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Subject: Re: A few notes on this whole flamewar

Author: George Speight

Date: 15:51:35 09/06/05

Go up one level in this thread


On September 06, 2005 at 09:45:46, Uri Blass wrote:

>On September 06, 2005 at 09:24:32, A. Cozzie wrote:
>
>>On September 06, 2005 at 02:22:48, Shaley wrote:
>>
>>>On September 06, 2005 at 01:39:14, Sandro Necchi wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hi all,
>>>>
>>>>I like to help the new programmers buying their product to let them get some
>>>>money for their hard work. I have been doing this since many years and
>>>>suggesting other people to do it to.
>>>>I wrote on several chess magazine in Italy articles on chess programs for years
>>>>and still several people do call me still asking suggestions and so on.
>>>>
>>>>I was planning to buy Zappa and to help his young programmer I have given some
>>>>suggestion to help him selling more, but I got offended by GC Pascutto, the
>>>>programmer of D. Sjeng and a heavy post from Vincent.
>>>>
>>>>So, I have decided not to buy Zappa, D. Sjeng and the pocket from Vincent
>>>>anymore under any circontances.
>>>>
>>>>I think the respect obout other people and their opinions, suggestions and
>>>>education are extremely important.
>>>>Respect does not mean to do these things, but it is not acceptable to reply
>>>>offending them or similar things.
>>>>
>>>>If education or respect do not exist, their products do not either to me.
>>>>
>>>>Sandro
>>>
>>>Hello Sandro,
>>>
>>>I think you're going to extremes now. People who post in forums over here or
>>>elsewhere do not always keep calm and rather express very provocative
>>>statements. I've come across the same situation on the Russian offline chess
>>>forums. And I've gradually come to the conclusion that while posting some
>>>non-neutral or even hurting viewpoints we try to look highbrow very often
>>>without any weighty grounds. I also think that after that huge success Zappa had
>>>at WCCC they might just think they can rule the game in computer chess
>>>community. However, I don't think it's the case. Zappa is a very good programme
>>>but it's still not the master of the ring. And the recent match between Hiarcs
>>>and Zappa showed it very clearly. There's been too much fuss about Zappa over
>>>here recently without any good reasons, just because of its nice play at WCCC.
>>>Besides, as a man in a Shredder team you shouldn't support the rivals, should
>>>you? And Shredder is still the SSDF leader and will surely be the leader for
>>>many months to come. I cannot push you anyway, but if you want to support some
>>>outside programmers you should support Mark Uniacke and his Hiarcs 10 to be
>>>released soon. In my opinion, there're only two best programmes to date:
>>>Shredder and Hiarcs. Only time can show if Zappa will become another one.
>>>Best regards,
>>>Alexander
>>
>>All of CCC needs to realize something: the number of people on the planet who
>>are seriously interested in engine-engine play is perhaps 1000.  When you sell
>>something, you want to target a large group of people.  I'd rather try to sell
>>Zappa to 'people who like to play chess', and have features for them, than
>>'computer chess afficiandos' who like to run engine matches for days on end,
>>simply because there are *way more* of the former.  If I can sell a copy of Zapa
>>to 0.01% of the former I will make more money than selling to 90% of the latter.
>>
>>These people don't know or care what the letters UCI stand for.  The want more
>>chess features, better weakened versions of the engines, better analysis, chess
>>courses, and such, not a stronger engine.  Zappa's main contributions to Diep3D
>>are publicity and the simple fact that Vincent can write World Champion on the
>>box, which will improve his sales quite a bit IMO, because people like to buy
>>the best just out of habit.
>>
>>This is something of a bitter pill for the CCC crowd, but that is the way the
>>cookie crumbles.  To make matters worse, I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts
>>that Fritz9 is less than 5 elo stronger than Fritz8 when played against
>>Shredder.  This is because Chessbase also wants to target 'people who like to
>>play chess' and not CCC.  For better or for worse, smaller groups just don't get
>>what they want as much, whether its tennis doubles players, libertarians, or
>>computer chess fans.
>>
>>I would of course still like all of you to buy a copy of Zappa :) But if you
>>feel that it won't meet your needs because it doesn't support X protocol, or the
>>GUI doesn't look the way you want it to look, then it is your money and you are
>>free to spend it elsewhere.  I think in general Vincent is going to try to pack
>>as much into his interface as possible, so perhaps a 'wait and see' strategy
>>might work out best for some of you.  And if you want to state that you won't
>>buy the program, that is fine, but can you do it without appending the 'and the
>>programmer is an idiot!' ?  I don't expect you to like that decision, but I'd
>>rather that you expressed your dislike with a minimum of vitriol.
>>
>>Secondly, something that is REALLY pissing me off.  It is starting to appear to
>>me that people are associating anything on Zappa as coming from me.  I only
>>write stuff that comes with the tag 'A. Cozzie'.  I'm not the one who is calling
>>Zappa the second coming.  As I have stated before, I think Zappa can hang with
>>any engine out there: Fruit, Hiarcs, Shredder, Junior, whatever.
>
>In this case why you do not send Leo a copy to see how it does against Shredder
>and Fruit?
>
>
>  I agree it
>>lost vs Hiarcs, but lets not forget: random book and 10 games.  I beat Toga in a
>>10 game match and no one was proclaiming it was dead :)  And I should probably
>>mention: Erdo was toying with a whole bunch of different settings during his
>>time on playchess.  He was more beta-testing for Zappa than trying to prove its
>>strength.
>>
>>Lastly, my personal opinion is: ultimately only tournaments count.  At a
>>tournament you show up with your best.
>
>I think that WBEC is more important tournament than WCCC.
>Why not show up with your best zappa there?
>
>You do not need to release Zappa that support  winboard  but only send Leo a
>version of Zappa that support this protocol.
>
>
>  Your special settings.  Your best
>>tournament lines.  Your best hardware.
>
>Why should customers care about your best tournament lines and your best
>hardware when they will not going to have it.
>
>I see no reason that they should care about preperation of specific anti-fruit
>lines and anti-Junior lines and anti-shredder lines that you may have in your
>secret book only for a single game.
>
>Uri
Hi, Uri Of all the posts i have read, including mine, on this subject, as far as
i am concerned the above from u cut thru all the crap and got to the point
better by far than any.  Congrats to you!!   George



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