Hi Murat, Here’s a side-by-side comparison between the original Heled-based Python hooks and the new gnubg CPython extension: Feature Heled’s Python Hooks gnubg CPython Extension Installation • Clone Savannah repo & build from source• Use the special gnubg --python interpreter (Python 2.7) • pip install gnubg• Prebuilt wheels for Python 3.7–3.13, no build step Integration • Launch gnubg as a subprocess• Send commands, parse text output • import gnubg into existing python programs Dependencies & Setup • External binary, manual download/config of weights & bear-off tables • Bundles weights & tables inside the wheel• Auto-initialized on first import Call Overhead • High per-call latency (spawn/process I/O) • Low overhead, in-memory C API calls Python Version Python 2.7 only Python 3.7–3.13 Platform Support Manual builds on Linux/macOS; limited Windows 32 bit Wheels for Windows x86_64, Linux (x86_64 & ARM), macOS (Intel & ARM) 64 bit Ideal Use Cases Ad-hoc scripts in python2.7 (outdated and unsupported programming language) Jupyter notebooks, CI pipelines, batch data-science workflows, web UIs Ecosystem Reach Limited to existing GnuBG user base Ubiquitous in the Python community—opens up backgammon tooling and game development to the largest programming audience What I’m aiming to accomplish
1. Turnkey Python 3 support without manual builds or subprocess hacks. 2. Broad accessibility: by distributing on PyPI to the world’s most popular developer community, gnubg becomes instantly available for anyone to build backgammon UIs, bots, educational tools, data-science research, and more. 3. Cross-platform consistency: guaranteed prebuilt binaries on all major OS/architectures. To be transparent, I used ChatGPT to help me frame this explanation. I realize Python development may not be part of your day-to-day work—and these enhancements might not directly impact your own workflows—but they’ll pave a much smoother onboarding path for others, with accessible, familiar documentation and examples. That way, developers across the wide Python3 community can more easily get started, leverage, and extend GNU Backgammon, and backgammon like games in general. Best regards, David Reay [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: Murat K <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 8:59 PM To: DAVID REAY <[email protected]>; bug-gnubg <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Alpha Release of Python3 Extension Module CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Hi David, I may have not worded my question clearly. I was expecting a side-by-side comparison of your extension with Heled's. All the things you mentioned as pluses are actually minuses for me. I have created dozens of Python scripts to run many experiments with GnuBG. After intalling GnuBG, I didn't have to do anything other than coding my scripts in a text editor and running them. Maybe I don't understand what you are trying accomplish..? MK On 5/26/2025 1:23 PM, DAVID REAY wrote: Hi Murat, Thank you for taking the time to evaluate the alpha release. The goal of this package is to provide a native Python 3.x extension module for the core GNU Backgammon neural-net evaluation engine, so you can write scripts or programs in Python 3.7–3.13. In particular, it offers: * Full Python 3 support You no longer need to fall back to Python 2.7 or the specialized GNU Backgammon interpreter—simply run your existing analysis code under Python 3.7 through 3.13. * Easy installation via PyPI pip install gnubg and then in your code: import gnubg No more manual clones of Savannah, no wrestling with build scripts, GNU autotools, or makefiles, and no more hunting down network-weight files. * Cross-platform wheels Prebuilt binaries are available for Windows x86_64, Linux (x86_64 & ARM), and macOS (Intel & ARM). * Out-of-the-box packaging All necessary weight files, bear-off tables, are bundled. You get a turnkey CPython extension module—no extra steps required. Best regards, David Reay [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: Murat K <[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 8:05 PM To: DAVID REAY <[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]>; bug-gnubg <[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: Alpha Release of Python3 Extension Module CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. On 5/24/2025 11:38 PM, DAVID REAY wrote: > I'm writing to share the alpha release of the > Python extension module that wraps the GNU > Backgammon neural network evaluation engine. After looking at your site, it's not clear to me what functionality does your extension offers that we don't already have..? MK
