Author: Christophe Theron
Date: 11:06:56 09/14/03
Go up one level in this thread
On September 14, 2003 at 04:45:04, Alastair Scott wrote:
>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.
Bob could probably do what he wants to do with Chess Tiger for PalmOS.
All he needs to do is to copy/paste his PGN text to the "Palm Desktop
application" on his PC, then put the Palm on the cradle and press the Hotsync
button.
On the Palm he starts Chess Tiger and loads the PGN.
Then he starts walking thru the game and is able to play alternate moves and see
what the program says by using the "analysis mode". This mode allows the user to
move thru the game while the program constantly displays its opinion about the
score and the best move in the positions, without ever playing a move itself.
There is however a limitation that Bob needs to know: Chess Tiger for PalmOS
will load neither the PGN comments nor the variations. It will only load the
game as it as been played.
This constraint applies to most PalmOS chess programs at this time.
Christophe
>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
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