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From: rap@ardent.UUCP (Rob Peck)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: BADGE Killer Demo Contest (long)
Summary: a very good point...
Message-ID: <3682@ardent.UUCP>
Date: 23 Feb 89 17:48:21 GMT
References: <3473@ardent.UUCP> <72810UH2@PSUVM>
Organization: Dana Computer, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 72

In article <72810UH2@PSUVM>, UH2@PSUVM.BITNET (Lee Sailer) writes:
> Given the stated purpose of the Killer Demo contest, would it be
> appropriate to add a APPLICATION PROGRAM DEMO category.  For
> example, someone might create a continuous looping demo of the
> capabilities of TeX, or the Director, or Dpaint, or AREXX, or
> dmouse, or whtever.
> 
> The local dealer here in Erie, for example, can't demo spreadsheets,
> word processors, graphics/video programs, or anything else for that matter,
> (no flames, please---he's the only dealer).  My notion is that
> instead of running JUGGLER in the front window of his store, he could
> run some sort of productivity software demo.

Considering what I have often seen running in the windows of MAC and IBM
dealers, Lee has a VERY good point here.   Running loop demos of various
commercial software could indeed be a good selling feature for the machine
and in the case of a not quite so experienced dealer, could be a godsend.
However

#begin personal opinion mode

 "why have the commercial program writers and market-teers not
  done this ALREADY????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It would seem that with SO very much commercial software now becoming
available for Amiga, there should be at least a FEW of the larger
vendors creating self-running demos promoting their product.  Looking
at games-creators, for example, there is usually a play-with-nobody
mode built in for the very purpose of convincing the user to buy it
(as in the arcade games... play me, I look interesting).

I believe that the primary potential for reward in such an area is
to have the potential demo writer contact the manufacturer for which
he'd like to do a demo and make a contract to produce it.  ALL commercial
vendors, I'd assume, have access through Commodore to find out where the
authorized Amiga dealers are located.  And if the dealers don't carry
their products, I still feel it is up to the vendor (and not a non-commercial
group such as BADGE or even Fred Fish) to promote his own product.

With programs like the DIRECTOR and various ANIM and movie players, as
well as the PD music players, the commercial guys have plenty of PD
tools/toys to work with.  Lets see some creative marketing here.  Surely
they want to sell their products, effectively, to the largest possible
audience.


#begin to soften one's opinion

Well, maybe if a demo "appeared" (via frame grabs etc) to show more 
than one commercial product in a single "reel", effectively showing 
off Amiga's capabilities to form your own customized environment by 
using a combination of your own favorite utilities, this could potentially 
qualify under the general rule "what will sell the most Amigas".   
Remember that the goal is not to simply provide existing users with 
pick-and-choose catalogs (they are already convinced of the machine's 
utility... they bought one), but to convince more folks that this is 
a viable machine.  Do we want demos that look like a slick commercial
for the Amiga??  YES, I believe so!  Look what Commodore did with their
demo tapes recently.  I, for one, was impressed.  Hey, run THAT in the
dealer's window.

I'll bring this up at the next BADGE meeting, but unless some "reel"
excitement was in a single-product demo.... well, who knows? "We ain't
seen one yet, so we don't know whether it'd fly".  I do recall seeing
a recent self-running demo of a flight simulator (forgot which one),
but though the rendering was quite impressive, anything more than
two minutes of watching it brought yawns to some.

Other opinions welcome, next BADGE meeting is third Thursday of March,
so there is time to collect data.

Rob Peck