Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Date: 28 Jul 2006 09:53:08
From: mike
Subject: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

I cannot get Pocket Fritz 2 to install on my new Dell Axim running Windows
Mobile. Has anyone been able to install it on a WM device?

I really enjoyed Pocket Fritz 2 on my old iPaq. I'm going to be bummed if I
have to go to another program.

Thank you

Date: 31 Jul 2006 10:04:42
From: Dave (from the UK
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

mike wrote:
> Thanks,
>
> I tried that. It doesn't work with the original cabs. I downloaded SP2
> from the chessbase site and tried to install that manually. It tells me
> that the program may not display correctly because it was written for an
> earlier version of Windows Mobile.

There's no other company like Microsoft for compatibility issues! They
stink as far as I am concerned.

But I have seen that issue with PF2 asking to select a language and
none being available on my iPAQ (Windoze Mobile 2003). I can't recall
how I got around it, but it was probably the usual:

1) Format the disk - OK non-volatile memory.
2) Reinstall the OS.
3) Cross fingers
4) Reinstall application software.

That works 75% of the time.

> It does not install the Fritz icon to my Games folder. It does create a

> I have downloaded Pocket Genius, Pocket Grandmaster, and CE Board, but all
> have fatal flaws, to my thinking. Pocket Genius cannot handle annotations
> in a PGN file, and that's mostly what I use this for, to play over annotated
> games. Pocket Grandmaster will read the annotations, but it will only
> display 2 lines of text. CE Board is good, but its file explorer wont
> display file names correctly. It only shows me the first letter and the
> date.

The producers of Pocket Grandmaster are very helpful. You might be able
to get them to change it. Leave a message on their guest book + drop an
email. I'm hoping they will support online play via ICC.

CE board works fine on my iPAQ. You might find recompiling for your
later OS will work. Since the source code is open, either the
developer, you or someone else could do it. There's a Pocket PC
*developer* newsgroup. Try asking if ssomeone could recompile for your
later OS. For someone with the development tools set up, I doubt it
would take then 5 minutes.

> I wish Chessbase
> would support their products.

I have an issue with Pocket Fritz 2 as well - it will not work with the
chessbase server. My email asking for support wa ignored.

Dave (typing on a PDA so ignore errors please)

Date: 01 Aug 2006 06:53:13
From: mike
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Thanks Dave, some excellent ideas.

Since it's a new device, doing a hard reset should not be too painful. I'll
try that first.

Date: 31 Jul 2006 10:04:22
From: Dave (from the UK
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Date: 02 Aug 2006 10:21:52
From: Alain
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

> There's no other company like Microsoft for compatibility issues! They
> stink as far as I am concerned.
>
> But I have seen that issue with PF2 asking to select a language and
> none being available on my iPAQ (Windoze Mobile 2003).

I think that you are missing the target : PF problems are coming from
Chessbase and not from Microsoft. Other chess programs for PPC don't have
the same problems.

> I can't recall
> how I got around it, but it was probably the usual:
>
> 1) Format the disk - OK non-volatile memory.
> 2) Reinstall the OS.
> 3) Cross fingers
> 4) Reinstall application software.

There is no "OS reinstallation" under WM.... Of course, you can reflash your
rom but it is completely useless. An Hardreset is enough to go back to
factory state (and is anyway almost never needed).

> CE board works fine on my iPAQ. You might find recompiling for your
> later OS will work. Since the source code is open, either the
> developer, you or someone else could do it. There's a Pocket PC
> *developer* newsgroup. Try asking if ssomeone could recompile for your
> later OS. For someone with the development tools set up, I doubt it
> would take then 5 minutes.

CEBoard is not open source ; CEBoard's versions of open sources engines such
as fruit and toga respect their licence and are therefore published with the
sources, but CEBoard's core is not. As far as I know, the display problem
mentionned above only appears on the Dell X51v.

