Chess Programs for Linux Ubuntu

just run any normal chess program but using wine

yeah. that i do anyway. i am just asking about linux specific programmes

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?

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!

so, my original question again. Is 3gb enough to run 64 bit smoothly?

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 ;)

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.

Personally I use i3 for when I need to get 'sh*t' done. Xfcewhen I want to play a nice game or watch a movie and when I want to show someone that Linux is a viable option on the desktop with nice eyecandy but still more productive than win8 I show them gnome 3 or cinamon. So most of the time I use i3. I can't imagine being productive at writing code or reading and learning without a tiled window manager. Having said that, if you have less than 4 GB a 64bit install won't do you that much good. The great thing about linux is however, if you have a 64 bit install and system, you can still use 32 bit libs and compile those (or just download the bins) tools/programs you need. 32 and 64 bit software live together on my system. Then again, i have been using linux since 1998 and worked for SuSE. Later I switched to Debian, which I still find 'the distro', but since about 2 years I have switched to Arch since I love the rolling high-tech releases there. However, that is not something that I would recommend as a first distro.

There are so many great chess tool on linux. They have all been named, scid for example is a great tool. For a quick game of chess these days I use pychess. Great little program, and even greater since it's written in python and python is fun to code at :)

However, for the average user, you want a 64 bit system so you can adres more than 3 gb of memory.

Thanks all of you for your clarifications. I have switched to 64 bit on both my desktop (runs on core2duo - 4GB ram) and on my laptop (i3 -3gb ram). No problem in performance and I am happy to add more gigs if i need it. But the provision is now there, which is a good thing.

and may be it's a placebo effect, just may be, but i have a feeling that both the computers are snappier now. it could also be because of MATE. I have a sneaking suspicion that MATE is better than Cinnamon, again, could be placebo effect! I am not a techie but I am an advanced amateur in technology :P

so many possibilities, so many options. all free from virus, and hopefully from money (though donation is welcomed and should be done to the benevolent souls out there) and infinitely more beautiful than paid OS. what a wonderful world of open source!

Good that you managed to install 64 bit OS on your motherboard.

don't mention that, i was an ignoramus :(

i realised if your motherboard supports 64 bit processors, like i3 and Core2Duo (like you suggested) it works on 64 op system too. that was a good lesson. now i am ambitious and may go for OpenSuse for my laptop!

What are the advantages of OpenSuse?

Would appreciate any linux expert´s  advice on using chessbase on mint. Explained in the video below, thanks in advance.

http://goo.gl/Ep22z4

I found the 32 bit version in the Download section of their site.

It's easy!, I used synaptic for installs various chess games.

I liked a game for my son, I installed Mango Paola.

Grettings!

It depends a little on whether you want to use it for something very specific, but in general XBoard is the most versatile user interface for Chess-like games on Linux. It can practically do anything, from connecting to Chess servers to searching positions in PGN databases, playing against engines from beatable (fairymax) to inhumanely strong (stockfish), to analyzing and annotating your games with those and edit comments into them. From Chess to Xiangqi and Shogi.

Best is to install it from source code, as Debian seems to package the ugly X-windows version:

./configure --with-gtk

make

sudo make install

It is usually not a good idea to direct new users to the terminal. They are not used to the term or the black screen. It has the high potential of freaking them out. Better to use "the ugly X-windows version" at this stage, I think.