Gary Rathbone
Tue, 26 Sep 2000 06:17:19 -0700
Sorry, but I thought the Starter Kit was a "Starter Kit" and that developers 'purchased' the license key to allow them to develop fully functional applications for distribution. I thought the "Starter Kit" was a way of allowing users to 'sample' the development environment before parting with their cash. >"When distributing Metacard stacks to people who do not have the engine..."? ...then build a standalone with your fully licenced version of Metacard !!! > This is great, and a technique of general use to the Metacard community ..but perhaps not the Metcard Corp who rely on revenue to continue to develop OUR environment and protect OUR commercial future... I know that Supercard have used a (freely downloadable) SuperCard player which allows end users to execute (not runtime prepared) Supercard Stacks. And look at the mess they've are/have been/will be (?) in Mmmmmm ! There's a lot (more) to think about here. I'll be back... Regards Gary Rathbone on 26/9/00 12:44, David Bovill at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Looking at Sivakatirswami web site (well done!), gave me an idea that I was > wandering if it had more general support... > > When distributing Metacard stacks to people who do not have the engine, it > is common practice to include ftp links to the relevant compiled standalone, > or the Metacard ftp site for the relevant "Starter Kit"... > > The technique that Sivakatirswami has used for Standalone distribution is > the best technique for distributing MC content. It is similar to the > standard practice for cross platform (PC?Mac only of course) development > with Director - where you supply two minimal engines one PC and one Mac that > both point to a shared named "home" document. > > The advantage of the MC/Sivakatirswami technique is that not only can the > engine be very small (less than a 1MB), but that additional resources can be > downloaded by the engine itself whenever required (and indeed in the > background while reading what you have downloaded)... > > This is great, and a technique of general use to the Metacard community. My > suggestion is that this is improved and made much simpler for the developer > (ie us), by adapting the Metacard Starter Kit, and it's FTP site to utilise > this "progressive download" technique... > > To be specific I suggest that: > > 1) the Starter Kit be broken down to appropriately compressed minimal > engines for each platform, with "progressive download and save" options for > all the relevant documentation and tutorials. > > 2) The Metacard site contains a page for cutting and pasting appropriate > cross platform HTML code for use in a developers site. > > 3) A Javascript version is created for auto-platform detection with > default code for all platforms for non-Javascript browsers > > 4) Appropriate html code is available for inclusion in emails, so that > the recipient can easily follow the html links in the body of the email > message to download the minimal engine. > > To give an example of how this would help, it would mean that all we would > have to do to send someone an example stack is copy the relevant cross > platform html code and include it in the email message alongside either the > attached stack of another ftp link to where you have posted your specific > stack. > > This would save everyone having to download all the engines for all the > platforms, for simple quick distributions. The cross platform browser > detection code would also be a useful community resource. > > Lessons from History... > Macromind Director's Shockwave and Xtra plugin architecture only really > started to take off when they improved there download site to make it > eas(ier) for people download the Xtra and/or plugins for those people that > did not already have them pre-installed. > > > As I have to do this in any case, I am offering my services to try and crack > this one. If anyone likes the idea and could help in any way please let me > know what you think/what you could help with. Bullet proof cross platform > browser detection scripts anyone? > > > > >> From: Sivakatirswami <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 19:11:37 -1000 >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subject: Metacard Site Went Public >> >> We went public tonite with our new Metacard site. You can see the >> announcement advertising "Mystic Mouse" on our daily web page. (and a >> picture of yours truly with our one of our books in Russian. >> >> http://www.gurudeva.org/today >> >> The site itself is at >> >> http://www.himalayanacademy.com/studyhall/ >> >> I really want to thank everyone for their support and help along the way. >> Can't believe how easy it was with MC and what a nightmare it would have >> been had we gone with a HTML/JAVA based platform. >> >> We still have a long ways to go. And it will be interesting to see if we can >> do a "paradigm" shift away from the misconception that >> >> web = netscape and or IE. >> >> Scott: I built the PPC with the latest build of 2.3.2b2.1 Let me know a >> month from how if you have any referrals from our domain form our MC >> advocacy page. >> >> Aloha from Hawaii. >> >> >> Hinduism Today >> >> Sivakatirswami >> Editor's Assistant/Production Manager >> www.HinduismToday.com >> www.HimalayanAcademy.com >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/metacard%40lists.best.com/ >> Info: http://www.xworlds.com/metacard/mailinglist.htm >> Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list. > > > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/metacard%40lists.best.com/ > Info: http://www.xworlds.com/metacard/mailinglist.htm > Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list. > > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/metacard%40lists.best.com/ Info: http://www.xworlds.com/metacard/mailinglist.htm Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list.