Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: What is the Bottom Line on Handhelds?

Author: Alastair Scott

Date: 01:45:04 09/14/03

Go up one level in this thread


On September 13, 2003 at 21:25:41, Bob Durrett wrote:

>I see now that my bulletin in this thread was misleading.  I would use my
>regular PC to obtain a collection of games and put it into a named database.  I
>would then simply COPY it into the handheld's memory storage element [which
>takes the place of a hard disk or floppy].  I would never attempt to perform
>database management on a handheld.
>
>Consider Kasparov's new book, "Gary Kasparov on My Great Predecessors Part I."
>This book is a collection of annotated games.  Almost all of those games are in
>Chessbase's Megabase 2003.  In preparation for the study of this book, I copied
>these games into a small database just for this hardcopy book.  Then, when I
>read the book, I simply call up the game and follow it on the monitor as I read
>the book.  This allows me to evaluate my own ideas using a chess engine.  Doing
>this evaluation of my own ideas helps me to understand the inner workings of
>those games.  Typically, I say to myself:  "Why didn't White play XX-XX?"  I
>play it on the computer and the engine quickly lets me know whether or not my
>idea is any good, and if not why not.
>
>That is what I would propose to do on the handheld.  I would not do any database
>management on the handheld.  Who would?

In other words, a PGN reader.

For this task, if you still fancy a PDA, the PocketPC is definitely the winner
as you could just copy the PGN file to it and use Grandmaster Chess
(http://www.pocketgrandmaster.com/ - my favourite) to work it.

Whereas PalmOS is different; although it has many virtues it has no file system
(a deliberate design decision) and dealing with multiple games is difficult.

What there would have to be is a PC application, acting as a conduit, to
synchronise each game in the PGN file to a different memo (a text scratchpad
provided as part of PalmOS); Chess Genius for Palm or Chess Tiger for Palm
already offer facilities to pick and choose from games stored as memos.

I don't think such a _standalone_ application exists, although it could probably
be easily written. (PocketChess -
http://www.handmark.com/products/detail.php?id=85 - does offer the facilities
I've described on PalmOS, but the playing program is of poor quality; despite
what you say you'll soon want to play the computer :)

Alastair



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.