AutoPlay Usage Questionnaire

[Mark]

Hey Everyone,

We're looking to find out a little bit more about what our users are using AutoPlay Media Studio for. If you have the time please answer the questions below with as much or as little detail as you want.

We don't need an essay but if you want to provide one we'll read it. Also feel free to add any other information or detail that you'd like.


In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
What do you like most about AutoPlay?
What do you like least about AutoPlay?


Thanks,

mark.

[longedge]

OK here goes -

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay?
All within the context of teacher training and education improvement.
I. Dissemination of professional development and training course materials.
II. Creation of small 'in house' bespoke applications e.g. staff member photo gallery, database file updating and distribution, online staff handbook etc. etc.
III. Distribution of electronic publications.
IV. Distribution of video materials showing examples of best practice.

Within the context of a bit of relaxation, just playing around with it to see what I can do with it :)

2. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Ease of use. There is a learning curve but it's an easy one and the software enables creation of useful applications almost from day one. It's sufficiently powerful for most users to continue to develop new skills in it's use for a very long time. It's a useful tool for programmers and people such as myself who are non-programmers, in other words it covers a huge range of skill levels and abilities.


3. What do you like least about AutoPlay?
The move to open ended charging for support and bug fixes aka Maintenance Plan. Over the years I've had real battles getting the OK for funding to buy new versions. I have little hope of getting year on year funding of the £200 or so it would take to keep me updated.

[Tomasin]

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)

Advanced applications. (personal projects)

2. What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)

Advanced applications.

3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?

Easy GUI and basic scripts.

4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?

Not 64 bits support, Not unicode support, executable very heavy, Not periodically updates, Not support for advanced applications (more scrips, more objects, more DLL functions, more options for personalize the apz, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc....), not fix MULTIPLES BUGS (very importants...) reporteds in seggestions forum.. etc etc etc etc etc etc

[jassing]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)


Consulting, ranging from simple AutoPlay CD menus to document viewers/menus to content-controlled video players. a few data-driven applications (using sqlite). Would be nice if the sqlite plugins were kept up to date.

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)


Installation cd front-ends and quick-n-dirty applications.

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
What do you like least about AutoPlay?


Most? ease of use
Least? lack of support for active/x controls. (oh, and ease of use, sometimes people use it to create applications and then get frustrated by the slowness thinking it should perform as fast as a compiled language)

[johnraus]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
Personal most of the time, sometimes for use in the company I work for

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
Presentations, Small Quick+Dirty Portable Apps , for simplifying my IT+administrative tasks, and sometimes make my point in a discussion (RAD)

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Ease of use, great learning curve, great/helpfull forum

What do you like least about AutoPlay?
I don't mind it's a bit sluggisch, but I using it already for quite some time now, would like some more Adv. Actions/Objects/Scripting/ActiveX ... blablabla but a working LUAsocket plugin for all versions Windows would really be cool. Just look at some great plugins/DLL's from some forum members, really extend the possabilitys of AMS. Sometimes I miss those great Ideas/Addons from Indigorose themselves.

Come On, this is such a great product, at least supprise us with something BIG, from your side, once in a While :D

[Derek]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
1. Mostly internal

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
1. Software front-ends
2. Stand-alone applications

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
1. Again, ease of use.
2. I also love the fact that its so versatile and powerful - this adds tremendously to it's appeal.

What do you like least about AutoPlay?
1. I'll second the maintenance plan.
2. Having to wait sooo long for some of the many great feature suggestions ;)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PS. will this survey have any bearing on Visual Lua ?? :yes

[rexzooly]

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)

I started to use it when a company i worked for passed me laptop full of software one was AMS and asked them to come up with some apps for inhouse
since then i used it as much as i can helping websites to offer free software to people to things i want to do i have had a few other projects that came to me but mostly i do it cos it helps me with my depression to just sit down and lose my self.

2. What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)

I have made Stand - Alone and App installers within AMS and also some frount ends.

3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?

I like the easy to use building platforum and the way ams wraps LUA functions in to easy to use and understand actions.

4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?

AMS is clumsy at times and safty for the exes and arcived files are not the best in the world this would be nice to update this and like to have away to handle better images and other formats and and LUA is all around supported coding i love to see it on linux.

[Dermot]

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
Commercial software development.

2. What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
Stand-alone apps. Both off the shelf and custom one of a kind. These are mostly database apps including client/server. Also some construction engineering/design programs.

3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Lua scripting language, The fact that the IDE it is very stable, very clean and very easy to use. Can be easily extended using plugins.

4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?
Long time between updates. Lack of any kind of future road map.

[Intrigued]

Ah, the floodgates of joy are open. :D

I've not used it as much of late, but I'll throw my comments in with the rest of the fine folks here.

What I do with it:

1. small one-off applications for businesses

2. created a small music streaming player for my premium music account (much better than fumbling through their Website)


What I like:

1. It's very easy and quick to create standalone applications that are highly functional! This is what sold me in 2003 and it's still the main reason I throughly enjoy Autoplay Media Studio. I've looked over several other offerings before and during my time with AMS and I can 100 percent say that there is just no other products I've tried out there that compete on easy-of-use, speed of learning.

2. Service/support, the support is awesome. It's made me feel apart of the I.R. team in some ways, at the least I feel appreciated for being a customer.


What I dislike:

1. Having to share developer time with other I.R. prouducts. :o

2. Would love to see an export to Web sort of feature, but I know that's not going to be easy and I.R. would probably need another 5 developers to take that on.

