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Subject: About Face

Author: Zachariah Amela

Date: 10:09:53 08/07/99


First, I would like to thank you for reading this post.  I have a number of
question that perhaps you can answer.  I believe I am correct in assuming that
the majority of our posters are quite experienced with a number of chess
programs.  With that experience you can provide me with valuable insight.

A colleague and myself are in the midst of writing a chess interface program.
The app is being developed in VB 5.0 and VC++ 5.0.

This program is designed to allow users to play chess over a variety of mediums.
 That being direct dial-up, via Internet, parsed e-mail, over a network, via a
serial link and so on.  The idea being that one of the greatest joys of chess is
the ability to easily play a fellow human.  The ability to do so regardless of
equipment and the ability to play independently of the bustling chess servers.
The servers are wonderful, but sometimes it is better to play your friend,
co-worker, spouse, associate, family member, etc., without the crowds.

My question is about interfaces.  My question is two fold:

Question One
What type of interfaces do you truly love?  Which ones do you truly hate?  Most
importantly, why?  What interfaces feel NATURAL?  Which don’t?  How does this
affect your playing?  For the better or the worse?  Do you rely on the computer
for your view, or do you have a "real" chess set next to your terminal or
computer?  Which OS offers the best interface, in your opinion?

Question Two
Suggestions!  What would you most like to see in a chess interface?  What style
options would your prefer?  What would help you play?  What would help guard
against eye fatigue?

What tools, programs, methods or fonts do you suggest? What resources do you
suggest I review?  What tools have you used in your development?

I plan to offer as many different boards/pieces as possible.  What should be the
top 5?  What color schemes?


Again thank you!  I hope I did not overload you with questions.  I am very
excited about this and I really want to explore the man-machine interface
theories.



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