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    Length: 2266 (0x8da)
    Types: TextFile
    Names: »README«

└─⟦b20c6495f⟧ Bits:30007238 EUUGD18: Wien-båndet, efterår 1987
    └─⟦this⟧ »EUUGD18/General/Connect4/README« 

TextFile

README.


This is a Connect Four opponent. It was written under BSD4.3 and uses
curses.  Modifications to make it work on other Unices should be
relatively minor - I can think of perhaps 4 or 5 things that would need
doing.

I am a little hesitant about releasing this now as it is far from what
I would call a finished thing and the code is ugly. It came about after
a few hours thinking about how I could write such a thing (data
structures and strategy and so forth) and then one night of hacking to
get something working. Since then it has been through several revisions
of strategy, but I still consider it to be missing at least one ability
that humans seem to employ when playing. I intend to add this, but not
in the immediate future.

I am also hesitant about putting this into widespread distribution as
Connect Four is undoubtedly a trade mark or some such of Milton Bradley
and I don't want to be woken up by phone calls from their lawyers.

I just took another look at all the code etc and I'm really not very
happy with it. Oh well. Flames meekly accepted - as long as you let me
say "I already knew that..." :-)

I'm happy to discuss strategies and improvements you might like to
suggest. I'd also be happy to see this code developed further, but at
the same time feel a little possessive about it :-( But, since I am too
busy to do anything more for the present, you have permission to do
anything with this code and there is no real need to consult me.

There are very few comments in the code. I am planning to spend quite a
few hours adding some before I lay this to rest and get back to my
schoolwork - just so that when I return to it in a year (or whenever) I
won't get that sinking feeling of not understanding one's own code
anymore.  Or something like that. 

Above all - have fun etc etc. See the file 'Install' for instructions on
getting this up and going.

Regards,
Terry Jones

Department Of Computer Science,  University Of Waterloo     
Waterloo Ontario Canada N2L 3G1. Phone: 1-519-8884674       
UUCP:                    ...!watmath!watdragon!tcjones      
CSNET, Internet, CDNnet: tcjones@dragon.waterloo.{cdn,edu}  
BITNET:                  tcjones@WATER.bitnet               
Canadian domain:         tcjones@dragon.uwaterloo.ca