Wildstyle
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I`m a Chessbase Chump - 2006/08/13 22:46
I was recently duped into purchasing ChessBase 8 because of a minor glitch with CB 7 (I use Windows XP). I say "duped" because I spent more than $200 for CB 7 only about 3 years ago, then another $100 for an upgrade to version 8.0.
Although ChessBase claims CB7 is not compatible with WinXP, I have found that CB8 has even more glitches and is far less stable under WinXP than CB 7. In fact, the only problem I had with 7 and WinXP was a dumb error message every time I exited the program.
Where do I begin?
One thing CB software designers love to do is "move the furniture" in the name of progress (I`m referring to those old Helen Keller jokes where her friends get even with her by moving the furniture). It took me three hours to figure out how to save games from a search into the clipboard. There`s no longer an "edit/select all" function on the toolbar, now you have to "right click/edit/select all". I discovered this out of sheer frustration, having gone down every blind alley.
The help file, by the way, is absolutely useless. No search capability except for about 20 keywords.
The upgrade from the TWIC database is a joke. The dumb program never recognizes the correct issue of TWIC, so I have to do download them manually, and add them manually. Hey achtung you guys over there, did it ever occur to you that computers are ideal for doing these boring, repetitive, mistake-prone operations? Even when I`ve located the correct file on TWIC, more than half the time my computer crashes during the merge. When it doesn`t the games lists from ALL my databases disappear.
BTW, CB is the ONLY program I have ever used that crashes XP. Congratulations, CB genius programmers. AUS-ge-ZEICHNET.
About a month ago I needed to sort a large database and remove doubles. CB 8 whizzed and whirred for about a half hour, then froze. Tried that about 4-5 times. Finally out of frustration, I tried doing the same operation in CB 7 -- and it worked perfectly. Took about 15 minutes.
When you`ve searched a database you get a new, unnamed entity -- a list that belongs to no particular file. Alongside it is a useless board window which you can`t get rid of. The font on these searched lists is so tiny you can hardly read the game lists. Which information do you want displayed in those lists, you chump end-users? Doesn`t matter. Somebody in Germany has decided that for you. If you`re dumb enough to change the font to something large enough to read, the game info blurrs together (name, date, rating, etc.) and is even more unreadable.
Speaking of files, it seems every version of CB puts its database and book files in a different location. Is this fucking 2002 or is this fucking 1983? Hasn`t reliable, user-transparent placement of program-related data files been standard with quality windows programs for about a decade now? You know that "default directory" your word processor has been using for 15 years? Maybe CB 11.7 version B will have it. But until then, my database files are all over my hard drive.
Tech support? You get the overworked, good-guy Steve Lopez if you`re lucky. But if you need a technical question answered he may just tell you to email the programmer.
How about ordering from Tennessee? Make sure you do it by credit card, because you may or may not get your order. They may or may not put it through. I`m still waiting for my latest issue of CB Magazine. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Press the "Go to Fritz" button, and it TAKES YOU OUT OF CB...Closes the program. That button might as well say, "GO TO HELL, SUCKER."
The sad thing is I love CB products for some weird reason. And I hate the fact that I love them.
BTW, don`t think that Chess Assistant is any better. The program is relatively bug-free, but it`s EXTREMELY quirky for anyone who is used to the superior "look and feel" of CB products. Plus it takes 8 weeks for their "support" folks to answer simple questions.
Bookup anyone?
Angelo DePalma (remove "spammersgo to hell) if answering privately
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If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.
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