Java Questions and Concerns

[irvingc]

Originally Posted by MatthewC529

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On an unrelated note, is it legal to construct a library for use by a future team of programmers to provide extra Math Functions, Handlers, Helpers and so on to ease the learning process? Or is that within competition rules?
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We can only speculate at the answer for your other hypothetical questions, but for this question at least there is a concrete answer found in R13 (section 4.4) of the game manual:

ROBOT elements created before Kickoff are not permitted. ROBOT elements, including software, that are designed before Kickoff are not permitted.

Exceptions include the following:

1. BUMPERS,
2. OPERATOR CONSOLE,
3. battery assemblies per R5-A, and
4. software and designs with source files publicly available prior to Kickoff.

Specifically, example 5:

Example 5: A different Team develops a similar solution during the fall, and plans to use the developed software on their competition ROBOT. After completing the software, they post it in a generally accessible public forum and make the code available to all Teams. Because they have made their software publicly available before Kickoff, they can use it on their ROBOT.

In other words, your described scenario is valid provided you make the library available to the general public prior to kickoff.