Author: Thoralf Karlsson
Date: 04:26:47 11/11/98
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On November 09, 1998 at 23:56:24, Detlef Pordzik wrote: > >>If someone can answer why the most bought chess program versions in the world >>are not tested then I would like to know why please. > >While printing the new SSDF list I recognized something similar and asked Mr. >Karlsson in a email concerning this today. > >I doubt, I'll get an answer. Since you mention your email to me and express your doubts concerning my possible answer, I'll include it here with my comments: >Dear sirs, >dear Mr. Karlsson, >> Dear Mr. Pordzik, >I wonder - and yet would like to ask, if you will decide to let the >world's best selling chess product ever - > >Chessmaster - in it's version 6.000 participate in your list, this time; Testing or not testing CM6000 is not a question of a mere decision, it’s a question of practical possibilities. Nowadays practically all our games with PC-programs are played automatically using auto232. Unfortunately the Chessmaster-programs lacks this possibility. ( Why, you could ask.) So the only option is to play time consuming manual games. We have done that before, and it would be no problem, if we only had members with the right hardware and the wish and possibility to do it. But, practically speaking, that is not the case. Our wish is to play with all stronger programs, including CM6000 and Virtual Chess, but as it is now we lack that possibility. Let me tell you about how our testing situation looks like at the moment: We have eight testers, including myself, with the possibility to play ten automatic meetings at the same time. In some cases 24 hours a day, in other cases one game each night. Not so seldom the automatic play doesn’t work, leaving some machines inactive. Very few, if any, of these testers are interested in going back to the old way of manual testing. One tester plays most of the games (manually of course) between chess computers (Atlanta at the moment). He has no experience with PCs and doesn’t own one. Another tester plays games between chess computers and a P90 now and then. He cannot afford to upgrade to P200 MMX. A third tester sometimes plays games between chess computers, and did earlier play them against a P90. But now he has switched to a K6-machine. Actually we only have one active manual tester of PC-programs left. He plays something like 40 - 60 games a year, but he wants to try several of the new programs, not just spending time with a single one. He owns a P200 MMX and plays his games against SPARC. What happened to those ten persons who played with CM5000 P90 and those three who played with Shredder 1.0 P90? Well, they have simply stopped testing! (Except for the one mentioned above) Either because they are not interested any longer or because they don’t own the right hardware. And SSDF doesn’t have money to buy them one or two P200 MMX. >since SSDF showed no interest to take advantage on CM 5.000 on 200 MMX >or CM 5.500 - at all. It’s not a question of showing interest or not. See above. > >Both decisions concerning J.d. Konings products seem really astonishing >for an outsider. > In that case you must have had un unrealistic view of SSDFs resources. >I'd like to inform ours readers about this, since I just released a >larger article about Johan de Koning and his products. > Yes, I have seen it. You criticize us for not having played older programs also on newer hardware. Don’t you understand that there are capacity limits for us, especially when we cannot play automatically? >Maybe it's even possible this time to show this engine the respect >and let it play on your best - a 200 MMX ? > It’s not a question of showing respect or not , that we haven’t played CM5000, CM5500 or CM6000 on P200 MMX. Be thankful for what we have done, don’t criticize us for not having done more. >I'd really appreciate an answer. > On CCC you have said twice that you didn’t expect me to answer. Why? Anyway, now you have received an answer. I hope it will help you to understand what SSDF can and cannot do. If our best manual testers decided to start playing again and managed to get hold of P200 MMX-machines, SSDF would gladly try to organize the testing of CM6000. Best regards Thoralf Karlsson
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