Cy77 Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 What is the advantage of using the online BBO vs downloading the software? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1eyedjack Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Cy77. I am not an official of BBO but the following may help. If you review the posts by Fred in the Special Events and Announcements section of this forum it will answer much of your question. The Windows client is the original, but the online client is the future. The Windows client is not being developed further, although you may get the odd maintenance release if bugs are identified this late in the day. The online version is being developed at a fantastic pace and so anyone reading this message a few months down the road will find it to be out of date in the detail. There is a considerable overlap between the products, and for a lot of players it will make little or no difference which client they use. There are a few features that are available in one client but not the other, and that works both ways. Depending on your particular needs from the service, you may find that just at present the features unique to the Windows client have a higher priority for you than those features unique to the Flash client. Only you will be able to be the judge of that. However as time progresses you can expect an erosion of the features that are only available on the Windows client and an expansion of the features that are only available using the web-based client. So, those who prefer the Windows client for now will I expect inevitably migrate as more features are rolled out in the Flash client. The latest release provided a considerable incentive to switch, for those still dithering. Here is a far from exhaustive list of some of the differences: The online versions get updated by the developers whenever they want, without requiring any software downloads by the end user (with the possible exception of upgrading your version of Flash plug-in periodically).The online version consumes considerably less bandwidth than the downloaded client.The online version offers greater cross-platform compatibility, without requiring the use of Windows emulation software on non-windows machines.Currently, the GIB double dummy analyser is not available to kibitzers in the online client.The Flash protocol prevents the saving of logs and datafiles to your local hard drive, which facility is available in the Windows client, so you can log chat locally and log hand records locally in the Windows client, but that will forever be denied in the Flash version. I gather that they are looking into ways around that, some of which have already been implemented with promise of more to come.A lot of stuff gets refreshed instantaneously on the Windows client that requires manual refreshing (or delayed automatic refreshing) in the Flash client. That is one of the prices paid for the bandwidth saved, but this is likely to be a moving goalpost.Have a look at Fred's latest post in the area mentioned above, to find some of the exciting things that are happening in the Flash version that will never be available in the Windows client.I expect others will pile in with some more of the obvious distinctions that I will have certainly missed. It might not be a bad idea for BBO to maintain a page on the website that lists features available in one but not the other, which could be updated as new Flash clients get released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy77 Posted March 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 Hi 1-eye: Thank you for the detailed reply. As a new user on Bridge Base, I am learning a little more everytime I log on and appreciate your help. I like the idea of using the online Bridge Base instead of downloading more "stuff" onto my computer. Thanks again for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkljkl Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 The online version consumes considerably less bandwidth than the downloaded client. I wonder if this is true. I play at BBO having often to use a slow mobile phone modem. Using the BBO-Flash it takes about 5 minutes to get the log-in form, and after logging in, it takes about 30 seconds to get the (in german wrong spelled "Verbindung verbrochen") message "connection aborted". Using the BBO-Win client it takes me from 1 to 4 minutes (depending how many players are logged in) to be at a table and to play smoothly. ciao stefangermany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barmar Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 If the PC doesn't already have the Flash client cached, it has to download the client, so that can make the initial connection very slow (or the next connection after BBO has published an update). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotShot Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 Maybe you should optimize your browsers cache settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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