Alain

Date: 02 Aug 2006 11:43:49
From: Dave (from the UK)
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Alain wrote:
>>There's no other company like Microsoft for compatibility issues! They
>>stink as far as I am concerned.
>>
>>But I have seen that issue with PF2 asking to select a language and
>>none being available on my iPAQ (Windoze Mobile 2003).
>
>
> I think that you are missing the target : PF problems are coming from
> Chessbase and not from Microsoft. Other chess programs for PPC don't have
> the same problems.

Just because other chess programs don't have the issues does not help in
proving where the problem is. There can be a 1001 reasons why an
application might misbehave on a new platform. It could for example be

1) The result of the developer making assumptions which are not true.
(Fault of developer)

2) A change in the behavior of an operating system function. (Fault of
the the operating system). Such changes can be very obscure.

I recall an issue on Sun's Solaris with Matlab. Sun said it was an
enhancement to the operating system, Mathworks (developer of Matlab)
said it was a bug in Solaris.

Without access to the source code of at least the application it is
going to be next to impossible to find the root cause of the problem.

But reinstallation seems to fix quite a few problems on Windows systems.
I think problems occur especially when you have installed several bits
of software which either through design (copy protection) or otherwise
don't fully uninstall.

However, I must admit I am less than impressed with the support from
Chessbase on PF2. My emails to them as well as posts on the newsgroup
about the fact it no longer works with their online database have not
resulted in any improvements to the situation. Someone said you need to
buy an update since it only works for one year. But there is nothing I
can see to suggest that is so. There is no way to enter any registration
code. It just reports a game is not found in the database - even if you
make a single move of e4.

Given the information that one can get from the database is available on
the web for free to any operating system

http://www.chesslive.de/

I'm puzzled why it no longer works with one of their products.

>>I can't recall
>>how I got around it, but it was probably the usual:
>>
>>1) Format the disk - OK non-volatile memory.
>>2) Reinstall the OS.
>>3) Cross fingers
>>4) Reinstall application software.
>
>
> There is no "OS reinstallation" under WM.... Of course, you can reflash your
> rom but it is completely useless. An Hardreset is enough to go back to
> factory state (and is anyway almost never needed).

Sorry, that is what I meant - hard reset. This was done a little
toung-in-cheek.

>>CE board works fine on my iPAQ. You might find recompiling for your
>>later OS will work. Since the source code is open, either the
>>developer, you or someone else could do it. There's a Pocket PC
>>*developer* newsgroup. Try asking if ssomeone could recompile for your
>>later OS. For someone with the development tools set up, I doubt it
>>would take then 5 minutes.
>
>
> CEBoard is not open source ; CEBoard's versions of open sources engines such
> as fruit and toga respect their licence and are therefore published with the
> sources, but CEBoard's core is not.

I thought CE board was open-source, but I see you are right. There is a
very similar program that is definitely open-source for windows and UNIX

http://scid.sourceforge.net/

but alas not Pocket PC. But it used Tcl, a port of which does exist for
Pocket PC. Anyway, I imagine it would still be hard work to port it.

> As far as I know, the display problem
> mentionned above only appears on the Dell X51v.

Even that does not prove where the fault lies. It might be Dell's fault,
or it could be the application making an assumption that is true for
most PDAs but not for the Dell. It could be a bug in the compiler too,
although that is less likely.

BTW, Thinkerboard

http://www.geocities.com/thechessthinker/download.htm

does allow online play with an iPAQ to ICC. The application is only
alpha, so is not polished, but it is usable, which is more than can be
said for the Intellichess I downloaded and tried. That is such an alwful
program I was quick to "delete" it. (By "delete" I mean hard reset and
reinstall the system from a recent image. Otherwise you know it will
leave bits left around your PocketPC).

--
Dave (from the UK)

Please note my email address changes periodically to avoid spam.
It is always of the form: [email protected]
Hitting reply will work for a few months only - later set it manually.

http://witm.sourceforge.net/ (Web based Mathematica front end)

Date: 02 Aug 2006 15:49:59
From: Alain
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

>> I think that you are missing the target : PF problems are coming from
>> Chessbase and not from Microsoft. Other chess programs for PPC don't have
>> the same problems.
>
> Just because other chess programs don't have the issues does not help in
> proving where the problem is.

you are right... except that even at the moment of its release, PF had
installation problems...

