I have searched around the net to see if there was ever 'store demo software' available which the Apple retailers would have used, maybe some sort of rolling demo, but have found nothing (so far). My reason for asking is that if such a thing existed, it would look great running on the II+ I have sat behind my desk at work! I am sure with time and effort it would be possible to try and put something together myself, I was just looking for an easy period solution.
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Hello Atomtan,
that what you call "Demo-Sofware" ( as it became common with the IBM-computers..) - was at the time of the Apple II-series very rare...
in some cases companies related to game software "gave away" versions of a game that only was playable with first and second level.... ( usualy combat and "run ´n shoot" games ) and the first company related to real "Demo" was from Appleworks with a slideshow..... the "game-demo´s" - if we can call them that way - were released officially labelled as "public-domain"....
the common policy in those days was rather more to give the software to magazines that then released a contribution with pictures and valued explanations by the editors.... common contributions in nibble, peeker, A+, Windfall and other mags and of course not to be forgotten in magazines from the Apple User Clubs like IAC ( International Apple Core ) and other more...
you should bear in mind that in the years of ´78 to ´86 the main source for information was reading magazins and not surfing the internet.... in those days just the preliminary issue of the internet was under construction and the name was Arpa-net.... instead of communication via internet the community exchanged information in BBS-systems...
( Bulletin Board System ) ... that was text-based with a modem at 300 or 1200 baud !
Disks were in those days too expensive for being used as "give-away".....
sincerely
speedyG
I have several factory Apple II disks stamped "Demo."
Zenith, Snake Byte and others.
As far as I can tell, they all play and none are limited in terms of time or levels reachable.
I think stamping them with Demo meant the retailer got them for free from the publisher, but wasn't allowed to sell them.
At the very beginning, demo software was included with Apple II. Color was not commonly seen in the late 70's micro-computers, so it was emphasized. color demo and hi-res demo are examples. Games like breakout and dragon maze, were essentially demonstration programs.
Regards,
Mike Willegal
I saw this demo on dealers' Apple II screens in my town back in the day:
Apple_Presents_the_IIe (1982).dsk
Fwiw, here's some scans of some demo disks I'm about to list on Ebay.
Not all are demos, but the ones stamped "Demo" obviously are.
See: http://www.minimoog.net/ebay/apple2/
I have an Apple IIe and Apple IIc Chrismas Promo disk image here.
Thanks all for your replies, I have my Apple II Europlus (1981 build) sat alongside my original Commodore CBM 4016 and an Early Atari 800. As a 13 year old in 1981 (in the UK) I really craved the Apple, but they were too expensive and ended up with the Commodore (as a friends dad would do a cash deal!). In 1981 I always remembered the machines in local stores running interesting software to draw you in, Atari used to run a demo cartridge which is what led to my question. I guess the Apples I saw back then must have been running the full software demos mentioned above.
The one I mentioned earlier gives a nice test to your Apple II :
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/misc/1984AppleComputerChristmasDemo.dsk