Advantages in using
WinBoard over ZIICS
- Because
WinBoard is a Windows program, while connected to
the chess servers with WinBoard you can download
your e-mail, visit web sites, and do other things
at the same time, while the program is running it
the background. (It does not require a shell
account.)
- You
can connect to more than one chess server at the
same time. Earlier today I was connected to, and
observing a game in four different servers!
(FICS, ICC, Chess.net, and DICS.)
- There
are more choices available (13) for the size of
the board.
- The
colors of the chess pieces and squares on the
board can be picked from a palette of 16 million.
(The palette in ZIICS was a paltry 64.)
- When
you DO set/change your colors, you can see your
changes immediately. With ZIICS, you have to edit
the ziics.cnf file, save it, and then restart the
program before your color changes take effect.
- You
can set the font for incoming text to your own
liking... color, size, bold, italicized, etc.
(ZIICS was limited to just setting the color.)
- You
can configure your own sounds for incoming
events. For example, when anyone
"tells" me something, I hear a certain
sound. When anyone challenges me to a match, I
hear another sound. These sounds can be picked
from a list of choices or you can create and use
your own.
- WinBoard
can display more than one board at the same time,
enabling you to watch other games while playing
your own. (For this reason, WinBoard is much more
suitable for bughouse than ZIICS is.)
- If
you wanted to view or analyze your games while
off-line, you first had to run my conversion
program to convert the
ZIICS oldmoves.log file to a PGN formatted file.
WinBoard saves the games that you play or observe
directly to a PGN format... no conversion is
necessary. (It also has the option to save the
games to an oldmoves format, it you still prefer
that!)
- WinBoard
serves as a front-end for computer programs such
as Crafty, GNUChess, EXchess, Phalanx, Comet,
ArasanX, LambChop, Faile, Cilia, Inmichess,
Tristram, Zchess, SSEChess, Little Goliath, etc.
- The
WinBoard program also doubles as a PGN reader.
- Since
it's a Windows program, cut & paste, and all
the advantages of that, is available. For example
if someone posts a message or a comment that
you'd like to save, (maybe a URL to a website,
for example) you can copy and paste this into
another program rather than having to write it
down by hand.
- You
can finger someone, do a history on them, check
their variables, etc., simply by using your
mouse. (Much less typing!)
- There
is no way in ZIICS to retrieve previously sent
commands. With WinBoard, you can do so easily
simply by using the "up" arrow key.
This will recall up to your last 30 or so
previously sent commands. You can then edit them,
if desired, right there in the post area.
- After
playing a game, if you wish to immediately
examine it, with ZIICS you had to use the servers
"examine" feature. You can do this with
WinBoard too, of course, but it is not
necessary... WinBoard has those VCR-like controls
that allow one to move back and forth throughout
your last game.
- Setting
up WinBoard is easier for most users, especially
initially. One can change most of the options
while inside the program and is not forced to do
so in a text file.
- The
screen-writes are much
faster. Log in to ICC and do a "who"
with ZIICS and then with WinBoard and you'll see
what I mean.
- ZIICS
only allows 255 characters to be entered in the
post area at any one time. (Assuming a post area
size of "4." See the ZIICS doc file for
details.) WinBoard allows a heck of a lot more
than that. My FICS finger notes are so large,
that I could never have created them with ZIICS!
- WinBoard
allows you to position, anywhere on the screen
that you like, both the board window and the text
area window.
- WinBoard
is still being actively supported. The DOS
version of ZIICS is not.
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