mage
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Re:Take a sec and try these links - 2006/06/29 06:19
Playsite`s javascript takes *forever* to load. I`ve only managed to actually get in twice and had the program crash when I tried to observe someone`s game the first time.
The Zone`s interface is not terribly aesthetically pleasing. Each time I`ve played there, my opponent has commented that he prefer`s Yahoo`s chess server simply on the basis of aesthetics. You also have to register with Microsoft in order to play. They admit that they will give your e-mail address to other businesses unless you e-mail a particular address with instructions not to do so. Upon e-mailing said address, you will discover that your e-mail bounces (is undeliverable). What a big surprise there!  The end result is that after registering for the Zone, my e-mail spam is up 50%.
Of course, all of the Java servers have their own quirks. Some players on Yahoo have managed to artificially inflate their ratings to levels well over 3000 merely by playing the same pool of opponents (also 3000+ rated) over and over (we call this the "Bloodgood effect"). Also, it`s possible to *lose* rating points on Yahoo after *winning* a game if your opponent is rated over 200 points below you.
And all of the Java servers use "cookies", which were a topic of
the sites you visit on your web browser. Some even record non-web computer activity. Yahoo and Playsite swear that they don`t give your e-mail address to anyone else nor use the information that the cookies gather for any purpose other than identification of players. I tend to not believe that, as I visited the Playboy web site after joining Yahoo and Playsite and started receiving a pile of hard-porn related spam shortly thereafter (think what you will of Playboy, but it hardly qualifies as "hard porn" in my book).
I still play chess on Yahoo, by the way. I just thought I`d give potential users of Java-based chess servers a few things to think about.
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Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
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