Re: [gnugo-devel] endgame module for GNU Go

[Arend Bayer]

Hi Eric,

frankly I don't quite understand why you are so upset.

Eric wrote:
> --- Paul Pogonyshev <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> > Eric wrote:
> > 
> > > --- Paul Pogonyshev <address@hidden> wrote:
> > > 
> > > > * I don't think it is worth the inconvenience of
> > > > plugging in a planner into GNU Go.
> > > 
> > > Yea, unless it makes GNU Go useful for something
> > > besides your own personal entertainment.
> > 
> > GNU Go is meant to be "useful" in terms of playing
> > Go.
> > It can be used for research (or do you mean any else
> > use?), but that's not something "common" GNU Go
> > users
> > are interested in.
> 
> Okay Paul, please allow me to be more blunt. I have
> absolutely no interest in making GNU Go "stronger". My
> aim is to make GNU Go "work".
> 
> By "work", what I mean is that I want a champion,
> human Go player to value and enjoy playing GNU Go, and
> not just have it as a curiosity for novices.

Well during our work with GNU Go over a few years, everybody among us
has gotten known the difficulties and pitfalls in improving it; so you
should excuse that we are a little sceptical about your claim that plugging
an AI planner into GNU GO will suddenly make it "conquer the game of Go".
But we would be pleased if you prove us wrong.

> Similarly, GNU Go will never conquer the game of Go by
> relying exclusively on a procedural, pattern matching
> approach. It's a nice start, and it is impressive how
> far you folks have gotten with it. But it aint gonna
> get the job done.

> So, with that being said, I hope you can forgive my
> loss of patience. I have a lot of work to do, and I
> came to this list for technical advice. Instead, I get
> hung up with all this logistical chit chat about FSF.
> Anyone who has ever taken an Introduction to Computer
> Science course knows how FSF works. It is not new.

Everybody among us made that decision to assign the copyright of our
contributions to the FSF, so it only seems fair that we ask you to do
the same if you want to have your code added into mainline GNU Go.
Apart from that you are free to do with GNU Go whatever you want; only 
if you distribute your changes you are bound by the GPL.

Further, I think you did get a quite a few technical comments. 

> > > > Most users would not even know what a planner
> > was
> > > > and that GNU Go had a use for one.
> > > 
> > > Duh. That's the whole purpose of the effort.
> > Nobody
> > > knew what personal computers were useful for
> > either,
> > > until Bill Gates starting building them.

Paul was saying that the purpose of GNU Go is to play go well, not to be
an advertising platform for AI planners. If it turns out that integrating
an AI planner gives as much improvement towards this goal as you claim,
then we are all in the same boat.

Arend