By default Stockfish runs on one core, and has certain thinking time limits.
If you haven't configured the # of cores, as well as the "Slow mover" parameter, you should not expect a different behaviour.
Komodo free edition is not a multicore one, and has no thinking time adjustments. Eveything is done automatically. Of course it's much weaker than Stockfish 5, more so than recent Stockfish devel versions, but I do not doubt that it will score well if the opponent is crippled!
Hi,
I didn't know how these adjustments are done, I just downloaded the engines and paired them through Pychess. Both were 32 bit engines, but honestly, in longer time run, engines know how to draw! Crafty also drew with SF in longer time period. But one astonishing fact is that stockfish behaves as an intelligent but lazy guy. In middlegame, it almost always lacks, but in end game, the advantage of the others vanish. Still, it plays like a robot, whereas Komodo is very human like.
pychess does not have an UCI configuration screen, you can only configure an engine by manually writing the configuration file (provided that you are familiar with xml syntax).
But you could have used better UI's, namely chessx or scid/ scid vs. pc, where engine confuiguration is trivial. Basically finding an application better than pychess is the easiest part of the job! 
I was a Ubuntu user about last five years (sometimes dabbling into Kubuntu as well), but I left Ubuntu after Unity and now exclusively use Linux Mint. Currently I am on Linux Mint 17 and I swear I will never use anything else for my personal use. However, I have also kept Windows because my wife doesn't want to spend fraction of a second in learning a new operating system interface. I am patiently working in converting her, and so far she has started to like the default wallpapers that come with Linux!
And Linux can save older computers. I have a desktop computer with 1GB RAM and it used to run XP but the system was bloated and it couldn't handle Windows 7. This computer had no use and would have taken dusts in the attic. That's when I began to learn more about Linux, and realized that the Ubuntu family in particular really offered great operating systems for just about any kind of machine.
I decided to download Lubuntu and installed it in my older desktop computer. Geez, the thing is flying now, it's a lot more responsive than XP ever was. It boots in 15-20 secs. I now use it to browse the web, play chess and watch videos. It's life was prolonged.
Ah Lubuntu! Yes, I loved it. Since I had a new comp, I thought I would use a more resource hungry operating system and hence went with Ubuntu kubuntu Linux mint. Hoeever, later i found with its minimalist design, Lubunto is actually more pleasing to eyes than many other distros. Yes, of course, Lubuntu is the best of the lot for older comps. Thanks for mentioning it.
pfren : noooooo ... Pychess is the best!!! For me :p
Thing is, I can never play chess like you guys and will never need a deep analysis actually. I play chess for fun and with all those engines around in pychess, I can take on Carlsen. Comeon Norway, let me take revenge on you for defeating our Anand!!
pfren: Can you kindly guide me if 64 bit stockfish will work in a 32 bit machine? I downloaded stockfish 5 for linux. sadly, the engine is of 64 bit, if i configure it with my pychess, will it work efficiently or it will crash? Is there anyway i can convert 64 bit into 32 bit. please tell me step by step how to use terminal command. Big Thanks!
just run any normal chess program but using wine
yeah. that i do anyway. i am just asking about linux specific programmes
64-bit applications do not run on 32-bit machines.
But your E7500 CPU fully supports 64-bit instructions, and 64-bit OS is the only way to utilize fully your 4GB of RAM- with 32-bit OS only some 3GB will be accessible. You should consider to switch to 64-bit OS.
Thanks, Sir!
Hi,
I downloaded 64 bit version of Linux Mint 17 and since my desktop has Cinnamon version, I opted for Mint this time for my laptop. After using Mint for a few hours, I have a feeling it is superior to Cinnamon in usability! So there I was wrong. However, I have 3 gb ram in my laptop (core i3 processor). I hope I don't have to add more gigs to support 64 bit. I have downloaded stockfish 5 and Komodo 5 64 bit versions and assigned 2 core to stockfish too, but again, in Pychess. Is 3gb enough?
Hi,
I downloaded 64 bit version of Linux Mint 17 and since my desktop has Cinnamon version, I opted for Mint this time for my laptop. After using Mint for a few hours, I have a feeling it is superior to Cinnamon in usability! So there I was wrong. However, I have 3 gb ram in my laptop (core i3 processor). I hope I don't have to add more gigs to support 64 bit. I have downloaded stockfish 5 and Komodo 5 64 bit versions and assigned 2 core to stockfish too, but again, in Pychess. Is 3gb enough?
There is really no point to use a 64bit OS if you have 3GB of RAM. Unless you plan to add more RAM eventually, 32 bit is sufficiant since it can cover up to 4GB (usually around 3.5 GB less the graphic card).
The whole point of a 64bit architecture is that it can adress more than 4GB of RAM.
With your specs I would go for Linux Mint 17 Xfce 32bit. Xfce is a desktop environment that is fast and low on system ressources yet is visually appealing for the user. You would get the most out of your hardware.
Also if you are a Firefox user for exemple, the browser is only available on 32bit. So far, all apps for Linux support the 32bit architecture so there is no problem there.
Oops. Changed already!
Also if you are a Firefox user for exemple, the browser is only available on 32bit. So far, all apps for Linux support the 32bit architecture so there is no problem there.
Wrong. This applies only to windows (although there are unofficial 64-bit FF compiles as well). Almost all major Linux distros have a native 64-bit Firefox in their official repos, and the same applies for Chromium. Qupzilla and every other major browser.
XFCE4 is still a fine desktop, but it will cease to be fine soon, when it migrates to the crappy gtk3 toolkit. I'd rather go for a QT based environment (e.g KDE 4/5), and soon there will be a totally usable LXQT desktop (a mixture of LXDE and Razor-QT, currently migrating to QT5) if you want a fast, uncluttered, no-nonsense environment.
gtk2 based desktops, like cinnamon etc, ain't bad, but gtk2 is paleolithic- not just for coders, but also for end users.
so, my original question again. Is 3gb enough to run 64 bit smoothly?
so, my original question again. Is 3gb enough to run 64 bit smoothly?
Yes, of course it is...
But your actual RAM is unlikely to be 3GB, 4 GB is the likeliest scenario.
It's just the natural fact that your 32-bit OS cannot utilize more then 3GB under your current hardware config.
Thanks pfren for your corrections. As a Lubuntu user, I am waiting for LxQT too and it looks like a promising DE. It may take the crown to Xfce eventually.
Though it must be said that Linux Mint Xfce 17 runs great, I have tried it and it's buttery smooth on a 2GB RAM laptop. Xfce at this point is more ressource efficient than Cinnamon. Also, Mint 17 is LTS so if you wish you can sit on it for the remaining 3 years and an half ;)
so, my original question again. Is 3gb enough to run 64 bit smoothly?
It is more about your processor which needs to be 64x. Obviously yours is, so you are fine otherwise you would not have been able to install a 64 bit OS at all. Note that 64bit proc can install and run 32 bit applications too but the contrary can't be done.
That said, the fact that 64 bit can, depending on the OS, use more than 100GB of RAM doesn't change a damn thing for you since all you have is 3GB of RAM which a 32bit OS can adress without any problem.
Thank you. I can understand you about Komodo. On at least one of the computer chess program sites it is on the first place, and it has a more reliable style of moving. In this game I think that it could choose a better line against the French. So it is about its opening database, but I suppose you don't use it for that.