xboard + gnuchess + gnome-games

[Mike Pechkin]

Ubuntu 7.04

1. I can't play xboard w/o gnuchess
2. if user install gnuchess dependency engine removes gnome-games

i want xboard and gnome-games simultaneously
why not? :)

[Emilio Pozuelo Monfort (pochu)]

The problem is in the gnuchess dependencies:
provided by: gnome-games

So if you try to install gnuchess it will remove gnome-games.

However, gnome-games doesn't include gnuchess.

[Áron Sisak (asisak)]

I guess gnome-gnuchess (that is part of package gnome-games) meant to be used instead of gnuchessx (provided by package gnome-games).

However, if there is a conflict between gnome-games and gnuchess, the former should include a symlink to provide a working 'gnuchessx' binary (maybe through /etc/alternatives).

Alternative workaround, run xboard with:
    xboard -firstChessProgram gnome-gnuchess

At least it works for me on 7.04 Feisty.

[sonal (bruno-mangin)]

i confirm the problem : on a clear feisty + universe repository :
<code>
sudo apt-get install gnuchess
Lecture des listes de paquets... Fait
Construction de l'arbre des dépendances
Reading state information... Fait

Les paquets suivants seront ENLEVÉS :
  gnome-games
Les NOUVEAUX paquets suivants seront installés :
  gnuchess
</code>

it means that installing gnuchess will remove gnome-games.

[Chris (angryfirelord)]

Same issue here. Attempting to install gnuchess requires the removal of gnome-games.

In the meantime, try another chess engine: http://glchess.sourceforge.net/?q=node/22 (haven't gotten around to trying the others yet)

[Abel Cheung (abelcheung)]

The new chess game inside gnome-games IS glchess. gnome-games wants to be self-contained, so it included the whole gnuchess inside its own source, with just very minor modifications.

Right now they should have been able to coexist perfectly together, I found this conflicting thing utterly silly and useless. It is perfectly valid now to say gnome-games package wants to expel any other chess interface.

BTW, for better chess engines, you can try phalanx and crafty (esp. the latter one, very strong). Given sufficient training phalanx almost always beats gnuchess.

Hope the next gnome-games package would not expel crafty and phalanx as well.

[Abel Cheung (abelcheung)]

Btw, it is completely useless to file bug report about gnuchess. Ubuntu people won't give a damn about it. Move the bug to gnome-games instead, or anything that bears with name "gnome". Filing to gnuchess wastes time.

[ojb (olejorgenb)]

So, should someone repost this bug in gnome-games, or is it enough that it's confirmed here?

I resolved the problem by symlinking gnuchessx -> gnome-gnuchess

[Yotam Medini (yotam-medini-gmail)]

Same problem in Gutsy-beta.

[Juancarlo An~ez (apalala)]

I've confirmed the problems with Ubuntu 7.04.

I've also confirmed that:

>> I resolved the problem by symlinking gnuchessx -> gnome-gnuchess

works fine after a:

> sudo apt-get install xboard

Juanca

[Yotam Medini (yotam-medini-gmail)]

Thanks Juanca,
Yes, I did that as well.
But it would be nice if Ubuntu's gnuchess package would take care of this.
-- yotam

On 10/7/07, Juanca <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> I've confirmed the problems with Ubuntu 7.04.
>
> I've also confirmed that:
>
> >> I resolved the problem by symlinking gnuchessx -> gnome-gnuchess
>
> works fine after a:
>
> > sudo apt-get install xboard
>
> Juanca
>
> --
> xboard + gnuchess + gnome-games
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/80791
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[Juancarlo An~ez (apalala)]

Another problem:

100% CPU usage on a Centrino laptop while running xboard.

Juanca

[Yotam Medini (yotam-medini-gmail)]

Juanca
I suspect the internal spawned 'gnuchessx' is working as hard as it can,
even when it is not its turn. Probably guessing opponent next move
and computing future potential response.

But I am just a casual user, not involved in this package development.

-- yotam

On 10/7/07, Juanca <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> Another problem:
>
> 100% CPU usage on a Centrino laptop while running xboard.
>
> Juanca
>
>

[Juancarlo An~ez (apalala)]

> I suspect the internal spawned 'gnuchessx' is working as hard
> as it can,
> even when it is not its turn. Probably guessing opponent next move
> and computing future potential response.

I was setting up the board for the end-game problem that came in today's
paper, and I noticed the 100% CPU problem while xboard was set to "Edit
Position" mode, when it shouldn't be making any calculations. It may be an
xboard/gnuchess issue, and not a distribution one.

Juanca

[Yotam Medini (yotam-medini-gmail)]

So it looks like a bug. You may report it to xboard/gnuchess maintainers.
-- yotam

On 10/7/07, Juanca <email address hidden> wrote:
>
>
> I was setting up the board for the end-game problem that came in today's
> paper, and I noticed the 100% CPU problem while xboard was set to "Edit
> Position" mode, when it shouldn't be making any calculations. It may be an
> xboard/gnuchess issue, and not a distribution one.
>
> Juanca
>

[Juancarlo An~ez (apalala)]

Followup:

1- The 100% CPU problem does not happen with gnome-chess (distribution ok, consistent)

2- Xboard expects functionality (edit) that the symlinked gnuchessx does not provide (another bug in the xboard .deb).

[Abel Cheung (abelcheung)]

To Yotam:

No, don't expect gnuchess package maintainer would do anything, since there is nothing wrong with gnuchess package. It's gnome-games maintainer adding the conlict manually, and don't even bother checking if such conflict is still valid or not.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

gnuchess no longer forces removal of gnome-games.