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

Author: Kim Roper Jensen

Date: 12:00:23 09/14/03

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On September 14, 2003 at 14:06:56, Christophe Theron wrote:

The only thing that im really missing is a way to expand the opening book from
within the interface .... so i could make a bigger book ..... with the lines i
will play in tournament, i use it as a way to practice while sitting in the
bus/train ....

but all in all I would like to say Good work Christophe :)

>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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