I've been using chessbase ever since Chessbase for MS-DOS came out in 1992-1993 or something. I can't fathom how anyone can exclusively use any sort of online, cloud based anything. Oh yes, I agree that information is much easier to obtain now (one way or another), but these new ways should just be used as a tool of convenience, not "the old ways are for ancient people." I mean what happens if your internet goes down and you need to study? It's like people (especially Z'ers) these days are perfectly content with streaming everything, not enjoying reading anything (you have no idea how many kids hate reading books these days), and not owning anything.
It is surprising that in this ultra-computerized era of chess that there is nothing "between" lichess (which is not intended nor advertised as a fully featured professional opening database) and chessbase which has a number of long-standing issues both as a company and as a now over two (EDIT: three) decade old product. Perhaps an open source alternative could someday fill that void?
I found the explanations about lichess study shortcomings with respect to your workflow interesting and useful. I know a lot of these issues are long-standing, but I hope you take a second look if/when our team gets around to patching some of them up. All the best!
@Scherzo said in #3:
> It is surprising that in this ultra-computerized era of chess that there is nothing "between" lichess (which is not intended nor advertised as a fully featured professional opening database) and chessbase which has a number of long-standing issues both as a company and as a now over two (EDIT: three) decade old product. Perhaps an open source alternative could someday fill that void?
How would you put one of the 2 recent SCID GUIs versions (SCID vs PC, and just SCID) fare in that regard?
> It is surprising that in this ultra-computerized era of chess that there is nothing "between" lichess (which is not intended nor advertised as a fully featured professional opening database) and chessbase which has a number of long-standing issues both as a company and as a now over two (EDIT: three) decade old product. Perhaps an open source alternative could someday fill that void?
How would you put one of the 2 recent SCID GUIs versions (SCID vs PC, and just SCID) fare in that regard?
@dboing said in #6:
> How would you put one of the 2 recent SCID GUIs versions (SCID vs PC, and just SCID) fare in that regard?
I've tried SCID but it was almost a decade ago so my impression is now probably hopelessly outdated. That said, it felt like a relatively powerful program trapped in an almost intentionally threadbare interface. I tried fairly hard at one point to get used to it but eventually crawled back, defeated, to chessbase.
> How would you put one of the 2 recent SCID GUIs versions (SCID vs PC, and just SCID) fare in that regard?
I've tried SCID but it was almost a decade ago so my impression is now probably hopelessly outdated. That said, it felt like a relatively powerful program trapped in an almost intentionally threadbare interface. I tried fairly hard at one point to get used to it but eventually crawled back, defeated, to chessbase.
@Falkentyne said in #2:
>
Lichess offer ways to use both. I has PGN exporting of whole studies, or even whole account set of studies as PGN.
Those can be, worked on, as text file, or even as input to many non-chessbase chess database handling programs.
I think it may be the all in one GUI of chessbase. But one might possibly use more than one open source GUI software to do the same thing. The problem is marketing budget for those. Or the user documentation, not having a writer professional bridging the feature development efforts to the user end point level of language.
For example, SCID GUIs (both), have a well dimensions GUI visual accessible sets of menu (I prefer that to the new hot menu offer desing, apparently infected by ribbon concepts or worse tile size buttons and fewer functionality per mouse event required of users. There are trade offs between crowding visually with features and distributing their user interactive access in some interactive graphic interface. I think SCID has found a good design there, but I would like to be able to read a user introduction about the feature organization. I might imply budget for marketing and writers. And open source code contributors best talent might be about creating a great software, but then, might need people able to bridge to potential user awareness.
Please, if you have a less superficial experience of SCID recent versions.. I would like to hear about it, and I think this is the appropriate place, so such existing complementary to lichess personal computer efforts get some public exposure. We might not be a marketing expert forces, but I believe in the power of multiple voice forums. This would be appropriate with this blog.
It might be slower propagation, of information, but it is self-vetting in some way, that it comes from a discussion. Reader would find room for critical thinking, and not be mesmerized in vain. (ooops i derailed)
PS: I started making a post about the history of personal computer software ergonomic interface from an older user that tasted or had to manage quite a many types since there was no mouse yet. only keyboards. (I was after the punch card input, but one university, when I was 16 has a free summer course of pascal with punch cards (I think it was pascal). I stayed some, for the vintage experience.. but i might have written too much here. A short history, with my editorial style. Zooming through from flat configuration files as interface, to a time period of well thought visual ergonomics that were were about user events, not just perception, and include functionality access and discovery. Ribbons started the big regression... etec... big tile buttons. buried features. and back to configuration files. and I hear Vi made a come back.
>
Lichess offer ways to use both. I has PGN exporting of whole studies, or even whole account set of studies as PGN.
Those can be, worked on, as text file, or even as input to many non-chessbase chess database handling programs.
I think it may be the all in one GUI of chessbase. But one might possibly use more than one open source GUI software to do the same thing. The problem is marketing budget for those. Or the user documentation, not having a writer professional bridging the feature development efforts to the user end point level of language.
For example, SCID GUIs (both), have a well dimensions GUI visual accessible sets of menu (I prefer that to the new hot menu offer desing, apparently infected by ribbon concepts or worse tile size buttons and fewer functionality per mouse event required of users. There are trade offs between crowding visually with features and distributing their user interactive access in some interactive graphic interface. I think SCID has found a good design there, but I would like to be able to read a user introduction about the feature organization. I might imply budget for marketing and writers. And open source code contributors best talent might be about creating a great software, but then, might need people able to bridge to potential user awareness.