>> As far as I know, the display problem mentionned above only appears on
>> the Dell X51v.
>
> Even that does not prove where the fault lies. It might be Dell's fault,
> or it could be the application making an assumption that is true for most
> PDAs but not for the Dell. It could be a bug in the compiler too, although
> that is less likely.

you are right and I did not say that the problem came from the Dell : I just
wanted to say that as far as I knew, this problem does not appear on other
PPCs.

Even if I have had other problems with Dell devices, I suspect that this
problem comes from CEBoard, but unfortunately, I don't have a X51v to make
tests.

Best,
Alain

Date: 02 Aug 2006 18:43:06
From: pascal
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

I have a Dell X51v, and was not able to use CEBoard, because of such
bugs : I'd be glad to help.

Pascal Georges

Alain a �crit :

> you are right and I did not say that the problem came from the Dell : I just
> wanted to say that as far as I knew, this problem does not appear on other
> PPCs.
>
> Even if I have had other problems with Dell devices, I suspect that this
> problem comes from CEBoard, but unfortunately, I don't have a X51v to make
> tests.

Date: 03 Aug 2006 15:07:08
From: Alain
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Hello Pascal,

>I have a Dell X51v, and was not able to use CEBoard, because of such bugs :
>I'd be glad to help.

you have my email, send me the description of the bugs you had with CEBoard
in addition to the "one letter display" on X51v.

I don't have too much time but I think this bug should be easy to correct if
the problems comes from CEBoard (probably some uninitialized structure
field).

Best,

Alain

Date: 28 Jul 2006 10:03:15
From: mike
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

I suppose I should be a little more specific:

Windows Mobile 5.0 on Intel PXA270 processor

"mike" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I cannot get Pocket Fritz 2 to install on my new Dell Axim running Windows
>Mobile. Has anyone been able to install it on a WM device?
>
> I really enjoyed Pocket Fritz 2 on my old iPaq. I'm going to be bummed if
> I have to go to another program.
>
> Thank you
>

Date: 28 Jul 2006 18:40:15
From: Michel Van der Stappen
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

yes it runs fine on my pda (ipaq)
but I remember the 'standard setup' was no good,
I manually copied the arc file to the pda en then setup from there

M.

"mike" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I suppose I should be a little more specific:
>
> Windows Mobile 5.0 on Intel PXA270 processor
>
>
> "mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I cannot get Pocket Fritz 2 to install on my new Dell Axim running Windows
>>Mobile. Has anyone been able to install it on a WM device?
>>
>> I really enjoyed Pocket Fritz 2 on my old iPaq. I'm going to be bummed
>> if I have to go to another program.
>>
>> Thank you
>>
>
>

Date: 28 Jul 2006 12:01:27
From: mike
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

Thanks,

I tried that. It doesn't work with the original cabs. I downloaded SP2
from the chessbase site and tried to install that manually. It tells me
that the program may not display correctly because it was written for an
earlier version of Windows Mobile.

It does not install the Fritz icon to my Games folder. It does create a
folder under Program Files. When I try to launch it from there, it asks me
to choose a langauge, but no languages are displayed and I cannot get beyond
that point.

This really sucks.

I have downloaded Pocket Genius, Pocket Grandmaster, and CE Board, but all
have fatal flaws, to my thinking. Pocket Genius cannot handle annotations
in a PGN file, and that's mostly what I use this for, to play over annotated
games. Pocket Grandmaster will read the annotations, but it will only
display 2 lines of text. CE Board is good, but its file explorer wont
display file names correctly. It only shows me the first letter and the
date.

I think I'm going to have to go back to PocketPC 2003. I wish Chessbase
would support their products.

