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Unread 14-02-2006, 00:53
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Re: cease all software development?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Brinza
Here is the 2005 rule:
<R14> Prior to the competitions: After the close of the “FIX-IT WINDOW” and prior to the competition, the team must put down their tools, cease fabrication of robot parts, and cease all software development. Take this opportunity to rest, recover from the build season, and relax. Teams may scout other teams, gather and exchange information, develop game-playing strategies, collect raw materials, prepare tool kits, plan how to make repairs, etc. in preparation for the upcoming competitions. But no construction or fabrication is allowed.
Compare with the 2006 rule:
<R18> Prior to the competitions: After the close of the “FIX-IT WINDOWS” and prior to the competition, the
team must put down their tools, cease fabrication of robot parts, and cease all software development. Take
this opportunity to rest, recover from the build season, and relax. Teams may scout other teams, gather and
exchange information, develop game-playing strategies, collect raw materials, prepare tool kits, plan how to
make repairs, etc. in preparation for the upcoming competitions. But no construction or fabrication of any
hardware, or development of any software, is allowed.
The difference is in the last sentence, where the phrase "or development of any software" now appears.

So, as was discussed last year, there needs to be some clarification about what constitutes software development (i.e. conceptual design, flowchart, algorithm, coding, test, any or all of these). Since "any software" is stated, dashboard code may also be subject to this restriction.

Time for a new Q&A post!
I understand that the 2006 rule is similar (albeit not identical) to the 2005 rule regarding software development after the ship date. However, my point is that the specific Q&A response you cited had to do with how the 2005 rule was to be interpreted. That interpretation is meaningless for 2006. It is a different game, a different rule (albeit only a small difference - but a significant one), a different set of referees, a different software environment, and a different membership on the GDC that wrote the rules. But perhaps most significantly, the FIRST "powers that be" now have a full year of experience with how teams complied (or didn't comply) with the software development rules from last year. That is sure to influence what they expect from the teams this year, and how they will enforce the rules. Based on that, I would not be willing to use a 2005 Q&A response to make any assumptions about 2006.

-dave
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