Re: [quackle] ANNOUNCEMENT: QUACKLE 0.9 RELEASED for Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:48:14 -0800

Hello,

  On my laptop (IBM Thinkpad 600e - Windows XP Pro - Service Pack 1) only the Lister function works - everything else crashes. (Including Help and its subdirectories)

  Regards,

  Serge


At 04:17 AM 3/6/2006, you wrote:

Hi all,

Please download Quackle for Linux, Mac OS X, or Microsoft Windows from:

http://www.quackle.org

and read the Quackle 0.9 press release, printed at the end of this
email:

http://www.quackle.org/pressrelease.html

and peruse the pretty pictures at:

http://www.quackle.org/screenshots.html

Please forward this announcement and press release to everybody who may
be interested. Does anybody have any suggestions for, well, press people
who may like to know?

Thanks, and please enjoy Quackle!
Jason Katz-Brown, John O'Laughlin, John Fultz, and anonymous donor

PS. Please don't sue us.


/*------*/

Open-Source Quackle Crossword Game Software Released to Public

DATELINE 6 MARCH 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Quackle 0.9 beta release offers leading-edge artificial intelligence and
novel analysis tools

Free crossword game program can use the TWL06 lexicon and run on Linux,
Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows

6 March 2006 - THE INTERNET - Jason Katz-Brown and John O'Laughlin are
excited to announce today the public release of Quackle
(www.quackle.org), a world-class crossword game artificial intelligence
and analysis tool. It can be configured to play and analyze SCRABBLE®
brand crossword games and use the newest lexicons. Quackle includes a
move generator, move evaluator, simulator, and Qt-based user interface
and can be used with any board layout, alphabet, lexicon, and tile
distribution. It is licensed under the open-source revised BSD license.

To further our knowledge of the mathematics and strategy behind
crossword games, we need versatile tools for replaying games and
analyzing positions. Quackle provides powerful tools in an easy-to-use
interface no crossword game program has ever matched. Quackle
simulations can be run for any number of plies and report on the average
turn scores and standard deviation for each ply separately. Sims can
also be paused and adjusted on the fly. "Using Quackle's flexible
postmortem analysis and fine-grained simulation capabilities will make
everyone a stronger crossword game player, and change the way you
evaluate positions over the board," says coauthor Jason Katz-Brown.

The ability to adapt to any lexicon and board layout makes Quackle a
truly global tool. An Italian-language lexicon is included in this beta
release as a proof of concept. Users can also switch between SOWPODS,
TWL06, and TWL98 lexicons at any time.

If you want to be alerted of future Quackle announcements or join in
Quackle's development, please join the "quackle" Yahoo! group.


Downloading Quackle
      * Download Quackle for Microsoft Windows: quackle-0.9-windows.exe
        After running quackle-0.9-windows.exe, run Quackle by launching
        the Quackle program in C:\Quackle.
      * Download Quackle for Mac OS X: quackle-0.9-macosx.dmg
      * Download Quackle Source Code (requires scons and Qt 4):
        quackle-0.9-source.tar.gz

Quackle 0.9's implemented features:

      * Cross platform; Quackle runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft
        Windows.
      * Play games with any number of players, including multiple
        computer opponents.
      * Make plays by typing directly on a shiny graphical board.
      * Generate a position's best moves at the click of a button.
      * Simulate any number of plies or to the end of the game.
      * Optionally log simulation in an XML format to a file.
      * Get average spread and winning percentage of simulated plays at
        the click of a button.
      * Easily analyze your own positions by starting a game with two
        human players and setting racks manually.
      * Analyze previous positions in a game after its conclusion.
      * Given a lexicon, tile distribution, and tile worths, Quackle can
        play in your language.

Please contact Quackle's authors Jason Katz-Brown ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and
John O'Laughlin ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) with inquiries. Jason is ranked
14th and John 45th in North America by the National Scrabble
Association. Jason is the author of Kolf and Kiten distributed with KDE.
John is the coauthor of Landau, the crossword game program Quackle
supersedes. Jason and John have previously collaborated on the
open-source lexicon study tool Letterbox and the Anagrams game playing
IRC bot anabot.

The authors would like to express great thanks to an anonymous donor who
allowed the open-sourcing of this project and John Fultz for Microsoft
Windows building help.


YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS




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