Be careful where you buy Houdini 4, or you could get burned

[Albert Silver]

Thank you for the suggestions, but I think the problem is related to the (non)activation of Houdini 3. The activation software ChessBase packaged with the software doesn't seem to work under Linux+wine. I tried both the standalone activation wizard and activating it through the Fritz 13 GUI. While it *seems* to work, that's an illusion. I haven't bothered to try it under a true Windows system. I may yet, since I have one dual boot machine that has Windows 7 on it, but it's not a high priority. Even if it did work, that would be interesting but totally useless for me since I avoid Windows whenever possible.

BTW, I bought Houdini 4 directly from Robert's website and it activates and runs fine under wine. So, until someone proves otherwise, I still believe the issue is in the ChessBase software.

While I really am sorry to hear about your issues, I don't think you can really hold ChessBase accountable for software not running in conditions they never claimed it would.

[Tom Likens]

While I really am sorry to hear about your issues, I don't think you can really hold ChessBase accountable for software not running in conditions they never claimed it would.

Hello Albert,

I don't really, it was just disappointing. It's very hit-or-miss with wine and Windows GUI applications. For console-based programs, wine seems to do a decent job. Luckily for us Linux enthusiasts, most xboard / UCI programs are console-based. As for GUI programs, it's track record is much more spotty, although to be fair a large number of GUI apps do run cleanly, (Arena is an example of a GUI app that works pretty well under wine). If the ChessBase standalone activation wizard had worked I would have been satisfied. Unfortunately, I ended up with (for my purposes) a non-usable, fairly expensive DVD coaster.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass on my experience, a cautionary tale if you will.

regards,
--tom

[S.Taylor]

2) Apparently you have a ChessBase Houdini 3 version that is not operational.
That is very much unacceptable, did you contact the ChessBase support for this?

No. I run Linux and wine and it seems that wine doesn't really handle the ChessBase interface very well. I honestly didn't feel like opening that can of worms with the ChessBase people, since most Windows-only companies wash their hands of Linux. I see from your website that the version you sell directly is supposed to be wine compatible, so that may be acceptable. But iff I can run Houdini as a standalone program under wine via cutechess-cli and Xboard. Does that work?

OK, it is unfortunate that your original post suggested that "other companies that are packaging Houdini" do not care for their customers - it's difficult for them to do anything if you don't contact them.

For Houdini's installation in Linux + Wine there is a topic in the installation manual, see http://www.cruxis.com/chess/manual/inst ... _linux.htm .
I hope this helps, if not I suggest that we continue the discussion by e-mail.

Cheers,
Robert

P.S. I do apologize for the useless and puerile interventions that have appeared in this thread (and have now mostly been removed by the moderator team). In this forum a part of the population will jump on any occasion that presents itself to attack and defile Houdini or anything associated with it. It makes any serious discussion about Houdini difficult.

If you include me, you must be paranoid!

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

2) Apparently you have a ChessBase Houdini 3 version that is not operational.
That is very much unacceptable, did you contact the ChessBase support for this?

No. I run Linux and wine and it seems that wine doesn't really handle the ChessBase interface very well. I honestly didn't feel like opening that can of worms with the ChessBase people, since most Windows-only companies wash their hands of Linux. I see from your website that the version you sell directly is supposed to be wine compatible, so that may be acceptable. But iff I can run Houdini as a standalone program under wine via cutechess-cli and Xboard. Does that work?

OK, it is unfortunate that your original post suggested that "other companies that are packaging Houdini" do not care for their customers - it's difficult for them to do anything if you don't contact them.

For Houdini's installation in Linux + Wine there is a topic in the installation manual, see http://www.cruxis.com/chess/manual/inst ... _linux.htm .
I hope this helps, if not I suggest that we continue the discussion by e-mail.

Cheers,
Robert

P.S. I do apologize for the useless and puerile interventions that have appeared in this thread (and have now mostly been removed by the moderator team). In this forum a part of the population will jump on any occasion that presents itself to attack and defile Houdini or anything associated with it. It makes any serious discussion about Houdini difficult.

If you include me, you must be paranoid!

He's paranoid Shimon without you being involved....

He's a a talanted programmer,no doubt about that whatever,but with bad manners toward his customers....

I can dig hundreds of posts to prove my claims but the guy's not worth it,the effort that is....
Dr.D

[RJN]

He's a a talanted programmer,no doubt about that whatever,but with bad manners toward his customers....

I can only speak for myself, having bought both H3 and H4. I have always had great customer support from Robert Houdart. He has been VERY quick to respond to email questions, examined long log files I sent him and answered my questions to satisfaction, and he never had a single" bad manner" towards me.

A few of my questions even resulted in changes to the H3 user manual. No complaints from me at all, I wish every product had such responsive and courteous customer support.

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

He's a a talanted programmer,no doubt about that whatever,but with bad manners toward his customers....

I can only speak for myself, having bought both H3 and H4. I have always had great customer support from Robert Houdart. He has been VERY quick to respond to email questions, examined long log files I sent him and answered my questions to satisfaction, and he never had a single" bad manner" towards me.

A few of my questions even resulted in changes to the H3 user manual. No complaints from me at all, I wish every product had such responsive and courteous customer support.

It's always good to hear positive things related to customer's support....
Dr.D

[drbob]

That's been my experience with Robert, as well. Helpful and quickly responsive.

drbob

[APassionForCriminalJustic]

It is good go see Houdart gone. The man clearly could care less about customer service. The guy literally wrote here that his business partners were basically more important than his customers. This thread is already dead; nevertheless, it should serve as an immediate example of how pathetically disrespectful to his customers this man is. Word of advice Robert: when patrons buy YOUR engine with his or her own hard-earned money, perhaps you might want to consider showing them the RESPECT that they are entitled to (give them the Houdini 4 discount). Your blatant lack of respect for people who paid top dollar for your engine through Chessbase is atrociously disgusting. It does not matter where persons decide to buy your engine. Customers are what really matters; your fans are what really matters. But you clearly do not understand this. Like Vasik Rajlich, it appears that you have chosen to run showing, once again, your obvious lack of respect for the persons who have helped support your endeavors throughout all these years.

All you need to do is provide a simple paragraph of penmanship stating clearly as to where the state of Houdini's development lies.

Again, I am sure that everything that I have written here is a complete waste. That being said, good worded points, I believe, are worth mentioning.

apassionforcriminaljustice

[shrapnel]

Hi
I disagree.
R Houdart's reply to the OP was perfectly correct and logical and makes sound business-sense.
You, on the other hand, seem to be wallowing in sentiment; hence totally lacking in logic. (Surprising in a chess player !)
If OP wanted to avail of discounts, he should have bought the Houdinis (all versions) from the cruxis website only.
R Houdart cannot force his Business Partners to offer the same discounts that he is offering.
And it indeed would be to unethical of him to draw away the chessbase customers by offering them discounts that Chessbase was unwilling to, for reasons best known to themselves.
The point is no one forced the OP to buy from ChessBAse ; if chessbase refuses to offer discounts, that is his hard luck and he should crib about Chessbase, rather than about Houdart himself !
Just because Houdart himself is the author of Houdini is no reason to go against the first principles of Business, as like it or not, Houdini is after all a COMMERCIAL product.
Hope you understand
Regards

[Henk]

All these three top engines are bad. There is a group of developers that creates a monopoly with their open source. Then you have an engine created by Jehovah's that are against blood transfusion. Third you have an engine that is a clone and did not play at WCCC (rejected ? I don't know).