Probably not actually; hence my saying it's more like an alpha than a beta (in other words, very far from finished).

The only thing we might disagree on is whether or not it is fair to compare go9dan's technical problems to kaya's technical problems. I think it is fair.



Agreed.

What's wrong with having a commercially successful Go server? I think Go9dan launched too soon, maybe it will recover given time.

The best html based server I have seen is still Alex Selby's.

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North Lecale

I wonder if this was primarily a load-handling issue. When things look fine internally and then implode once you bring in a large audience it's usually a load-handling issue.

Goodness knows if they are using a pure Client-Pull method via AJAX or a steam to update all the viewers this thing is liable to implode on itself. You need the viewer architecture to load on the client side once and something like COMET to push out every new move or comment to the audience. Ideally it's just a 4-character data point for the move and a string for a comment. Also, you'd really like to have the push to the audience running on a separate server with separate bandwidth: ideally one set up for running the game (with the security, I/O, rules logic, and archival logic) and another set up for webcasting game data once it hits the archive.

Streams and Data Pulls and failure to compartmentalize your game processing vs. broadcasting work-loads seems like a recipe for disaster.

- Marty Lund

Nothing. But:

• I hugely disagree with the idea of anything that is commercially successful without being fit for purpose.
• I disagree somewhat with businesses that crowbar themselves into a gap in the market which doesn't exist. There are free alternatives to go9dan, but go9dan has capital and big names behind it, is advertising itself hugely via this series, and will be hoping to gain momentum and make itself known as the place to play go. Why else would anyone play there? It has nothing that KGS doesn't have, except for a fantastic ability to advertise itself. I'm confident that it won't be the death of KGS in this case, but this kind of thing isn't unheard of.
• I disagree with a business that puts money before its customers. Look at their website - I know how much I should pay for what features, and I know which price option is most popular(!), but I can't even play a game. Can you honestly tell me you trust them to value you as a customer?

In short, I view a commercially successful go server as a go server (run for the sake of go) that happens to be commercially successful. This is a few people who wanted to start up an enterprise (run for the sake of money) and happen to have connections in the go world. Well, that's my rather cynical take on it, anyway. We'll see if that changes.

They forgot to remove the misspell mark from their promotional pictures

I don't know about it, care to explain?

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PLAY GO EVERY DAY

Lee Sedol vs. Chen Yaoye started about 20 mins ago...

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Patience, grasshopper.

I get a badly spelt error message.

Works for me. Are you registered? To find the game, you have to click "play now" which brings you to the lobby where the game is being played. Double click opens it.

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Patience, grasshopper.

With you up to this point - and here I get:

"Error
You are unable to connect to 'Lobby Server' at this time. Please refresh your browser. If it doesn't help the issue, please wait for server is recovered. Sorry for inconvinience.CLOSE"

Needless to say, refreshing does nothing.

No matter - I wouldn't have stuck around to watch it myself - but my (cynical) guess is that the problem of heavy traffic flow has been patched over by setting a cap on the number of users who can join, and once the lobby is full any new people trying to join are denied connection automatically. Shame.

Well, here's the game. It was over rather quickly. Lee got into byo-yomi and lost on time. His comment after the game was "90,92" To which Yaoye said "yes."

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Patience, grasshopper.