Author: STEPHEN A. BOAK
Date: 00:08:13 11/24/98
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On November 24, 1998 at 00:35:54, Mig wrote: >While trying out different programs to get an overview for an article on >computer chess for a newspaper I found several popular programs are still using >DOS and still look as ugly as they did 15 years ago. > >In particular I was appalled by Rebel 10, one of the top programs out there by >general consent. After using ChessBase 7.0 and relatives for so long I couldn't >believe my eyes. The board and pieces in Rebel 10 look worse than some of the >klugy Java boards used for on-line viewing! (Maybe the guy's settings were >wrong? He didn't think so.) > >I'm no fan of fancy 3-D boards or medieval pieces, etc., but really, I'm sure >they could do better than that. Unless the program in question is dramatically >stronger than the competition to compensate (it's not) I can't imagine using >something that ugly regularly. (Not that I would anyway due to the lack of >multi-tasking.) > >How big of a factor is this considered to be in the marketplace? Beauty is only >skin deep, but there should be a minimum! I like the Rebel pieces very, very much (not saying they are perfect). I like simple pieces, easy to tell apart, good for analysis (which I do a lot), good for board diagrams on printouts. By contrast, on Winboard (the version I have, at least) I can't adjust the board to my favorite colors (light green & buff) *and* find good, contrasting piece colors--dark pieces showing up well on both dark & light squares, same for light pieces. One reason there (Winboard) is that the pieces don't have needed outline (or highlight) colors in the piece designs--to help display by outlining the pieces no matter the background square colors. Not so with the Rebel pieces and board. I also dislike ugly 3-dimensional pieces or fancy sets that take away from the analysis. > >Mig
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