[Peteris]

Hello,

This might get removed from these forums if the BBO staff misinterprets, so prefer the conversation mirror at rec.games.bridge http://groups.google...3f1b65c2e5324#.
Thank you!

I would like to announce the creation of jacobian
http://peteriserins....g-jacobian.html . From the
blog post:

"Jacobian is a simple, incomplete, but working protocol for computer
bridge programs. With the host program, you specify a deal,
vulnerability, contract and the four players by specifying their
executable programs. The host then leads them trough a game of bridge
(currently, only the play of the hand is implemented). That’s it."

The actual software components are available here:

• host program: https://github.com/P...s/jacobian-host
  
• GiB wrapper: https://github.com/P...ian-gib-wrapper
  
• GUI: https://github.com/Sedols/jacobian-GUI

Comments and contributions much appreciated. What do you guys think
about this?

[mgoetze]

Well, for starters, I think a working link would have been in order. Secondly, I don't think this is very interesting at all without a bidding phase. On a more positive note, I think it is in principle a good idea. The Go Text Protocol (GTP) certainly helped the development of computer Go.

[Peteris]

mgoetze, on 2011-August-14, 16:22, said:

Well, for starters, I think a working link would have been in order. Secondly, I don't think this is very interesting at all without a bidding phase. On a more positive note, I think it is in principle a good idea. The Go Text Protocol (GTP) certainly helped the development of computer Go.

Thanks for noticing, the link has been fixed now. You're right about the bidding phase. That's one of the priorities. But currently, there was no freely available and easily interfacable bridge robot that can bid, so it was excluded from the current release. You can certainly use the play part though to replay tough hands from tournaments or experiment playing with 3-3 fits, etc.

[mgoetze]

So, uhm, where's the protocol specification?

[Zelandakh]

I think that is you feel a topic is likely to be objectionable to the moderators of a forum that it would be polite to send one (or more) of them a private mail to ask them about it before posting. That way you do not have to fear that the topic will be removed and can explain what you are trying to achieve directly without the likelihood of a "misinterpretation". Does GIB offer this kind of functionality? If so then I can see the scope for such a misunderstanding. If not, then I doubt there will be a problem and wish you luck with your project.

[Peteris]

The protocol specification is in the repository of jacobian-host. It is available at https://github.com/P...s/jacobian-host .
Scroll down for the readme. GiB does offer some of the functionality. But the jacobian suite is free and open. In fact, one of the tools is a free wrapper for the freely available GiB engine from 1997.