07-10-2003, 09:00 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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No Demo? No Way!
Okay, this is just a simple little pet peeve of mine that keeps nagging at me. I was poking around the Handango! site, looking for any interesting, new software to try out. I quickly found a couple of neat-looking applications, but they had no demo version. As a result, I did not try them.
In fact, I will NEVER buy any Pocket PC software that does not allow me to try out a demo version first (unless it's VERY highly recommended by my hero, Ed!). Even if the price is very low, I just have a real problem buying software I can't take for a spin first.
I know that sounds pretty silly, but as easy as it is to create demos, I can't be the only person who feels this way, can I?
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07-10-2003, 09:08 AM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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I will buy software when there is no demo, but it has to come highly recommended by people I trust (a good reason to frequent this site) but a demo version that really works and shows off the product can convince me to buy when there is no review.
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Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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07-10-2003, 09:14 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 298
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I agree 100%. In fact, I'm torn on downloading Pocket Tablet for my Casio EM-500. I want to do something useful with it since I don't carry it around anymore, but I've read reviews of there being no demo version, and the site only lists a 5-minute demo time before the program shuts down. It's only $10, but the lack of a decent demo pre-purchase annoys me so greatly I might just skip it altogether.
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07-10-2003, 09:30 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 147
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I don't like to admit this, but I have used Kazaa as a "shareware generator". That is to say...I believe that people who create something have the right to the benefits of cash and fame that come from them. However, I believe that I have the right to determine whether or not their efforts suck prior to giving them my money. Therefore, if there is no demo, and I can get it for free via a "less-than-legal" method, I have been known to "test-drive" software prior to deciding whether or not to buy.
For the record, if I like it I DO buy it.
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D. Andrews
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07-10-2003, 09:39 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,041
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Yes, I will only buy software I haven't demo'd if many people I know have recommended it. That rarely happens and I won't buy the software. You gotta have a demo...
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07-10-2003, 12:47 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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I just recently had this happen to me: Downloaded what I thought was a demo of Doom from pocketgear, put it on my PPC, and saw it was a freaking slideshow!
DUH! What the hell kind of demo is that? :bad-words:
Needless to say, I didn't buy it. I've bought stuff without demoing it before, but it's a rare case where I did so out of fear of getting burned. It's one thing to spend money, it's another to do so blindly.
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07-10-2003, 12:52 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 734
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by stitics
Therefore, if there is no demo, and I can get it for free via a "less-than-legal" method, I have been known to "test-drive" software prior to deciding whether or not to buy.
For the record, if I like it I DO buy it.
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I do that too, though I know a better way to get a "full featured, unlimited time demo" *wink, wink*
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07-10-2003, 12:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 414
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Gotta have demo.
I have bought a lot more software for my PDA than I ever thought I would and have gotten burned. 90% of it is good. I have just a couple of clinkers. But, I don't buy without a trial period, and usually a 1 month one with full features.
I have one program that only does one thing, one time. It sweeps your whole system to see if there are bugs and memory problems. Once you use it, it is worthless. That is about the only type of software I could see being sold without a demo.
The fact that almost all PDA software is downloadable, and has demo versions is one of the big plusses of using a PDA over a Laptop.
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07-10-2003, 01:01 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 739
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I got burned once by buying software with no demo. I just wasn't happy with it, and then I was out $8.95. Never again.
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07-10-2003, 01:12 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 102
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Same here! I've bought software without a demo before. Although 8-10 bucks is not a huge sum of money, it still sucks when the program is of no use or is not what it is touted to be. I really appreciate all of you folks out there that provide all the detailed reviews (with or without being biased). The folks selling the software are usually not going to tell you about a program's pitfalls. 
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