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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Playable e-book (cbv format) (Read 145113 times)
Göran
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Re: Why not carry out a survey (all subscribers)
Reply #78 - 03/29/09 at 23:19:40
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 03/28/09 at 12:48:59:
Göran wrote on 03/27/09 at 15:12:55:
Statistics about the number of downloads could perhaps also indicate the total interest.

Indeed, the PDF downloads always far outstrip the eBook ones.


Compared to the two new updated playable eBooks as well?

I do appreciate Pawnbroker's preferences. ChessBase is a fantastic database/program but the user interface leaves a lot to wish for. 
I think "GMTonyKosten" is doing a fantastic job with the new playable eBooks. 

I certainly get the value for money on this site!
  

What kind of proof is that?
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Göran
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #77 - 03/28/09 at 22:19:58
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Agree very much - the interface not really there yet but very promising.
  

What kind of proof is that?
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GMTonyKosten
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #76 - 03/28/09 at 22:18:49
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I had a look at the Convetka page and it does seem a bit complicated to produce these.
I think I am going to just produce the game quotation ChessBase eBooks in the future, as everyone who answered seem to prefer these over the other style (and I prefer them too!) Smiley
I will start producing some more eBooks over the coming weeks, and I will also try to keep the newer ones up-to-date to see how viable that is. Smiley
  
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jarechu
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #75 - 03/28/09 at 16:12:58
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I think Convetka will give Aquarium Demo support for reading i-Books. This new feature came out with recent version 3.1.

This new format is really cool but it's already too young and lacks some functionality in order to make it easier, I mean:

- Lacks keyboard navigation.
- The edition of i-Books is already very complicated (a text window where you have to use tags and commands). It is planned to add buttons in the interface in order to make the edition easier.

For sure, this fundamental features will be added in near future, I hope.

For those who already don't know anything about i-Books is like reading a formated paper book + having a board of the position + having a classifier where you can jump from one chapter to another. But also if you have an opening book in Aquarium you can also see if the position of the i-Book is in the tree in other pane in real time...

For more info the Aquarium section in Rybka's Forum is a good site.

PD: I really like the New Style eBooks over pdfs.
  
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GMTonyKosten
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Re: Why not carry out a survey (all subscribers)
Reply #74 - 03/28/09 at 12:48:59
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Göran wrote on 03/27/09 at 15:12:55:
Statistics about the number of downloads could perhaps also indicate the total interest.

Indeed, the PDF downloads always far outstrip the eBook ones.
Pawnbroker - thanks for your post, I have always been curious as to why the PDFs were preferred, assuming it was because a lot of subscribers didn't use ChessBase, or were running Linux, say.
I will look into the 'i-book'. Wink
  
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Pawnbroker
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #73 - 03/28/09 at 12:10:35
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I write as one who has downloaded and tried both the old and new Playable eBooks but rarely use them because I find I much prefer to use the PDF eBooks alongside a database of the games.

First I should explain that I am a correspondence player and my requirement is to have a good understanding of openings and be able to research individual positions in depth. I do not need to memorise an opening for OTB play, and that may possibly make a difference.

The PDF eBooks are excellent. They are very professionally presented. My on-screen layout displays the index and two pages of text and it is easy to use the index to skip between pages to view different lines. While this does not allow me to play through the variations there are sufficient diagrams to give a good understanding of the opening themes and typical positions.  In contrast I find the Playable eBooks less readable and if I wish to overview an opening I need to open several game windows and skip between them, sometimes frustratingly confusing the windows.

When I want to research a position in detail I open a CB board window and use my single “ChessPublishing” database as the reference database. The reference tab then gives me a service that I find comparable to the Playable eBook, but with the advantage that I only need to maintain a single database.

My monthly workflow is straightforward. I overwrite my existing PDF eBooks when they are updated and add all the new games to my CB “ChessPublishing” database.

I appreciate the work that Tony is doing in trying to improve the service and would not wish to discourage his efforts. If my comments are shared by others it may explain why there has been a less enthusiastic response to the Playable eBooks than expected. One of the limitations of the Playable eBook is perhaps the lack of quality and versatility of the Chessbase format. I have recently seen examples of the Aquarium i-book. At first sight the i-book does look a better vehicle for the service that Tony is trying to offer, possibly improving on both PDF and Playable eBooks. But I wonder how many subscribers yet have access to Aquarium?
  
