Packaging Demo of Big Commercial Software

[ptitSeb]

I want to know if it's seem OK to package and distribute (via the repo) Demos of big commercial software. I'm thinking here of FreeSpace & FreeSpace 2, but also in a near future Jedi Knight II also (and more?).

That seem a great way for every body to try the software on the Pandora (that's the main purpose of a Demo), before buying it on GoG for example?

Any advices?

 

[Pickle]

I think its a grey area, usually demos are free for distribution from person to person (otherwise what is the point), but I dont know if changing or adding files matters.

What might be a way around it is using a script that downloads the data and extracts it as needed per user.

 

[ekianjo]

What might be a way around it is using a script that downloads the data and extracts it as needed per user.

Yeah, sounds like a job for a Zenity script

 

[ptitSeb]

That can be challenging. Demo are sometime packaged with some exotic Installer that may render the extraction difficult.

Also, I have to assume a specific location from where to grab the demo. Freespace 1 & 2 Demo are compressed using Zip SFX (o problem here), but then, data are inside a data1.cab of the installer that may be difficult to extract from the Pandora.

I'll take a look if I can find some extractor sources for that (must some InstallShield or something similar).

 

[ingoreis]

I think Demos / Freeware / and Sharewares are ok to give other People.

Then make you Commercial for them.

I had made this with many Demos in my Qemu Images.

Rayman Demo,Tomb Raider Demo,Command&Conquer Demo and others.

The Problem with Qemu was to find a Free combatible Operating System

and i Found DrDos and Freedos for it

(and not Microsoft)

 

[ptitSeb]

Yes, but the difference I see here is that I have to extract data files from orignial Demo to make the PND.

Anyway, I'm not even sure people want a Demo PND of Freespace. Maybe I'll do a poll ?

 

[Askarus]

No need for a Demo I think.

I didn't own the Game.

The first thing I did after you released the PND was to buy the game.

As those games install on Wine I don't see any reason why to package the demo.

The Games are cheap anyway.

 

[ingoreis]

I find the Idea good.

So can Everyone try this Game and

you dont must buy evertime the Fullversion for a Try ^_^

 

[milkshake]

you dont must buy evertime the Fullversion for a Try ^_^

Translation:

you don't have to buy the full version just to try it out.

 

[ingoreis]

you dont must buy evertime the Fullversion for a Try ^_^

Translation:

you don't have to buy the full version just to try it out.

Yehaah thats right,thx for correcting

 

[Askarus]

May I vote as I already have the games?

For promotion it would be a good thing of course.

So everyone can test those games.

For me 10 Euro for the 2 freespace games is not much money, so I don't mind buying them.

For others it might be worth to try out first.

 

[ptitSeb]

Yes you can vote, even if the Demo will not be a great use for you.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

pnd ready to run!!!! $$

 

[ptitSeb]

I just modified a bit the poll. What I propose is Demo ready to run, not full version of course (absolutly no idea on who to contact & what deal to make for that anyway).

 

[FelixNemis]

just an idea for downloading the demo:

You could theoretically make a binary difference file of the extracted demo and distribute that with the pnd and then combine it with the downloaded file.

That would solve having to extract it on the pandora

 

[F_Slim]

Are we talking about additional releases? Or do you want to provide only a single .PND which includes the Demo?

File size may be an issue here, I wouldn't want to download an additional 10-100MB (or more?) of files I do not need with each update ...

Personally I think it would be enough to provide a link to a download location of the demo and let people download and install it themselves if they want to try without buying.

 

[ptitSeb]

Are we talking about additional releases? Or do you want to provide only a single .PND which includes the Demo?

File size may be an issue here, I wouldn't want to download an additional 10-100MB (or more?) of files I do not need with each update ...

Personally I think it would be enough to provide a link to a download location of the demo and let people download and install it themselves if they want to try without buying.

I was thinking of additionnal release, with a PND size of 30~100Mo depending of the Demo.

 

[milkshake]

you could use the zenity downloader script (like in the opendune pnd)

and modify it to extract data from installers or whatever is needed. 

 

[ptitSeb]

I try the "Full Demo" for Jedi Knight II.

download is not the problem, it's extracting the data. I have to extract from non-standard archive.

If there is a legal or ethical problem, I'll remove the Demo.

The poll was 9 against 1 for Full Demo (but, only 10 votes is not good statistics)

 

[FelixNemis]

download is not the problem, it's extracting the data. I have to extract from non-standard archive.

couldn't you distribute a binary difference file with the pnd and combine it with the downloaded archive to extract it even though the archive is non-standard