----- Original Message ----- From: "Remco Gerlich" <re...@gerlich.nl> To: <scid-users@lists.sourceforge.net> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 10:40 AM Subject: Re: [Scid-users] A database for Xiangqi?
> Scid has been around since the 90s as well, if I recall correctly. > And it's > better than those other programs you mention, of course :-) > > But you don't explain one thing: if Xiangqi is the most popular game > in the > world, why don't Xiangqi players write software for it? Why don't > you? > > Remco Gerlich It's mostly East Asians who play Xiangqi, and they are not prone to think scientifically. They play openings according to the Tao, and according to the principles of Feng Shui. Moreover, any commercial software product would immediately be copied en masse in China, so there is not much money in it. But more and more Westerners play Xiangqi, and we like working scientifically with openings. I own TascBase 2.1, ChessBase 7.0, Chess Assistant 2.0, and diverse chess programs, such as Fritz and Genius. I also own Xiangqi programs Stoneman and Giant, but they are not ideal for opening research. I myself don't feel up to yet another software project. I have written several Zillions programs, and Game Courier implementations: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/chessvar.htm Have a look. Included are many historical chess variants, as King Gustav III's chess, and Mongolian Grand Chess (Hiashatar). Mats > > On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 7:34 AM, M Winther <m...@swipnet.se> wrote: > >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Adrian Petrescu" <apetr...@gmail.com> >> To: "M Winther" <m...@swipnet.se> >> Cc: <scid-users@lists.sourceforge.net> >> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 7:13 AM >> Subject: Re: [Scid-users] A database for Xiangqi? >> >> >> >I think being fond of programming and solving problems is a >> >necessary, but >> > not sufficient, condition. There are so many interesting problems >> > in >> > the >> > world to solve, why would anyone spend so much of their limited >> > time >> > creating something as intricate as Scid if they didn't have a >> > special >> > interest in Chess? >> > >> > I could be wrong, but I'd be surprised :) Most volunteer >> > contributors large >> > open-source projects are heavy users of their own programs. >> > >> > On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 10:10 PM, M Winther <m...@swipnet.se> >> > wrote: >> > >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> >> From: "Adrian Petrescu" <apetr...@gmail.com> >> >> To: <m...@swipnet.se> >> >> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 7:04 AM >> >> Subject: Re: [Scid-users] A database for Xiangqi? >> >> >> >> >> >> > Probably because the current effort is being made by chess >> >> > fans, >> >> > for >> >> > the >> >> > love of chess. If they don't care about Xiangqi, arguments >> >> > about >> >> > market >> >> > share and usefulness won't feel very convincing. >> >> > >> >> > I think your proposal is a good one, I just don't think Scid >> >> > users >> >> > are the >> >> > right market for it. Being a chess player may have a *slight* >> >> > correlation >> >> > with being a Xiangqi player, but not much of one. Being >> >> > Chinese >> >> > is >> >> > probably >> >> > a much stronger indicator. I would suggest going to some >> >> > Chinese >> >> > developer >> >> > forums and pitching the idea there -- if there really are no >> >> > existing >> >> > solutions, like you say, then it should be easy to get people >> >> > excited. >> >> > >> >> > Cheers, >> >> > Adrian >> >> But it can't be correct, because if the programmers have a great >> need >> for sophisticated chess software then they wouldn't need to develop >> it, because they could use TascBase or Chess Assistant, instead, >> who >> have both been around since the nineties. Or they could use any of >> the >> already developed free chess databases, (or they could use the free >> Chess Genius for DOS which has a chess tree and a powerful analysis >> engine, etc.) There is no end to the resources in chess software, >> although I can well understand that people want an alternative to >> ChessBase. >> >> Mats >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > Thu Dec 16 2010 22:01:51 GMT-0800 (PST) <m...@swipnet.se>: >> >> > Original Message From: "Steven" <stevena...@yahoo.com> To: "M >> >> > Winther ... >> >> > >> >> >> >> I think that many people who develop chess programs do it >> >> because >> >> they >> >> are fond of programming and solving problems, and like to be >> >> helpful. >> >> I don't >> >> think it depends so much on their chess interest. >> >> >> >> Mats >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lotusphere 2011 Register now for Lotusphere 2011 and learn how to connect the dots, take your collaborative environment to the next level, and enter the era of Social Business. http://p.sf.net/sfu/lotusphere-d2d _______________________________________________ Scid-users mailing list Scid-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scid-users
