few people (trolls!) in this posting "Why Is Houdini Not Entered In The WCCC??" against the programmer of Houdini are not only stupid but are completely false, in particular in light of what the programmer of Rybka clearly acknowledges above.
3) Robert Houdart deserves FULL CREDIT for his chess engine program Houdini. Moreover, it does NOT matter AT ALL that he happened to get inspirations from other chess engine programs whose source code is freely available on the Internet. More, he would have done a very bad job if he had avoided learning what is useful from these other chess engine programs!!


Best Regards to All
MichaelIsGreat

Hello, MichaelIsGreat. I've had trouble asking you before a wild Sunday night, but.. do you need help buying a keyboard with a properly functioning CAPS LOCK key, or a tutorial on the correct use of font colors on a forum? The Community's resources are immense, and help is out there.