Please, if you have a less superficial experience of SCID recent versions.. I would like to hear about it, and I think this is the appropriate place, so such existing complementary to lichess personal computer efforts get some public exposure. We might not be a marketing expert forces, but I believe in the power of multiple voice forums. This would be appropriate with this blog.
It might be slower propagation, of information, but it is self-vetting in some way, that it comes from a discussion. Reader would find room for critical thinking, and not be mesmerized in vain. (ooops i derailed)
PS: I started making a post about the history of personal computer software ergonomic interface from an older user that tasted or had to manage quite a many types since there was no mouse yet. only keyboards. (I was after the punch card input, but one university, when I was 16 has a free summer course of pascal with punch cards (I think it was pascal). I stayed some, for the vintage experience.. but i might have written too much here. A short history, with my editorial style. Zooming through from flat configuration files as interface, to a time period of well thought visual ergonomics that were were about user events, not just perception, and include functionality access and discovery. Ribbons started the big regression... etec... big tile buttons. buried features. and back to configuration files. and I hear Vi made a come back.
"The biggest issue is organization and searchability. While I love Lichess studies, they’re difficult to organize, and almost impossible to search."
I agree, if you have 500+ studies it becomes quite hard to stay well organized. Personally, I use "Tab Stash", a browser extension, to be able to quickly sort and access them. It works by bookmarking them in your browser, so you don't need to worry about storage ;)
I agree, if you have 500+ studies it becomes quite hard to stay well organized. Personally, I use "Tab Stash", a browser extension, to be able to quickly sort and access them. It works by bookmarking them in your browser, so you don't need to worry about storage ;)
I looked at the chrome version. There are many extensions that can do that. But this one seems to have a clear target.
I did not see organization features in it, but I guess if migrated to bookmarks, then one could manage from the bookmarking manager of their browser. Isn't the browser already capable of making folder bookmarks from all the active window open tabs?
Maybe the Firefox version is different. Yes, in general bookmarking once the studies are in tabs, might allow searching by tab title in the bookmarking system. So study title might be where the searchability via browser features would work. But it would still not be aware of the lichess potentially helpful differentiable searchable text or move features. Chapter, or annotation (not necessarily active chapter only). But lichess has a tag feature. That can be used for own study management. But I think it may need having used them while constructing the studies. I think lichess study search box might have a TAG input keyword to restrict the search, or even a page to filer own studies from their tab present (using user created set of tabs, did I dream that).
It would still not allow existing big set of studies that have not being constructed that way to be searchable from their content without each study to be made active. The other way, is local OS text searches from exported PGNs.
So organizing is feasible while making studies, when a tag might apply to all the content of the study. But searching existing seem to be, from lichess and bookmarking path, to be about study title. We should keep discussing what is there. I hope the op would welcome that. It could not even have been a blog, and having migrated already. I will stop babbling. This is as much as I know about the current state of study searchability and organizability.
One needs to aim while building the studies for the Tag system to be economical as work around for the flatness of the study chapter structures. Also, one can use empty section chapters to emulate sub section with headers being the chapter title, but that still requires local OS export of all studies and then text search (many tools can be users, such as grep, but it is hand work of sorts. Browser page CRTL-F might help too. but again not sure about its access to not active chapters.
And yes it would be great what schlawg proposed. So this is not a chess base advertisement but a call for lichess searchability and or organization.
I did not see organization features in it, but I guess if migrated to bookmarks, then one could manage from the bookmarking manager of their browser. Isn't the browser already capable of making folder bookmarks from all the active window open tabs?
Maybe the Firefox version is different. Yes, in general bookmarking once the studies are in tabs, might allow searching by tab title in the bookmarking system. So study title might be where the searchability via browser features would work. But it would still not be aware of the lichess potentially helpful differentiable searchable text or move features. Chapter, or annotation (not necessarily active chapter only). But lichess has a tag feature. That can be used for own study management. But I think it may need having used them while constructing the studies. I think lichess study search box might have a TAG input keyword to restrict the search, or even a page to filer own studies from their tab present (using user created set of tabs, did I dream that).
It would still not allow existing big set of studies that have not being constructed that way to be searchable from their content without each study to be made active. The other way, is local OS text searches from exported PGNs.
So organizing is feasible while making studies, when a tag might apply to all the content of the study. But searching existing seem to be, from lichess and bookmarking path, to be about study title. We should keep discussing what is there. I hope the op would welcome that. It could not even have been a blog, and having migrated already. I will stop babbling. This is as much as I know about the current state of study searchability and organizability.
One needs to aim while building the studies for the Tag system to be economical as work around for the flatness of the study chapter structures. Also, one can use empty section chapters to emulate sub section with headers being the chapter title, but that still requires local OS export of all studies and then text search (many tools can be users, such as grep, but it is hand work of sorts. Browser page CRTL-F might help too. but again not sure about its access to not active chapters.
And yes it would be great what schlawg proposed. So this is not a chess base advertisement but a call for lichess searchability and or organization.
@CheckRaiseMate , could you make a list of requirements that, when implemented in Lichess (or a browser extension, if possible :D) would make Chessbase redundant and make you return to the mothership?