Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 21:18:18 09/05/98
Go up one level in this thread
On September 05, 1998 at 22:04:28, Robert Henry Durrett wrote: >On September 05, 1998 at 21:27:22, Fernando Villegas wrote: > >>I wonder what conclusion can be drawn from the fact that only 14% of people >>that answered the question would purchase Crafty, if commercially available in >>CD with the complete Book stuff, etc. ><snip> > >>Fernando > >(1) If I ever get any real money to spend I will purchase all of the top >chess-playing programs. But I will purchase them in order of playing strength. > >(2) There is a distinction between (naked) chess engines and chess-playing >programs, with the latter incorporating a GUI. You can already get the Crafty >engine with ChessBase 7, I understand. Free. [plus the more usual way to get >Crafty, of course.] > >(3) It would be really convenient for people who are NOT computer-savvy to have >a complete Crafty "chess-playing program," comparable in GUI features to Fritz >5, on disk. Unfortunately, the poll was only among CCC members, many of whom >are "computer-savvy." Downloading software and "messing with it" is not the >favorite thing for most non-CCC members, I suspect. The size of the market >cannot be estimated only by polling CCC members, since they do not comprise a >"representative sample" taken from the entire "population" of people who play >with chess-playing programs on their computers or purchase them. > >(4) In any case, the price has got to be competitive! Only the top program >[Fritz 5] can command "top dollar." $100 is too much for anything but one of >the very highest-rated programs. [Incidentally, the "ratings" the general >public will pay attention to, unfortunately, will probably be the >highly-publicized engine vs engine results.] The general public will shy away >from a high price tag because they will not know what they would be getting for >their money. "Chess is chess, and any chess-playing program will do" may >reflect the sentiment of the general public. They will shop for the "best >price" and probably purchase junk without knowing the difference. Sell it for >$20 and they will "sell like hot cakes." > >(5) It would be nice if UAB would give Bob the "go-ahead" to market Crafty. There is no "go-ahead" to get. It is solely my intellectual property, and can be sold, given away, or whatever, without any control by UAB. Giving it away was *my* choice, as I've said before, *not* something dictated by my employer... they think the "freeware" approach is great due to the interest it has produced... but there would be no problems of any kind should I choose to sell it either. It just won't happen... particularly in light of the poll response.. :)
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