RE[2]: New maintainer, plans for the future of XBoard
[email protected] Tue, 09 Nov 2021 11:07:22 +0000
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.gnu.xboard.devel |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
------=_Part_441_659953653.1636456042 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Op di., nov. 9, 2021 om 01:07, Simon Scatton schreef:=0A=0AH.G.: do you = want me to push your changes to the actual repo or will=0Ayou be able to = recover your password and push them?=0AWell, let us first try to somehow = revive my account on the git.sv.gnu.org machine.=0AI discovered that I st= ill had another patch (in another git branch) that should be=0Aadded to t= he v4.9.x branch, and that I still have uncommitted changes in that=0Aoth= er branch (not existing on Savannah).=0AMy developing activities were cut= off abruptly because my desktop let me down=0Abeginning this year: if I = could boot it at all, it crashed with a blue screen after=0Aa few times p= er hour. I solved that problem only recently.=0AThe Janggi implementation= should be more or less finished, though. I had created=0Aa new branch fo= r rewriting the code that handles probing the opening book,=0Apresumably = because it did not work well for Janggi (which is special amongst=0Achess= variants in that it allows turn passing at any time). The current book c= ode=0Ais an absolute mess, which initially started as a simple hack. But = then it turned=0Aout to fail in many special situations, which were then = fixed one by one by=0Aadding more patches testing for these situations. T= he basic problem was that=0AXBoard does not keep track of the actual 'pla= yer state' the engines are in=0A(playing white, playing black or force mo= de). The gameMode variable only=0Akeeps track of what state the engine sh= ould be in. But when using the book,=0AXBoard is selecting the book moves= on behalf of the engine that has to play,=0Awhile the engine itself has = to be put in force mode to feed it the book (and=0Aopponent) moves. The p= roblem is to recognize when the engine should leave=0Aforce mode (when it= gets out of book) and receive a 'go' command. Keeping=0Atrack of true en= gine state at all times would make this conceptually simple,=0Abut the cu= rrent code does not do that.=0AAs to the look of XBoard:=0AI will eagerly= await the screenshots for the suggestions you have for this.=0AI am not = sure what people mean when they say that XBoard looks obsolete.=0AThe mai= n window basically only shows a chess board and clocks.=0AIs it that peop= le don't like pull-down menus? What some of the newer=0Acommercial softwa= re uses instead of those (e.g. MS Paint) strikes me=0Aas absolute garbage= ...=0AI often get the complaint that XBoard/WinBoard has a poor 'discover= ability'.=0AThere are many features that people apparently completely mis= s, because=0Athey would rather die that read a manual or tutorial. This m= ight be the most=0Aimportant aspect that could be improved. Except that I= am not sure how.=0ARegards,=0AH.G. ------=_Part_441_659953653.1636456042 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE html><html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"t= ext/html; charset=3Dutf-8" /></head><body><div data-crea=3D"font-wrapper"= style=3D"font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; direction: lt= r"><div style=3D"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16px"></div><br><br><div= ></div><br><br><div data-anchor=3D"reply-title">Op di., nov. 9, 2021 om 0= 1:07, Simon Scatton <[email protected]> schreef:</div><block= quote><div><br>H.G.: do you want me to push your changes to the actual re= po or will<br>you be able to recover your password and push them?<br></di= v></blockquote><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Well, let us first = try to somehow revive my account on the git.sv.gnu.org machine.</span></d= iv><div><span>I discovered that I still had another patch (in another git= branch) that should be</span></div><div><span>added to the v4.9.x branch= , and that I still have uncommitted changes in that</span></div><div><spa= n>other branch (not existing on Savannah).</span></div><div><span><br></s= pan></div><div><span>My developing activities were cut off abruptly becau= se my desktop let me down</span></div><div><span>beginning this year: if = I could boot it at all, it crashed with a blue screen after</span></div><= div><span>a few times per hour. I solved that problem only recently.</spa= n></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The Janggi implementation = should be more or less finished, though. I had created</span></div><div><= span>a new branch for rewriting the code that handles probing the opening= book,</span></div><div><span>presumably because it did not work well for= Janggi (which is special amongst</span></div><div><span>chess variants i= n that it allows turn passing at any time). The current book code</span><= /div><div><span>is an absolute mess, which initially started as a simple = hack. But then it turned</span></div><div><span>out to fail in many speci= al situations, which were then fixed one by one by</span></div><div><span= >adding more patches testing for these situations. The basic problem was = that</span></div><div><span>XBoard does not keep track of the actual 'pla= yer state' the engines are in</span></div><div><span>(playing white, play= ing black or force mode). The gameMode variable only</span></div><div><sp= an>keeps track of what state the engine should be in. But when using the = book,</span></div><div><span>XBoard is selecting the book moves on behalf= of the engine that has to play,</span></div><div><span>while the engine = itself has to be put in force mode to feed it the book (and</span></div><= div><span>opponent) moves. The problem is to recognize when the engine sh= ould leave</span></div><div><span>force mode (when it gets out of book) a= nd receive a 'go' command. Keeping</span></div><div><span>track of true e= ngine state at all times would make this conceptually simple,</span></div= ><div><span>but the current code does not do that.<br></span></div><div><= br></div><div>As to the look of XBoard:<br></div><div><br></div><div>I wi= ll eagerly await the screenshots for the suggestions you have for this.</= div><div>I am not sure what people mean when they say that XBoard looks o= bsolete.</div><div>The main window basically only shows a chess board and= clocks.</div><div>Is it that people don't like pull-down menus? What som= e of the newer</div><div>commercial software uses instead of those (e.g. = MS Paint) strikes me</div><div>as absolute garbage...</div><div><br></div= ><div>I often get the complaint that XBoard/WinBoard has a poor 'discover= ability'.</div><div>There are many features that people apparently comple= tely miss, because</div><div>they would rather die that read a manual or = tutorial. This might be the most</div><div>important aspect that could be= improved. Except that I am not sure how.</div><div><br></div><div>Regard= s,</div><div>H.G.<br></div></div></body></html> ------=_Part_441_659953653.1636456042--