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Subject: Re: Is it time for the Winboard Protocol to go the way of the Dodo?

Author: Frank Phillips

Date: 04:32:17 03/12/05

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On March 12, 2005 at 07:21:31, Vasik Rajlich wrote:

>On March 11, 2005 at 15:51:50, Frank Phillips wrote:
>
>>On March 11, 2005 at 05:32:07, Vasik Rajlich wrote:
>>
>>>On March 10, 2005 at 16:36:30, Frank Phillips wrote:
>>>
>>>>On March 10, 2005 at 09:24:14, Andrew Williams wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On March 10, 2005 at 08:29:02, Vasik Rajlich wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On March 09, 2005 at 12:13:26, Anthony Cozzie wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>After the post on how Daniel Mehrmann is still working on XBoard/Winboard, I
>>>>>>>immediately starting thinking of ways to waste his time.  My question is: Does
>>>>>>>Winboard really have any advantages over UCI any more?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The Anthony WB/UCI comparison:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>+UCI:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Interface is cleaner & easier to implement, not being based on the crappy GNU
>>>>>>>chess protocol.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Supports Multiple PVs, refutations, etc.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Graphical configuration of engines.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>+WinBoard:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Can operate in text mode.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>And this comparison is (obviously) quite favorable to UCI, although I may have
>>>>>>>missed things.  Anyway, I'd be willing to help Daniel out over the next few
>>>>>>>weeks if it meant a new version of Xboard with UCI support, and I'm guessing
>>>>>>>there would be a few other people willing to help out as well.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>anthony
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The current situation is quite ok - every author implements the protocol he
>>>>>>prefers, and adapters exist to make sure that every engine runs in every GUI.
>>>>>>(Except Fritz & Junior -- gggrrrr :)).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Personally, I'm quite sure that UCI support requires less code and less of a
>>>>>>mess in your engine - but it's really a minor issue. It was quite easy for me to
>>>>>>decide for UCI.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As for GUIs - if you haven't already done so, I'd suggest you at least try the
>>>>>>professional GUIs. I doubt it's worth it to try to get winboard caught up ..
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Vas
>>>>>
>>>>>Lots of people develop on Linux. I'm not going to suddenly start using Windows
>>>>>to do chess programming when I use Linux for everything else.
>>>>>
>>>>>Andrew
>>>>
>>>>I would like to second that.
>>>>
>>>>It is depressing if the suggestion is that all (hobby) chess programmers should
>>>>have to agree to the MS licence and fund their 'business' tactics - or write
>>>>their own GUI.
>>>>
>>>>Frank
>>>
>>>Yes, this is a good point. I worked in Unix until 2003 and can sympathize with
>>>this.
>>>
>>>You shouldn't kid yourselves though - and probably you don't - in many cases you
>>>pay a price when you cannot use Windows apps. Maybe it's not right but it's just
>>>the reality.
>>>
>>>Vas
>>
>>
>>It is small compared to the price of using MS Windows; and infinitely small
>>compared to the price of having no choice.
>>
>>Frank
>
>Software is by nature pretty cheap, compared to the time you spend working &
>playing with it.

The cost of MS and other software to replace GNU/Linux software on my machine
would be far greater than the cost of the machine.  I used to have four machines
in a network.  For each I would need a unique copy of MS this and that.  Good
for MS, bad for me.

>
>I don't like the idea that the lack of competition will let M$$ do what they
>want - but I think it's enough that everyone optimize their own decisions, and
>the market will take care of itself.
>
>Vas

If there was a free market, perhaps.  But companies like MS control the market
to avoid competiton.  They long ago ceased to survive by competing on the
products they sell.

Frank



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