Database software

I would be grateful if somebody could give me infos about a few database programs. Of course, I mean here news/infos that I cannot find myself by visiting the relevant sites and internet pages of the programs in question -- I have done it already.

José -- does anybody have any contact with Peter Schaefer or news about him? José was a very promising piece of software, it would be a pity if nobody continued the project.

Scidb -- idem: the development seems stalled. It is an ambitious project, very attractive, but no news lately.

Scid, Scid vs PC, ChessX -- I tried Scid and ChessX a few years ago. How does Scid vs PC compare to these two (especially Scid, obviously)? Is it worth trying instead of Scid? A feature that would be important is good printing.

Final questions: does anybody use free databases instead of Chessbase or ChessAssistant? Which one would you recommend?

I have never been happy with any of the free database programs. I like chessbase, so I just pay them the money, and move on.

Meanwhile, I have once again tried Scid yesterday evening -- a portable version -- and while there are some things I do not like much, at first glance it seems it has gained in ergonomy and usability. It is also important to stress that I often use linux, so that cross-platform makes sense to me.

Anyway, most of the time it is just a question of perception: while I tried some CB software 20 years ago, never liked it much. Mainly, it is not what I need: I do not play online, I seldom need big databases, it is an overkill for me.

I think we need some user requirements here. Some starter questions:

* what are your minimum requirements from a db?

* how much are you willing to pay?

* if you're not willing to pay, how much time are you willing to spend adapting something that doesn't meet your minimum requirements into something that does?

Here, there are two things I have to emphasize:

- first, my needs are minimalistic. I need a database to analyze games I have in books, or that are part of my repertoire. It is not a big number of games, and I have already created such a base long ago. All databases programs are very sophisticated, able to do more than I need. The only specific thing I would like to see are good printing/formatting options.

- Then, I just want something that is not bloated: a clean, ergonomic interface, a software that is not eating my cpu load, that I can use both under Windows and Linux to enjoy and analyze games. My personal favourite is the old TASCbase, if only it could use UCI engines. Another good base was José, but unfortunately its development stopped just before it became a stable, mature product.

Finally: no, I will not buy CB, nor CA. I tried the lite versions of both, and while they are probably superior to the old versions from twenty years ago, I find the new options just distracting.

Why not use Arena, PGN support is good and simple.

I already use Arena, Ed. I especially like the feature when one can test engines at the same depth. I personalized Arena to look the way I like, and it is really a fine piece of software. I used it under wine too, but now it is native, and I find it better under Linux.

But from time to time I like to see the tree of a base, or just to change a bit. And I am really interested in the future of several open source projects.

mwyoung wrote:

I have never been happy with any of the free database programs. I like chessbase, so I  just pay them the money, and move on.

You can save on ChessBase prices by buying on steam. Note, steam prices differ by country. See https://store.steampowered.com/search/?term=chessbase