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Subject: Re: Are ChessBase engines the future?

Author: Fernando Villegas

Date: 18:14:03 11/12/97

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On November 12, 1997 at 20:33:46, Peter Kappler wrote:

>On November 12, 1997 at 19:47:40, Paul Massie wrote:
>
>>This is just a personal opinion, of course, but as a user who purchases
>>a number of packages, and a programmer who has written a lot of code in
>>the past, I happen to like the trend toward putting programs in as
>>engines in Fritz.  As a user, it gives me a known interface that I like
>>and am certain will work.  As a programmer, it allows concentration on
>>the interesting part of the work - the chess engine, instead of spending
>>a lot of time developing a user interface.  I suspect a huge percentage
>>of programmer time is spent on the user interface that the programmers
>>would rather spend working on the engine.
>
>I agree completely.  Another nice feature of "plug-in" engines is that
>it becomes easy to play matches between different engines.
>
>Does anybody have any information on the Fritz API?  I'd like to modify
>my own engine to run under Fritz!
>
>Also, is it safe to assume that when you play Engine X vs. Engine Y that
>neither engine is "thinking" while the other is on-move?
>
>--Peter


There is something more to take into account in this issue: the market
and the nature of this craft is such that is very difficult to imagine
any kind of workable monopoly or so for a long time. Remember what
happened with Hagener and Glaeser and before with Fidelity each time it
seemd they were to take all.  This market is too much volatile. If ever
ChessBase seem to conquer all and give programs with 20 engines, sure it
will appear another genius and another Genius to strike the table. After
all, you don't need so a big investment to become a player in this
business. Is relatively easy to get in...and to get out. On the
contrary, -not saying nothing about how good or bad is what for customer
pleasure Chessbase is doing- the same forces to push some degree of
concentration tends to create the desire to something new and, I repeat,
is not very difficult to becomes a new player. So what we will see is
simply what we are already seeing now, that is, more and more rich,
complex in features packages but not the end of competitios. Is just
that competition will be perform in a higher level of quality and
quantity.



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