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Subject: Re: Dangers in CC - The Mania of Free Products

Author: Rolf Tueschen

Date: 02:36:11 02/24/03

Go up one level in this thread


On February 23, 2003 at 20:34:29, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On February 23, 2003 at 18:17:02, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>
>>As usual I research the more general problems, since I am not a born programmer.
>>
>>When I see that many people in CC support around 200 amateurs - that's how they
>>are called- who created FREE programs, and certain spin doctors who write about
>>"difficulties" for the "professional" experts, I see several questions.
>>
>>
>>1) Who created the many features say of the ChessBase database program? FREE
>>amateurs or professionals?
>>
>>2) Could someone tell me what feature, just 1 example because I don't know any,
>>was at first created by amateurs?
>
>The chess programs themselves.
>
>Endgame databases.
>
>Opening books.
>
>Graphical displays.
>
>game annotation features
>
>ECO opening classification by the computer.
>
>The ability to search thru large opening databases, citing win/lose/draw
>percentages, who played the game, etc.
>
>I can't think of _much_ that was _not_ created by "amateurs"...

Stupid me! Didn't get the exact questioning. Ok, let's take the display. The
base of such a feature was inveted long ago, but then it's a totally different
thing what content, chess related, is concerned. And I was only talking about
such details. From the perspective of chessplayers.

You deny the cloning of ChessBase features because their code is secret but I'm
not satisfied with such an answer! With cloning I don't mean the exact copy of a
product. I meant the re-coding of a feature that was INVENTED by a professional
company.

The whole debate and your short-cut answer gives me the impression that in chess
there is no respect for the creations for the benefit of mankind, here chess
people. What is the exact meaning of copyright?

NB that I do NOT have programs like Crafty in mind a more academic work in
progress with open source!


>
>>
>>3) I read that people adore FREE programs like ARENA. They are proud that ARENA
>>has all the features, or almost all, ChessBase also has; I ask if ARENA is a
>>clone of ChessBase8?
>
>Impossible.  Chessbase doesn't publish their source.
>
>
>>
>>4) As a more technical question: Is a smart amateur programmer able to program a
>>clone of professional products? Or is cloning impossible if the code is secret?
>>
>>5) Could someone show - perhaps for other fields - what results out of the so
>>called copying of professional ideas and products? Isn't it the consequence that
>>the professional creative people become exhausted?
>>
>>6) Then, is't it a consequence that then also the amateurs have no longer
>>something to copy? [NB I do NOT say that amateurs only copy all day long. See
>>point 4 where I ask if copying is possible.]
>>
>>7) Who could tell me how the development in a field continues in case of
>>amateurs cloning?
>
>Amateurs exist in _all_ fields and all disciplines.  So I don't get your
>point...

See above. Amateurs in that sense that they "copy" existing features of a chess
software. And then offer it for free to the users. I don't see the reason for
such a nonsense or it is for academical examinations.



>
>
>>
>>8) In short: I see the danger of less progress and NOT- what the supporters and
>>fans are doing - a higher coloring of a scene.
>
>Makes no sense to me.  In the beginning there were _nothing_ but amateur
>chess programs around.  They started it all.

You are saying that ChessBase programs are just a copy themselves?

Rolf Tueschen



>
>
>>
>>
>>What do you think?
>>
>>Rolf Tueschen



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