The digital image that is created by CCD is huge. It's far too big to be easily stored in relatively little amount of storage space that's available to a digital camera. Accordingly, camera's computer compresses image to make it smaller.

There are two basic methods for achieving this compression. The first method takes advantage of repetitive patterns in image. For example, if you are taking a picture of an airplane that is flying in sky, a lot of picture will be a chunk of blue sky. The camera recognizes that there are multiple parts of image containing same digital information, so it only records a small piece of sky. Then it simply creates a map to tell it where rest of sky belongs. When picture is ultimately displayed sky appears exactly same as it did in original image when it was first captured. The only difference is that overall storage requirements were reduced thanks to camera's clever mapping techniques.

The other method uses a procedure called irrelevancy. This methodology automatically removes digital information that is not visible to human eye such an infra red light.

Digital imaging is amazing yet we have only started witnessing revolutionary changes that are yet to come.

Most titles give you opportunity to connect directly to a pre-arranged player or to find an available player through available message boards.

Peer-to-Peer software may likely become dominant chess software in future and replace chess servers as preferred method of playing chess on computer.

Chess Software Database

Chess software databases are like holding sub total of world's chess knowledge on your local PC. Most programs offer thousands of past grandmaster games for you to review either in text or video format. There are endless opening, middlegame, and endgame strategies. You can read annotations and some titles even have photos of world's grandmasters.

Some chess software databases come with built-in chess software that lets you play out games that are in database and even allow database to analyze your game.

Prices are low and chess software databases make a great learning and analytical tool.

Computer vs. Computer Chess Software

These chess software programs pit computers against computers using an Internet or LAN connection. They are good learning tools in some ways but you shouldn't read too much into their strategies. These chess software programs can't actually "think" like humans do. Theirs is a mathematical world where moves are calculated according to a set of formulas that allow it to determine "best" move based upon all possible moves at moment.

In spite of their "non-thinking" processing, chess software has evolved to become a formidable opponent even for grandmasters.

In my opinion nothing beats a head-to-head game with a living breathing opponent who is seated a few feet away from you on other side of a real chessboard. However, I realize that today's lifestyle does not always allow us luxury of pre-planned leisure time and they have to pick up a game whenever and wherever we can. With that it mind, you should pick yourself up some chess software for those times when a human in he same room is not an option.