Re: Fwd: Re: [Bug-XBoard] Please Help

[Tim Mann]

It looks like you guys are having fun!  It's great to see this
activity.  Let me know if you need me to OK anything, add H. G. to the
Savannah project membership, talk to FSF guys, whatever...  I still
don't really have time to do any real coding/docs/testing/etc., sadly.

On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:43:11 +0200, "h.g. muller" <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> >Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:42:02 +0200
> >To: Arun Persaud <address@hidden>
> >From: "h.g. muller" <address@hidden>
> >Subject: Re: [Bug-XBoard] Please Help
> >
> >>
> >>that sounds very promising. I emailed Allessandro and if he already
> >>signed the forms than we could go right ahead... If it is ok, I'll
> >>forward your email address to the gnu-guys, so that they can start the
> >>process to get you all set up.
> >
> >OK, no problem.
> >
> >> > From then on basically all changes and new code in the back end and
> >> > front end
> >> > files where from my hand, with one exception: I based the code for the
> >> > GUI book on code from Michel van den Bergh, which was already released
> >> > in the public domain. So I guess he already abdicated his rights
> >> > (the code is published on his website, see
> >> > http://alpha.uhasselt.be/Research/Algebra/Toga/book_format.html ,
> >> > which also makes a comment on the legal status.)
> >>
> >>so that's for the GUI? I guess, if we change to gtk we would rewrite
> >>that code anyway... (btw: is gtk ok with you? I got the feeling it is,
> >>but I guess the question never really came up ;))
> >
> >Why would you want to rewrite it? This is pure back-end code, not?
> >(I put it in the file book.c, which goes in both the WinBoard and XBoard 
> >build.)
> >My knowledge of gtk is zero, so I don't feel qualified to have any opinion 
> >on it
> >at all. I understand that it is something that would compile both on Linux 
> >and
> >WinBoard.
> >
> >>that should be ok... I think the rule of thumb is if you add more than
> >>15 lines of code they want to get a form signed. This doesn't include
> >>similar changes as adding a #define in every file or so...
> >
> >Then I think it is OK.
> >
> >
> >>Do we really need backward compatibility, if we provide a SVG version of
> >>all the graphics? Since changing to gtk and getting all the changes you
> >>did into Savannah, we change so many things and introduce new
> >>dependencies for gtk anyway, I would think that this would be a good
> >>point to clean things up and through all the Xt/Xaw stuff out completely
> >>and perhaps other things too.
> >
> >The point is that there are people who are using XBoard with customized
> >graphics, e.g. like this: 
> >http://linuz.sns.it/~monge/wiki/index.php/Chess_pieces .
> >They won't be happy when they download the new XBoard executable, and
> >it turns out it does not understand the pixmaps they took so much effort to
> >design anymore.
> >
> >
> >> >> do you have your code in version control? would be nice to keep the
> >> >> history of all the changes for example
> >> >
> >> > Unfortunately not, as I haven't the slightest idea what version 
> >> control is,
> >> > and what it is good for...
> >>
> >>this is my take on version control: it basically allows you to take a
> >>snapshot of the code whenever you want and add a comment to it. So
> >>whenever you add a feature you would take a new snapshot and add a
> >>comment: "added feature foobar". It also makes it very easy to get a
> >>diff from version abc compared to version xyz, so you can easily see
> >>what was changed or to revert changes you made. The main advantage is
> >>that it makes it easy for people to work on the same project at the same
> >>time, since it can keep track of who changed what and what was changed
> >>when, which makes debugging easier. It also helped resolves merge
> >>conflicts in case several people changed similar things. There are a lot
> >>of different programs out there that can be used to do this. Xboard on
> >>Savannah uses CVS, which feels a bit outdated to me (but Tim would like
> >>to keep it, since he is very familiar with it). I use git
> >>(http://git-scm.com/) for most of my stuff nowadays. But using just
> >>tar-balls is fine with me too... I can upload the stuff to Savannah and
> >>handle the CVS part of it, that way you can do more coding, which I
> >>guess would be more productive ;)
> >
> >OK, I will definitely have to gt acquainted with this. I have never 
> >programmed
> >anything as part of a team, so I had never to deal with some of the problems
> >you sketch, but I can imagine they exist.
> >
> >If I work on my own I keep very few 'snapshots', basically only the versions
> >that I release. And they usually contain many new features, as I typically 
> >work
> >on many features at the same time. And often they are not even finished when
> >I release, e.g. when I postpone creating menu items for them to a later 
> >release,
> >and initilly only have them accessible through command-line options. There
> >has been no plan or grand design; I add features as I need them (or people
> >request them), and then I slowly polish them to perfection.
> >
> >>As far as I can see it we should do the following:
> >>* get you signed up for the gnu-project
> >>* get Allessandro's signature
> >>* keep you working on winboard
> >>* keep me working on gtk
> >
> >Sounds like a good plan. Note that in expanding the capabilities of WinBoard,
> >I also extended WinBoard protocol with some sorely needed new commands.
> >Documenttion will probably also have to be put on the agenda.
> >
> >I am currently working on what will become 4.3.16; this includes fixing some
> >bugs people complained about. In the WinBoard branch I am currently working
> >on the displaying of engine logos (next to the clocks), which can be supplied
> >as bitmap files through the command-line options -firstLogo and -secondLogo.
> >( 
> >http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26554&postdays=0&postorder=a 
> >sc&highlight=logos&topic_view=flat&start=0 )
> >This already works, but I am trying to make the ue of logos more 
> >user-friendly
> >by suplying an option -autoLogo, which searches the logo files automatically
> >in the engine directory. The user then only has to run WB with /autoLogo=true
> >once, after which this setting gets incorporated into the winboard.ini 
> >file, and
> >from the on logos will automatically be selected to go with the engines.
> >This also works already, and quite satisfactory, in Two Machines mode.
> >Problem is that I have no clear idea yet what to display in other modes
> >for the second logo, when the second engine is not used. E.g. in ICS mode,
> >should it look for freechess.bmp and chessclub.bmp files, with logos for the
> >various servers. Or should it try to find logos corresponding to the opponent
> >you are playing? And what if you play an engine as a Human? Should it look 
> >for
> >a logo file corresponding to your user name? I am still brooding on all this.
> >
> >A second thing I am working on is better adjudcation in engine-engine games
> >in variant xiangqi, to know which side should be declared loser on a 
> >three-fold
> >repetition.
> >
> >Regards,
> >H.G.
> >
> >
> >>once we have all the signature, we get your code into Savannah and then
> >>start working on combining xboard and winboard using gtk as a
> >>cross-platfrom GUI.
> >>
> >>cheers
> >>     ARUN
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Tim Mann  address@hidden  http://tim-mann.org/