[Termination tools] competition rules, extra systems

[Johannes Waldmann]

Before going into the "technical part"
I would like to thank Claude for the work
he has already put into preparing the competition,
especially defining a common syntax, writing parsers,
and establishing a database of problems.
This is a very useful thing to have,
and we use it extensively in testing our tools.



Hans wrote:

> ... In particular it easily proves termination of your 
> examples s6.srs and turing_add.srs, but not for turing_mult and 
> turing_copy.

.. of course not:

NO
input file:
     "SRS/turing_mult.srs"
                 system has a loop 0 q0 0 h -> 0 0 q0 0 h

NO
input file:
     "SRS/turing_copy.srs"
                 system has a loop 0 q0 h -> 0 0 q0 h


> It is in plain PASCAL. ... to generate an executable file ...

As a general remark (not specifically adressed to Hans)
I would love to see a really "open" competition:
the participants' programs should be freely available.
Perhaps it is acceptable to withhold the complete source
until the date of the workshop itself,
but I suggest Claude publishes on his web site
the very executables that he is using in the testing.
(This is also a reassurance for the authors as we can be sure
that compilation went OK and that it is really our program etc.)


> Some time ago I proposed an alternative format for the competition
> (with systems submitted by participants) on the termtools list. 

I support the idea that problems submitted by "outsiders"
*and* by "programmers" should be used, in some fixed ratio.

There should be a deadline for problem submission,
and then a selection of "outside" problems
should be made by an "outside" judge (i. e., not a participant).
Perhaps this can be announced on the rewriting mailing list
("looking for some more problems, and a judge").

I am not implying that Claude would bias the selection
to favour his program but as Hans said it would be better
if the selection procedure is obviously independent,
so there could not possibly be any base for doubts or complaints.

But then this would mean that we find someone
(who is not a program author)
who takes the competition serious enough
to commit some of his time for problem selection.


What are the opinions from the TRS league?
-- 
-- Johannes Waldmann,  Tel/Fax: (0341) 3076 6479 / 6480 --
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