Author: Fernando Villegas
Date: 08:12:39 10/31/99
Go up one level in this thread
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. > >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. Dear Michael: Maybe this issue is not so black and white as you put it. And besides there is another side of he problem. True: most freeware stuff is, if not bad, very simple and sometimes unuseful. But then, please take a look at commercial software and tell me if 100% of it is superior, good quality, etc. It is not! There is a LOT OF CRAP also in commercial software side. I know it very well as much as not having money problems and being a man prone to temptation, I purchase a lot in the Internet. And you know what? Most things are crap. Pretty envelopes, pretty marketing tactics, many promises,etc, but mostly few real things to get. And besides we have he effect of what you get and what you wanted to get, normally very differents things. In the realm of sotware this dilusion is the greatest. Just look at our site and see how many complains produces at each step every new commercial chess program. PIM? Tere was a time I downloaded almost every PIM offered, freeware or commercial, and still I do not use none. Why? Because I am expecting something none of them can give to me. But returning to your point, I can swear to you that the percetage of crappy stuff from commercial origen is very very high, not less than that you can get in the freeware arena. In fact, is shameful. Installation problems, bugs, desconfiguration of your Config.sys files, flat design, less features than announced, etc, etc. It is life, Michael: in nature as in society, almost 90% of everything is doomed to failure. Fernando
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