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Subject: Re: The Bickering Debate

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 06:29:24 10/31/99

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On October 31, 1999 at 02:22:42, Micheal Cummings wrote:

>On October 31, 1999 at 00:09:48, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On October 30, 1999 at 22:44:17, Micheal Cummings wrote:
>>
>>>On October 30, 1999 at 17:42:36, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 30, 1999 at 16:12:12, Pillsbury wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Hi
>>>>>
>>>>>I must appreciate the programmers who do a fine job of creating a grandmaster
>>>>>who waits for me round the clock, ready to play chess anytime. I even deside how
>>>>>strong he can play depending on my mood! The price I paid is very small. I must
>>>>>appreciate the commercial programmers. There is competition to make sure that
>>>>>there is contribution, improvement etc., This is the way nature works. The
>>>>>fittest will survive.
>>>>>
>>>>>I do not believe in 'free stuff' especially when I want the best!
>>>>>
>>>>>karthick
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Sorry you feel that way, because you are going to miss Linux, Xwindows, gcc,
>>>>and a zillion other things that are as good or better than anything you can
>>>>get commercially.
>>>>
>>>>However, there is always someone willing to take your money, so you won't
>>>>be disappointed on that front.  :)
>>>
>>>From my point of view I have nothing ahinst free stuff, I have found some handy
>>>free programs.
>>>
>>>But when it comes to chess I have always had the impression that freeware chess
>>>programs are not up to standard of commercial. This is clear in the interface,
>>>but from tourmaments that people have run, commercial program always seem to be
>>>better than freeware.
>>>
>>>Many freeware programs seem to be written more because it is a hobby. This does
>>>not include the larger companies which produce internet broswers and the such,
>>>cause they have other agendas to push.
>>>
>>>I do not use any chess program that run on winboard, cause I hate the interface.
>>>For ICC I use Blitzn.
>>>
>>>If you wrote an nice interface for your program years ago, you could have been
>>>rolling in allot of money, thats if you are not already.
>>>
>>>Mental thought dictates that Freeware is cheap in both quantity and quality.
>>
>>
>>That thought is wrong.
>
>Not really, the only freeware I use, is my web browser (that is only free cause
>netscape and microsoft want to battle it out to dominate the web) and a image
>viewer Iview32.
>
>There maybe one or two other programs that I use that are free, but these
>usually are web download managers which you have to put up with advertising.
>

have you ever ftp'ed a file?  Have you ever sent email?  Both run through
freeware packages.  The list is simply too long to enumerate.



>Freeware chess programs might be strong. But from all the freeware and even
>shareware stuff on the market and net. 97% of FREEWARE is just crap. And people
>would only use it cause it is free, I used alot of shareware and freeware, but
>when I find a good commercial product is is way ahead and I buy that.
>
>eg : Lotus organiser, I have many shareware and freeware in PIM, they all got
>deleted once this thing hit my computer.
>
>Biggest difference is games, no freeware game can come close to 95% of
>commercial games.
>
>For me, after all the freeware and including lesser shareware that I have seen
>and used and tested, 85% of it is crap compared to a commercial equivalent.
>
>So you answer the thought is wrong is in my opinion only for a very very small
>percentage of the freeware market. Maybe 3%, if even that.

You simply don't realize what you are using is mainly freeware.  Unless you buy
a windows system, and don't connect it to the net.  Then you are in the micro-
soft world.  Once you touch the internet, the majority of the software driving
the internet is _all_ freeware...



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