Author: William Penn
Date: 07:03:16 02/25/05
Go up one level in this thread
On February 24, 2005 at 23:48:53, Roy Brunjes wrote: >I'm debating a purchase of S9. However the question is, which version should I >purchase? > >If I download S9 from www.shredderchess.com, I get S9 UCI. That comes with a >book that is custom-built by Sandro for S9. However, that book is NOT usable in >anything but the S9 classic interface (or so it seems to me). Is that correct? > >If I want to play some games on playchess.com with the S9 engine, then using the >S8 CB GUI (which I already have) will allow me to do that, but this will force >me to use S9 as a UCI engine -- right? > >But, under the S8 CB GUI for playchess.com, what books are available to me? I >think the Sandro book is NOT available, right? That would mean the S8 ChessBase >opening book is my only "commercial" opening book choice given my selection of >the CB GUI for use on playchess.com -- right? > >Also, the graphics for the non-CB version of S9 seem less attractive than the CB >interface. I know this is a matter of personal taste, but perhaps others can >comment and enlighten me to another option I have overlooked? > >Thanks to all the smart folks out there! Any corrections to my statements above >are greatly appreciated. > >Roy I'll just comment about the graphics... It depends on what you mean by graphics, what you expect, and how you use the software. Both have 3D chessboards, but I only use 2D boards. It then becomes a matter of what windows are available, how customizable they are, and their system stability. Shredder Classic graphics are more stable. In other words after you customize, save to disk, and reset your computer, they remain the same. If they are ever changed you can reload them from disk, and they are exactly as saved - same windows, colors, layouts, fonts, etc. So if you do a lot of customizing work then save the designs & layouts to disk, your work will not be lost. Just a slight glitch there... I find that if there are many saved customization files, and you are doing a lot of saving/replacing on disk, occasionally it will overwrite the wrong file. (The Classic GUI seems to have a slight problem with "save/replace" operations in general.) So it's a good idea to make a backup of that folder occasionally. Indeed you might use two folders, one for work in progress, and the other for "valuable" saved customizations. Otherwise Shredder Classic has a rock-solid and reliable graphics system. In contrast the CB graphics are not entirely savable to disk, and you cannot return to exactly the same screen setup by reloading your design/layout from disk. For example the clock pane will always appear in the CB GUI, even if you don't want it. I've also had problems with fonts in the CB GUI, particularly the last GUI8 update from January 2005. For example if you select FigurineCB AriesSP for the Extra Book Pane, strangely Arial will appear instead. (I suspect they have a problem with their font names.) There is also a problem with retaining the "3-bar statistics graphic" in the Extra Book Pane. It simply disappears after several computer restarts and must be reselected from Properties. Also it will not appear at all unless you allow generous vertical space in the Extra Book Pane. The Scoresheet tab does not work very well unless you give it lot of space on the screen and use smaller fonts - even then, occasionally the last moves are hidden. Also when accessing the Scoresheet tab, it will sometimes interrupt an infinite analysis in progress. The two main windows (chessboard and database) are a bit schizophrenic when used along with other software such as a text editor, and they may forget which one is supposed to be in the foreground. The CB GUI has an advantage with its Variation Board which is resizable. The corresponding feature in the Classic GUI is the F11 Show Main Line board, which has a fixed small size. Both have the same VCR operations to step forward/backward through the main line. There is also an Analysis Board in the CB GUI, but I've never been able to figure out how to use it. Both have snap-to windows/panes, allowing you to select which you want, then resize them, and design your screen to suit your needs. Both allow fine-tuning of the colors you prefer. Both have several chess sets and boards to select from; the CB GUI has more of these. For my purposes the two GUI's are approximately equal graphicswise, and I don't have a problem using either one. In fact I use them both simultaneously. I run both the Shredder Classic and CB GUI at the same time, so I have the best of both worlds! Just a slight advantage for the Classic GUI in this department - you can run multiple instances of it. That works OK if you keep the hash size small enough not to exceed your computer's memory capacity. WP
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