Re: [XBoard-devel] startup error

[h . g . muller]

> ok... I guess we figure out a better way for 5.0.0 when we try to improve
> on that startup screen. Perhaps we should add a section on the webpage for
> people who want to package xboard on how to change this to another
> default engine, that is shipped with their distribution.

I think in 5.0.0 we should by default start in -ncp mode. The Engine #1
and Engine #2 Settings dialogs in the options menu could then contain the
combo box that is now in the WinBoard startup dialog, where you can select
an engine from the list, or type your own. The list would be given by the
-first / -secondChessPrograms argument, as usual in WinBoard. I would like
to have a tickable option in that dialog for when you type a name that was
not in the list, it is added to the value of this argument. (So that it is
later saved in the winboard.ini.) There should also be a button to delete
the engine currently displayed in the combo box.

As for the packaging: I guess the problem would be sufficiently solved if
we provide a link on the GNU download page to the fairymax Debian package
on my website (and perhaps another format as well), for as long as
Fairy-Max is not yet in Debian and Ubuntu. I don't think in Linux it is
desirable to bundle. Currently no engines are automatically downloaded
with xboard either, when you use the apt-get install mechanism.