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

Author: Mike S.

Date: 13:21:00 02/24/03

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On February 24, 2003 at 06:15:22, Rolf Tueschen wrote:

>(...)
>Two points. Could you specify what you mean with "trying harder". The question
>is if a project like LINUX doesn't contradict your proposition. What if the
>cooperation is better than the often arrogant support by the company?

Thinking of GUI and/or engine features, companies have always found new
functions and/or improvements, and I expect this will continue. For example, the
Full Analysis feature of the Fritz GUI is something very advanced (compared to
that, freeware auto analysis functions are primitive), or Fritz' book tree
functions... although, SCID has tree functions too (but AFAIK not for use as an
engine's opening book). Or the Endgame Joker Analysis and Endgame Orakel of the
Shredder classic GUI, or the large amounts of learning material in Chessmaster
with long Josh Waitzkin audio commentary. These are things which make the
important differences between free and commercial chess software IMO, and I'm
sure the companies will come up with more like that.

(Although I wouldn't complain if they would just drop the prices "under the
threat of freeware" if they run out of new ideas...)

A simpler thing to compare is, how *variations* (in the game's notation) are
treated and shown. While SCID shows them "book-like" and clickable like good
chess software does, other freeware cannot; many have only the 2-columns
display. But that isn't something new commercial software has, though.

>Honestly I doubt that I would be treated like I was when I dared to ask where my
>favorite feature had remained, amely the Crtl-I for the content of the notation
>of a game! That is simply gone in the new CB7&8. You already answered in CSS but

(can't remember... it seems there is no keyboard shortcut in CB7 for that.)

>there is no solution until today.

If you have Fritz 7 or -8 available, you could use it alternatively in cases
when that function is required often, and you want to use a keyboard shortcut.
It can access the same databases anyway. Standard is CTRL-C in Fritz, which
copies the notation to the clipboard, but since version 7 you can re-define the
shortcuts. So you could even change it to CTRL-I.

Das ist unter "Extras, Anpassen".

I've read that in F8, you can also choose now if it shall copy a text-style
notation or PGN for pasting into text applications (?).

>Thanks again for the many interesting answers.

You're welcome. I found the topic interesting, being impressed by the convincing
quality of these many good freeware chess programs and engines.

Regards,
M.Scheidl



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