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Göran
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Re: Why not carry out a survey (all subscribers)
Reply #72 - 03/27/09 at 15:12:55
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I think it is a pity that the playable eBook has not got the attention it deserves. I cannot believe that the majority really think that the “.pdf” is better. I can only see one single advantage with the “.pdf” . It is printable and you can carry it with you like a paper book. In all other aspects I do think that the playable eBook is superior. On the other side, that single advantage could be enough for the majority – how many are reading from the laptop on the subway, bus, waiting room and other more obscure locations? Well, being unfamiliar with ChessBase could also be an obstacle which would favour “.pdf”

Then again, do we know how many of the subscribers actually know that there actually is an option?   I would guess it really is a limited number of subscribers that are active on the forum and let alone the topic “Discussion”. 

Perhaps Tony could find a way to ask all subscribers that been logged on e.g. during the last year?  Or all subscribers that downloaded one or several “.pdf” or playable eBook e.g. during the last year.
Statistics about the number of downloads could perhaps also indicate the total interest.

Some suggested questions on a survey:
If only one was available which would you choose?
1.      PDF
2.      Playable eBook
3.      Don’t care
If only PDF is available
1.      Would you pay an extra fee to be able to download the playable eBooks?
2.      No, would stick to the “.pdf”
If only playable eBook is available 
1.       Would you pay an extra fee to be able to download the PDF file?
2.      No, would stick to the playable eBook.

The survey could be initiated by an email asking the members to look at the two playable eBooks (Scheveningen and Catalan) to get an impression and compare with the “.pdf”.

Personally I would appreciate the playable eBooks with or without the “.pdf”. I do understand however that it is both a cost for ChessPublishing and many subscribers could prefer the “.pdf”. I wouldn’t mind an increase of the fee to have access to the playable eBooks.
  

What kind of proof is that?
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The French Fan
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #71 - 03/04/09 at 08:59:36
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 06/11/08 at 16:48:26:
When I introduced the new eBooks (with the links in the actual games) I did envisage being able to update these quite frequently (maybe even monthly, like the PDF eBooks), but despite my efforts to start a discussion about the relative merits of the two types of ChessBase eBooks there has been very little feedback, so I am still not sure which type is generally preferred by the subscribers! Undecided


As to me, I like playable books much more because they are easier to read through in Chessbase 10. Otherwise, I'd have to print out your recent pdf-books and then make a playable book myself; it's much more time and effort-assuming to me. So I am both hands up for the new format CB playable books!  Smiley
  
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Antillian
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #70 - 02/26/09 at 00:14:27
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 02/25/09 at 23:34:46:
LeeRoth wrote on 02/15/09 at 16:14:00:

Catalan


Antillian wrote on 02/15/09 at 16:00:40:
Catalan would be my choice


OK - you can download it now! Wink


Wonderful!!
  

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GMTonyKosten
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #69 - 02/25/09 at 23:34:46
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LeeRoth wrote on 02/15/09 at 16:14:00:

Catalan


Antillian wrote on 02/15/09 at 16:00:40:
Catalan would be my choice


OK - you can download it now! Wink
  
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ChessMonkey
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #68 - 02/25/09 at 03:26:00
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Thanks Tony, just downloaded it, but haven't gone thru it yet, but I'm sure it's first-rate!!!
  
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Göran
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #67 - 02/24/09 at 21:35:46
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First impression: It's great. That is really the way to go! Can we have Accelerated Dragon/Hyper-Accelerated Dragon? Can't wait.

So much better than the PDF versions. Easy to access, good overview and playable games in CB.  Cheesy

Great!
  

What kind of proof is that?
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GMTonyKosten
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #66 - 02/24/09 at 19:44:30
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 02/23/09 at 16:01:47:
OK, I've started work on the Scheveningen. Smiley

It's online!!
It actually seems to work better in CB10 than previous versions ( Huh) as they have added a gap between any annotations and the games link, and also one of the English Attack links only works properly in CB10! Still, in CB9 you don't have to remember to press Ctrl + Enter! Roll Eyes
  
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ChessMonkey
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #65 - 02/23/09 at 16:29:06
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Grazie!
  
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GMTonyKosten
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Re: Playable e-book (cbv format)
Reply #64 - 02/23/09 at 16:01:47
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OK, I've started work on the Scheveningen. Smiley
  
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