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GNU Backgammon - Personal reflections

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Back4U2 BBL

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Sep 10, 2002, 1:19:00 PM9/10/02
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First, let me say I am a Win32 user. I did use GNULinux for over a year, but
was 'forced' to use Win32 again.
Sounds not an important 'statement'... but.

All following lines are mine, solely mine.
And it will not surprise me if the people 'working' on the GNU (GNU's Not
Unix) Backgammon Project will contradict what I'm saying.

BTW: The GNU project started in 1984... quite a while ago.
www.gnu.org

The GNU Backgammon project - as all other GNU projects - had in mind to
'run' on *nix systems, GNU Linux being one of them.
The 'heart' of the program was a neural net, intended to bring a backgammon
player of a 'reasonable' level (read: expert to world class).

Those of you that have GNU Linux installed on their machines surely have
noticed last years changes. GNU Linux - as other *nix systems - used to be a
CLI (Command Line I/Enterpreter). A console in which one types commands
(yep: with the keyboard, character per character.... Windows users: remember
DOS?). And although the *nix console still is used, the GUIs (Graphical User
Interface) are 'taken over'. KDE, Gnome, Enligthment,.... those ring bells,
don't they?

Not that many years ago, if one had GNU Linux installed, one *had* to be a
PC-guru. Obvious he/she had the grep, piff, ln, patch, cat, cmd and other
chroot commands in his/her fingers.
And Emacs and vi ? Hey: piece of a cake!
Anyone has any idea of the percentage of *nix users, *not* having a GUI?
That is: how many *nix users just run a console version today? And still use
Emacs or vi as primary text editor?

(now, now.... please stop babbling... what *is* your point?)

GNU Bacgammon was (and _is_) developed for *nix systems. And one can expect
a *nix user being able to configure / make a distributed source. C(++),
gcc(g++)... they may not know what it is, but they do know how to use
'configure' and 'make'.
And as long as the *nix users where the core of GNUBg 'customers', all
(well: most of them ;-)) were pleased.

And then:
two things happened (I'm squeezing time here, it took several months)
1. GNUBg was 'ported' to Win32
2. GNUBg became a (much) better player.

The porting to Win32, made it available to a (very very) wide group of PC
owners.
The (much) better player caused it to - not only be 'discovered' and 'tried
out' but - remain on those systems. Those 'user friendly' windows systems.
Those 'Point and Click', 'Drag and Drop', 'Copy and Paste' systems. (Yes MAC
users, I do know you were the first ones... just looking at the numbers of
users, OK ?)

And today we have a (very strong!) backgammon player, available to us for
free (although any donations to FSF (Free Software Foundation) are welcome).
A backgammon player developed on, and intended to be used by *nix systems.

And the world of Win32 users *IS* using it. That world *IS* comparing it
with other Win32 programs. Those people *ARE* disappointed by the feel and
look of GNUBg.

I am a Win32 user.
I started using GNUBg in June this year (on Win, used it on GNULinux couple
of years ago).

And I do have one question, one request for Win32 users 'complaining'.
Please compare the June builds with the 020813 build?
Please do a search on Google NewsGroup and check out the replies of the GNU
Backgammon Project people?

The changes made to the 'Look and Feel' are amazing. If you realise the
GNUBg project isn't a release yet (yep, still pre-release), you must admit
the progress last months is (at least) amazing.

And if you would be able to compile todays snapshot, seeing the bigger board
(yep, much more than 40% now), the Evaluate 0,1,2,3,4 ply 'on-the-fly'
buttons, the sounds (oh!!), the..., the...
You would understand:
This is an ongoing project.
And the changes to that project, the improvements are done by two groups.

One of those groups is: the backgammon players.
You, the backgammon player can ask for an improvement.
And the GNUBg Project people will do there outmost best to implement it
during the next days (yes: days, not 'year').

The other group is those of people improving the 'core', the 'heart' of
GNUBg. To make it an even better player. Those changes one does not 'see'.
Yet: the improvements made to GNUBg by those guys, lifted the 'bot' to a
competing level, able to challenge whatever other 'bot'... and in a 25 point
match, my money would be on GNUBg

Oh....
And it doesn't take much disk space. Way under 20 Mb.
Oh...
And it is fast. Fast in evaluating and fast in rollouts.
Oh....
And you can do (almost) whatever you want to do.... and if there is a thing
you can't do... you can ask for it to be implemented.
Oh...
And you can use the Console Mode it you want ;-) (even on Windows)


But:
GNUBg is _not_ developed and implemented in Win32 environments.
GNBg is *nix source.
And there will be (my guess, maybe a poor one) always 'Hu?? What is this??'
faces staring at the first run of GNUBg on Windows.
(smiling)
Just take a second look? And a third?
And a quick warning:
Don't look a fourth time? Since one can get addicted.

Louis Nardy Pillards
BBL
Belgium

GNU Backgammon is written by:
Joseph Heled, Øystein Johansen, David Montgomery, Jørn Thyssen and Gary
Wong.
All credits go to them.
All 'debets' concerning this article are mine, solely mine.

GNUBg Manual:
http://www.gnu.org/manual/gnubg:
GNUBg FAQ:
http://mole.dnsalias.org/~acepoint/GnuBG/gnubg-faq/
GNUBg official homepage:
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnubg/gnubg.html
GNUBg for Windows:
http://home.online.no/~oeysteij/
GNUBg Snapshots:
ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/snapshots/


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Ile

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Sep 10, 2002, 9:10:29 PM9/10/02
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I'd like to give some credits to GnuBG team too - it's one of the most
interesting software that has came from Gnu project altogether. And this is
my subjective opinion of course.

One thing I'd like to see is GnuBG using DirectX on Windows. If it's somehow
possible (in reasonable time), I'd even like to try to make it myself.

Ilkka


"Back4U2 BBL" <nardy.p...@skynet.be> wrote in message
news:3d7e298a$0$189$ba62...@news.skynet.be...

David Montgomery

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Sep 10, 2002, 10:00:45 PM9/10/02
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On Tue, 10 Sep 2002 19:19:00 +0200, "Back4U2 BBL"
<nardy.p...@skynet.be> wrote:
>GNU Backgammon is written by:
>Joseph Heled, Øystein Johansen, David Montgomery, Jørn Thyssen and Gary
>Wong.

I have to say that my name doesn't really belong on this list.

(I know it is in the program's credits, but Gary put it there
at a time when I was intending to make a much more substantial
contribution to the project than I ever found time to make.)

Joseph, Øystein, Jørn and Gary wrote gnubg. Many others have
contributed significant patches and code for new features.
And even more have contributed ideas, suggestions, feedback,
and criticism.

David Montgomery

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