Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!pixar!gbuce
From: gbuce@pixar.UUCP (George Buce)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: BADGE Killer Demo Contest (long)
Summary: Commercial Demo Mode Exists NOW
Keywords: Demo mode, self-running
Message-ID: <3231@pixar.UUCP>
Date: 1 Mar 89 21:57:01 GMT
References: <3473@ardent.UUCP> <72810UH2@PSUVM> <3682@ardent.UUCP>
Reply-To: gbuce@pixar.UUCP (George Buce)
Organization: Pixar -- Marin County, California
Lines: 37

In article <3682@ardent.UUCP> rap@ardent.UUCP (Rob Peck) writes:
>In article <72810UH2@PSUVM>, UH2@PSUVM.BITNET (Lee Sailer) writes:

>> The local dealer here in Erie, for example, can't demo spreadsheets,
>> word processors, graphics/video programs, or anything else for that matter,
                                             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>         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.
>
> "why have the commercial program writers and market-teers not
>  done this ALREADY????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This has been done with a commercial program, for quite a few months.  AMnews
disk magazine has a self-running demo based on Meridian Software's
Demonstrator.  The Demonstrator records all Intuition inputs (mouse and
keyboard) and later plays them back exactly as recorded.  After putting
together an issue of AMnews, we would do an hour long "walk through" of the
magazine, showing off the articles, illustrations and demos while the
Demonstrator was recording our inputs.  The resulting file is included on every
issue of AMnews along with a DemoPlayer from Meridian.  All that was required
of the dealer (besides a 1 meg Amiga) was to boot up the magazine and double
click on the demo icon.  The demo ran in a loop that was anywhere from 45
minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the issue.  I understand a good
number of Amigas (and magazines) were sold due to that demo mode.  The
Demonstrator is general purpose enough that it could be included with any piece
of software to show off the product's highlights without any attendance by a
salesman...
 

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  George Buce (8{>     |  Can you say 192 Meg of RAM? (Only 24K of CHIP though)
...ucbvax!pixar!gbuce  |  Can you say 48 bitplanes? (How about $29,500?)
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Disclaimer:  I used to work for AMnews, but I found a company with bigger and
	     better toys.