> Subject: Re: Standalone Metacard Document Distribution Support (SMDDS):
> Starter Kit suggestion..
>
> 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.
>
Yes, exactly. But both the Starter Kit, and anything yo decide to distribute
with the full paid-up development environment have the same (Script)
Limitations.
Making it easy for people to download, a runtime engine to view any stacks
made with either the fully licenced development environment (allowing you to
create stacks with more than 10 lines per object), or the Starter Kit (with
the script limits), would not affect Metacard's revenue or licencing model
in the slightest? Scott?
It just means that any of us with either of the Metacard development
environments could distribute tiny stacks (40k uncompressed), secure in the
knowledge that the end user could open them easily.
>
> Mmmmmm ! There's a lot (more) to think about here. I'll be back...
>
> Regards
>
> Gary Rathbone
>
I think so -:)
>
>
> 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]
>>>
>>>
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>>> Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list.
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
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