Author: Slater Wold
Date: 14:24:07 11/15/01
Go up one level in this thread
On November 15, 2001 at 16:19:51, Christophe Theron wrote: >On November 15, 2001 at 12:39:27, Slater Wold wrote: > >>On November 15, 2001 at 12:20:37, Christophe Theron wrote: >> >>>On November 15, 2001 at 12:06:24, Slater Wold wrote: >>> >>>>I heard it through the grapevine that Microsoft is working on a chess program. >>>> >>>>Nothing like Deep Blue, but something to rival Chessmaster, and I am guessing, >>>>Chessbase. >>>> >>>>With the money, resources, and brains at Microsoft, I think they have the >>>>ability to make one of the best chess programs on the market. They could afford >>>>to get the best GM's and use some of the best programmers in the world. >>>> >>>>I was curious on what the thoughts of this forum is, on such an idea. I know >>>>most people here don't like Microsoft, but please keep in mind I am asking for >>>>your input on a Microsoft chess program, not their business ethics. >>> >>> >>> >>>I guess that if Microsoft wanted to publish a chess program they would not >>>gather together GMs and programmers. >>> >>>They would just buy an existing chess program. >>> >>>Time has shown that it takes a lot of time (years) to build a strong chess >>>program, and that you do not need to involve grandmasters in the process. >>> >>>What you need the most is TIME. >>> >>>So I think that's the way they would do it: by buying an existing one. That's >>>what they do usually. >>> >>> >>> >>> Christophe >> >>You have a point. But from what I understand, this is *NOT* the case. They are >>actually making their own. >> >>Microsoft buying Chessbase makes NO sense, since Chessbase probably makes 1% of >>what Microsoft does. Chessbase is worth what? A few million? Microsoft can >>create their own software and run Chessbase out of the market for less money. >> >>There already is a Microsoft Chess program, that came with an add on pack a few >>years ago. It wasn't very good, but it shows they had started on something. > > > >It was a game pack for Windows 3.0 called the Xmas pack or something like that >(December 1991). > >And it actually supports my point: none of the programs published in this pack >came from people working at Microsoft. > >Even the famous Mine program has not been written by a MS guy, as far as I know. > >The chess program was Winchess, by David Noris, not Microsoft, and apparently >based on the Turbo Chess free source code (this is written in the help file). I >still have it on my hard disk. > >Just from an economic point of view it makes no sense for them to build a chess >program from scratch. When they go for a market, they go as fast as possible. >They bought mosaic in order to provide an internet browser for Win95 as soon as >possible. > >Remember, they did this right from the start: they bought QDos, and renamed it >to DOS to sell it to IBM. > >Microsoft working on a chess program internally? That makes no sense. > > > > Christophe Well, they would need something stronger than what is most popular now. So that'd be Chessmaster. Most people who are interested in STRONG engines now are familiar with Chessbase, Rebel, Chess Assistant, etc. So buying these would be *very* risky. People would probably be more upset than excited if they heard MS bought the rights to Fritz, and stamped their name on it. They'd probably hire someone to do it for them. Like I said, they are looking into it. Not currently beta testing anything.
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