"Michel Van der Stappen" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> yes it runs fine on my pda (ipaq)
> but I remember the 'standard setup' was no good,
> I manually copied the arc file to the pda en then setup from there
>
> M.
>
>
> "mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I suppose I should be a little more specific:
>>
>> Windows Mobile 5.0 on Intel PXA270 processor
>>
>>
>> "mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>I cannot get Pocket Fritz 2 to install on my new Dell Axim running
>>>Windows Mobile. Has anyone been able to install it on a WM device?
>>>
>>> I really enjoyed Pocket Fritz 2 on my old iPaq. I'm going to be bummed
>>> if I have to go to another program.
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Date: 02 Aug 2006 17:55:09
From: CeeBee
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

"mike" <[email protected] > wrote in rec.games.chess.computer:

> It tells me
> that the program may not display correctly because it was written for an
> earlier version of Windows Mobile.

This has to do with the installer program that is used. A lot of companies
and software developers still use installers developed for PPC2002. Anything
with a newer OS will give you that dialog box, but it doesn't tell you
something about compatibilty of the program itself.

--
CeeBee

*** The Cookie Has Spoken ***

Date: 01 Aug 2006 13:11:12
From: Dave (from the UK)
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

mike wrote:
> Pocket Grandmaster will read the annotations, but it will only
> display 2 lines of text.

Mike,

I checked my version (3.0, registered) of pocket Grandmaster. Whilst it
only shows a couple of lines when the board is visible, if you click the
icon in the center which looks a bit like a book (between the left and
right arrows) then you can see 14 lines of annotations at a time and
scroll down them. The board can't be seen at that point.

However, I have found that analyzing a game with annotations can lock up
my iPAQ so it needs a soft reboot. I'm not sure if that is a fault with
my iPAQ, the underlying OS or with Pocket Grandmaster.

--
Dave (from the UK)

Please note my email address changes periodically to avoid spam.
It is always of the form: [email protected]
Hitting reply will work for a few months only - later set it manually.

http://witm.sourceforge.net/ (Web based Mathematica front end)

Date: 28 Jul 2006 20:20:52
From: Michel Van der Stappen
Subject: Re: Does Pocket Fritz 2 Run on Windows Mobile?

If I remember correctly I just copied
the right ....CAB file (there are 3) to the program files dir on my PDA,
dubbel-clicked this file on my PDA and everything installed
ok...

M

"mike" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks,
>
> I tried that. It doesn't work with the original cabs. I downloaded SP2
> from the chessbase site and tried to install that manually. It tells me
> that the program may not display correctly because it was written for an
> earlier version of Windows Mobile.
>
> It does not install the Fritz icon to my Games folder. It does create a
> folder under Program Files. When I try to launch it from there, it asks
> me to choose a langauge, but no languages are displayed and I cannot get
> beyond that point.
>
> This really sucks.
>
> I have downloaded Pocket Genius, Pocket Grandmaster, and CE Board, but all
> have fatal flaws, to my thinking. Pocket Genius cannot handle annotations
> in a PGN file, and that's mostly what I use this for, to play over
> annotated games. Pocket Grandmaster will read the annotations, but it
> will only display 2 lines of text. CE Board is good, but its file
> explorer wont display file names correctly. It only shows me the first
> letter and the date.
>
> I think I'm going to have to go back to PocketPC 2003. I wish Chessbase
> would support their products.
>
>
>
> "Michel Van der Stappen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> yes it runs fine on my pda (ipaq)
>> but I remember the 'standard setup' was no good,
>> I manually copied the arc file to the pda en then setup from there
>>
>> M.
>>
>>
>> "mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>I suppose I should be a little more specific:
>>>
>>> Windows Mobile 5.0 on Intel PXA270 processor
>>>
>>>
>>> "mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>>I cannot get Pocket Fritz 2 to install on my new Dell Axim running
>>>>Windows Mobile. Has anyone been able to install it on a WM device?
>>>>
>>>> I really enjoyed Pocket Fritz 2 on my old iPaq. I'm going to be bummed
>>>> if I have to go to another program.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>