Author of NGplay_61 should give credit to tscp

[User923005]

It obviously came from TSCP.
And Tom K. is not happy with derivatives that give no credit.

[Adam Hair]

It obviously came from TSCP.
And Tom K. is not happy with derivatives that give no credit.

Then I will not use it.

[Adam Hair]

It obviously came from TSCP.
And Tom K. is not happy with derivatives that give no credit.

Two authors disagree with you (Sven Schüle and Pedro Castro). Can you give some rationale for your claim?

[lucasart]

It obviously came from TSCP.
And Tom K. is not happy with derivatives that give no credit.

Two authors disagree with you (Sven Schüle and Pedro Castro). Can you give some rationale for your claim?

Make it 3 with myself (author of DiscoCheck). I had a look at both codes, and I do not find any basis to this accusation.

"User923005", the ball is in your camp. Can you present some evidence ? Or is this just gratuitious spamming ?

[User923005]

TSCP:
if (!strcmp(s, "bye")) {
printf("Share and enjoy!\n");
break;
}

NGplay_61:
if (!strcmp(s, "bye")) {
printf("Share and enjoy!\n");
break;
}

Way more evidence than was used to convict Vas, and far more obvious. There is plenty more there for those who know how to look. You obviously have not bothered.

Listen, the program NGplay has moved a long way forward from its TSCP origin. In many ways it hardly resembles its predecessor. I also know of many other programs that started out as TSCP and evolved into something much stronger, without giving credit and I did not say much about it except to the program authors. I am just saying that the author should put a note in his program's readme about the TSCP origins.

[Samer]

Here there is more...
TSCP
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <signal.h>
NGPlay
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <signal.h>

[User923005]

Here there is more...
TSCP
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <signal.h>
NGPlay
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <signal.h>

Very perceptive of you to note the use of signal, which is rather rare among Windows chess engines.

[User923005]

Since you mentioned signal, let's look at the usage:
NGPlay

Code: Select all

void            xboard(void)
{
    char            line[256],
    command[256];
    int             moveNo = 40,
                             TimeMins,
                             Incr;       /* , from, to, fl; */
    MOVE            amove;

    side = white;
    ComputerSide = none;        /* no engine at start */
    max_time = 15000;           /* by default 15 seconds/move */

    signal(SIGINT, SIG_IGN);
    printf("\n");
    for (;;) {
        fflush(stdout);

TSCP:

Code: Select all

void xboard()
{
   int computer_side;
   char line[256], command[256], msg[356];
   int m;
   int post = 0;
   int time, inc = 0;
   bool icc = false;
   bool analyze_on = false;

   signal(SIGINT, SIG_IGN);
   printf("\n");
   init_board(spos);
   gen();
   computer_side = EMPTY;
   for (;;) {
      fflush(stdout);

[User923005]

How hard would it be for the author to add a little note to the readme file that says:
"This engine started life long ago as TSCP"
or perhaps:
"I spend a great deal of time learning from TSCP before I wrote my engine"
or something along those lines.

I only brought it up because there are certain chess authors who really get their bun in a knot when someone uses code from their chess engine without permission and/or credit given. Tom K. is one of them.

It took me all of 2 minutes to recognize the TSCP lineage. Of course, I played with TSCP long ago, writing versions with hash tables and move lists and various other things. I asked Tom if I could post them and he said he would prefer that I not do that, so I only published the one that had half a move list.

IOW, I am familiar with TSCP. Perhaps those who reviewed NGplay were not.

[User923005]

I would like to mention further that I did not say, "The author of NGplay_61 should be hung from a tree and beaten!" nor did I say, "The author of NGplay_61 should be forever banned from chess tournaments and shamed with international news postings!"

I simply said that he should give Tom Kerrigan credit.

Nothing more, nothing less.