I recall no more than 3 years ago doing a Google search for some research data I need for a paper. I clicked on a promising link and was BAM nailed with one of those porn sites that opened like 20 popups, which each spawned their own popups. Some of these popups would spawn even more when you closed them. Others with fancy javascripts would avoid you getting your mouse near the close button. Now, that said, I can see this sort of abuse return if they are able to customize your browser. Which we all know Microsoft will enable by default.
This may be of trivial concern to most of you, but I am not very well versed in open-source law. Would it be a problem say, for StarOffice to have used this expiration technique months ago, and now StarOffice isn't free, right? So would it be possible as a marketing strategy for companies to open-source software, build a large user base, have all of the (un-modified) versions expire then force them to a $$$ version?
This isn't meant to spark any debate on the distinction between free speech and free beer.
Please don't really call me a newb:)
Alpha-Beta Pruning or "minimax" is my favorite. It is a good way to trim your search space, but as far as I know pretty much is only used in strategy game playing. Chess specifically. The hard part about it is comming quantifying the value of the moves each player can make (Number of pieces, position on the board, tactics, blah!). Unlike most tradeoffs in CS, this one saves both time & space.
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I recall no more than 3 years ago doing a Google search for some research data I need for a paper. I clicked on a promising link and was BAM nailed with one of those porn sites that opened like 20 popups, which each spawned their own popups. Some of these popups would spawn even more when you closed them. Others with fancy javascripts would avoid you getting your mouse near the close button. Now, that said, I can see this sort of abuse return if they are able to customize your browser. Which we all know Microsoft will enable by default.
This may be of trivial concern to most of you, but I am not very well versed in open-source law. Would it be a problem say, for StarOffice to have used this expiration technique months ago, and now StarOffice isn't free, right? So would it be possible as a marketing strategy for companies to open-source software, build a large user base, have all of the (un-modified) versions expire then force them to a $$$ version?
:)
This isn't meant to spark any debate on the distinction between free speech and free beer. Please don't really call me a newb
Alpha-Beta Pruning or "minimax" is my favorite. It is a good way to trim your search space, but as far as I know pretty much is only used in strategy game playing. Chess specifically. The hard part about it is comming quantifying the value of the moves each player can make (Number of pieces, position on the board, tactics, blah!). Unlike most tradeoffs in CS, this one saves both time & space.