I love this program and is currently my go-to SGF viewer on the mac.

Anyone know what the status of Sen:te Goban is ? It hasn't been updated since 2007 , and whenever I try to use any of the editing tools it crashes on my Mac OS X ML.

Related question : Are there any other good Mac OS X based go programs out there that I should check out ? (I have SmartGo Kifu on my iPhone)

Sen:te Goban is dead as a project I think. Your main options on OSX are the Java based Internet Go clients like the KGS one for SGF viewing and editing. SmartGo has been "coming to the Mac" for a fair bit now I think but no announcement has been made about it since March of 2012.

I also use sente's goban. Not only for viewing files, bt also as an igs client.
I believe I'm running mac osx lion though.
Both kgs and igs clients may run on a mac for that purpose.

Thanks for the replies.




Ah! That is sad to hear I don't mind the KGS client, but it looks really arcane and I have had some (minor) qualms about Java Of course to play on KGS that is the only option.. I am hoping SmartGo comes out soon with a Mac OS version.





Same here. I used to play on IGS via Goban when I started learning go (but subsequently found KGS a much more conducive environment to learn from others).

Hmmmm...I am thinking Lion and ML should be similar enough to figure out if it's something specific to my installation. I don't have any issues viewing SGF files, but it always freezes whenever I try to edit an SGF file - like marking a position, marking a stone or adding a comment for a move. Have you encountered this issue on Lion ?

I am on Mac ML and I use the following programs:

natively under Mac OS X:
------------------------
Gowrite(java) is a full featured SGF viewer, editor and publishing tool
http://gowrite.net/

GoGui (java, SGF editor, also a GTP-engine gui) :
http://gogui.sourceforge.net/

Jacqueline go : GTP front-end including gnugo 3.8
http://www.informatrix.ch/informatrix/go/index.html

GoGrinder : java program for practicing problems
http://gogrinder.sourceforge.net/
-------------------------

The following Windows programs run smoothly using Wine under OS X ML:
----------------------------------
Drago (SGF editor, GTP engine front end)
http://www.godrago.net/index.htm

Go game asssitant 8.76 (shareware)
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GoGameAssistant

Kombilo : data base program
http://www.u-go.net/kombilo/
-----------------------------------

Installing Wine on Mac OS X:
http://www.davidbaumgold.com/tutorials/wine-mac/

It is of course also possible to run other Windows /linux softs using a virtual machine such as Virtualbox (but the above solutions should work).

Goban had problems editing sgf files since I've known it, running on PPC macs.

Perfect ! Thank you ! Am trying them out now.

I still use Sen:te Goban for playing on IGS and to play an occasional game with GNU Go.

Had tried to contact the Sen:te developers sometime ago, to enquire about the status, without success. Sad to see a nice alternative for the Mac disappear

I have started using EidoGo for editing SGF lately.It's browser based, but I like it's spartan UI and feel. Do check it out.

_________________
Tempus Vincit Omnia

Sente Goban is so much nicer (visually) than the alternatives, so I still use it, almost exclusively (when not on the iPad). I still check for updates now and then, but I have pretty much given up. :p

<gasp>

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

It's available now for about EUR 9. Does anybody know what the improvements over the last version are?

Thx for the information.

Well, I purchased and downloaded. Installed the necessary Extensions (http://www.sente.ch/pub/software/goban/ ... nsions.dmg, 2.5 MB, contains GnuGo and NNGS which are under GPL and therefore can’t be distributed together with Goban on the Appstore).

Then launched Goban. Goban asks me to install the necessary Extensions.

Installed the Extensions again, and again Goban asks for the Extensions. Rinse, repeat.

<shrug>

Since the Sen:te support link on the Appstore points to a rudimentary page with another link the product page but no support info I saw no other way than to leave a one star rating with comment about installation fail.

I hope Sen:te will do something about this, otherwise I’ll have to get my money back.


<update>

After a reboot still the same. Re-downloaded the Extensions DMG, reinstalled the Extensions (for the umpteenth time), and now it works (see comment below).

</update>


Greetings, Tom

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

Why not?

Is this some confusion (which appears common) about what the GPL license is and isn't? Anybody is supposed to be able to (re)distribute free software as long as they do not charge for it and make the source code available.

That's a do not charge for it (the free software) not a do not charge for something else (not free) being distributed at the same time. You should be able to offer software for sale (not free software) at the same time offering free software for no additional charge and that requirement is easy to comply with (offer two downloads, one with the free software on the same download, one without it, same price).

That's not all the details for compliance but what seems to be at issue here. I think a lot of the confusion because these days usually downloads but the language of the various free software licenses were from before when distribution would be on medium of some sort.

I for one am too uninformed to even be confused

From Sen:te’s page “Goban Extensions”:

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

There's no prohibition against charging for GPL software. It's just that if you distribute it, you must also give/provide access to the source code, and you cannot prevent further distribution by the receiving party.

NOW IT WORKS

After a reboot (no idea whether that was the reason) I tried again, to no avail.

Then I re-downloaded the Extensions DMG (no idea whether they changed something) and then Goban 4 works. Just played a 9x9 game against GnuGo and lost by 5 points.

<edit>

Updated my Appstore review, BTW, and heaved it up from one star to three, for the time being.

</edit>

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

Are there any changes/improvements? In other words, if I have the previous (free) version, is it worth the $10 to upgrade?

I've upgraded and it's doing a bit better with commented SGF files (from SmartGo Kifu, KGS, and a Windows editor, for what its worth), but still crashes -- when saving some game files from other apps, for example. The developer seems interested in fixing it, but for now I don't see much reason to recommend upgrading.

I can no longer see any comments in the SGF files Anyone else having this issue ?

_________________
Tempus Vincit Omnia

I can see the comments just fine -- but you may want to remove all Sen:te Goban related preferences from your ~/Library/Preferences folder and restart the app.

That's what I did, and now the app is solid; no crashes, it opens every SGF I throw at it, and everything just works. The developer was very good about keeping in contact and following up on the trouble I reported earlier. The last thing on my wishlist is multi-game SGF files.