Author: Dann Corbit
Date: 13:33:18 02/24/03
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On February 24, 2003 at 16:04:07, Frank Quisinsky wrote: >Hi Dann, > >>The commercial >>systems also have much better documentation and much better support. > >The reason is easy! >More person works here. > >It's not easy to make all for free, spent time and make it perfect. >It's possible (not the problem) but for a compact product a programmer need a >some help. A programmer allone can not all do (for a GUI not possible). > >And ... >We have not many GUIs with a ten years development (compare ChessBase GUIs). >With time a product are better and better! > >I believe much freeware is better as the best commercial products. > >Example: >The most things in Arena are better as in commercial products! I agree that Arena has excellent features, but I think you quoted the wrong ones. >- autoplayer support I have not experimented with this, but most of the commercial engines are tested using autoplayer for the SSDF, IIRC. >- dgt support I have no idea about this one. I am not even sure what it is. Is this one of those chess boards where you move the pieces on a physical board and the computer recognizes it? >- engine support Chess Assistant can use every engine that Arena can, and some that Arena can't. >and many other things ... For me, the best thing that Arena does is EPD analysis and engine engine contests. Unfortunately, it does not output the EPD analysis in EPD format. Also the engine/engine contests are limited to a single pair. For running contests, Chessmaster is better. But it has a pathetic EPD analysis feature (you even have to tell chessmaster what color is to move, even though the answer is right in the record!) For analyzing EPD, Chess Assistant is much better. I don't have CA 7, but CA 6 does not properly support engine/engine contests. Chessbase also cannot write out an EPD record, though it can read them. If Arena continues to improve, it will become as good as the commercial systems. But where is the database? That feature is totally lacking. When it does become as good as the commercials, I predict it will become commercial (or be used to generate money in some way).
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