3. Would also love an export to mobile sort of feature, see # 2. And this one would be probably even more crazy for the developers to tackle.

4. Waiting for the next version!

[Bruce]

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
Commercial development, test and web interaction

2. What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports.
Stand-alone apps.

3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Lua scripting language, reall most everything.

4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?
The "Maintenance Plan" I had to stop at 7.1.1007.0 maybe I'll buy 8.0... not sure.

[Sakuya]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
Personal projects. I usually release applications that manage addons for games and other various projects.
What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
Stand-alone applications.
What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Ease of use, great support from the forums, vast amount of plugins, Lua scripting language.
What do you like least about AutoPlay?
Lack of updates, Still using Lua 5.0 which is a real pain for including Lua modules, I don't mind my source files being seen but my source code is another story (lack of memory encryption), Very very long time between major updates.

[autoplmst6]

1- In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)

Personal projects (games free addons for their communities, installs for specials-free fonts packs, photopresentations and videotutorials for illustrator and photoshop)

2- What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)

Stand-alone applications too with Setup Factory 8 ( for me together with ams 7 the best installer in market today)

3- What do you like most about AutoPlay?

Is very easy to manage, gui windows and options generally is very intuitive, a lot of possibilities to make things ( many objects very wide numbers of actions ). The help is very deep in overall sense. For me Autoplay is like the photoshop for the multimedia and audiovisual version. I dont know another soft like ams that it manages better than it. For me was a great discovery XD

4- What do you like least about AutoPlay?

I hoped to see listboxes and comboboxes speed loading when is more that 150 entries inside. those it loads slow sometimes.

The help could have been a lot more intuitive in explanations and ( it sounds silly but that avoid that noobish -sometimes- question when it could be done with more simple examples ) could have done 1 action explanation ( with the variants for that specific action) 1 example. Suggest to IR to sell the entire Help, not only the Guide. I wouldn't m,ind to buy it if there would have it available.

More security options ( example, the ccd files password you could put in somewhere in menu bar AMS an option in advanced settings or so "Change the cdd password to ---> Input box and save it before you publish your project.)

The menu pane for scripting and selecting objects could have been better if were nearest to photoshop style for selecting objects so that I avoid mistakes in selecting objects in realtime...


Apart from this answers I wonder why IR is remarking this question...mmm..it Will be a new style in AMS for the workstyle? or somehow and seeing the huge asnwers to the thread suggestions for AMS ¿8? I guess they IR felt overwhelmed in some sane way :D:D and I think this is the reason for this post

[Mikhail]

I only use for fun. I like to "play with AutoPlay" in my free time... For me, the main problem is a "Conceptual problem": IndigoRose sells AutoPlay as "reliable CD-ROM/DVD-ROM autorun menu systems", but everybody here knows that AutoPlay goes so far away beyond that description. Moreover, will be great a AutoPlay for Non-Commercial / Open Source projects, a "Free/light version". In another words: I think that a "sourceforge-ready" version is missing, like the old Qt toolkit.

[rexzooly]

I only use for fun. I like to "play with AutoPlay" in my free time... For me, the main problem is a "Conceptual problem": IndigoRose sells AutoPlay as "reliable CD-ROM/DVD-ROM autorun menu systems", but everybody here knows that AutoPlay goes so far away beyond that description. Moreover, will be great a AutoPlay for Non-Commercial / Open Source projects, a "Free/light version". In another words: I think that a "sourceforge-ready" version is missing, like the old Qt toolkit.

Do you mean Qt by nokia? if so there toolkit is not old and still going strong.

[Mikhail]

Do you mean Qt by nokia? if so there toolkit is not old and still going strong.

Yes, sorry my poor English! My "old Qt" means "the Good and Old Qt" (well established), not "the old, outdated, obsolete QT that no one else will touch anymore"...
:yes

[Protocol]

1) In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects). All three. Any interaction that involves a computer and tasks that might be automated, I create one or several apps. Whether as a consultant, in one of my own companies or just for fun/personal use.

2) What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports). Primarily stand-alone software applications.

3) What do you like most about AutoPlay? How fast I can create a full fledged application (.exe) to accomplish almost any task. With Photoshop and AMS, I've got everything I need.

4) What do you like least about AutoPlay? Well, I understand WHY it is so, but the problem I run into the MOST is Mac incompatibility. This is an industry-wide issue, though and with PC's dominating nearly 93% of the computer market share, it's not a train-stopper. I do spend a lot of time trying to get images to line up visually and would like to see either a snap function or a zoom function, but it's likely already there or going to be added, so I'll save that for another post. Quick answer... nothing, really. =)

PS, I agree with Dermot on this... a roadmap of where IR is taking AMS would be VERY helpful in planning out my own businesses that rely on yuor technology. Once you're ready to share that vision (we all know you're working on SOMETHING tasty!), then we'll back you fully!

[holtgrewe]

As a long time user of AMS-3 & AMS-4 for multi-media presentation on CD, I shied away from AMS-5 because it was more complex and required "programming".
After AMS6 was released, i "bit the bullet" and purchased AMS-6 - and never looked back.
I do not use AMS in my job, so all AMS development is done in my "free time" (and I'm sure that's the case for most of us).
Lately, 'free time' is virtually non-existant, so I have not been doing a lot with AMS over the last several months.

In what context do you use AutoPlay?
I use AMS primarily for personal projects, occasionally developing one-off projects for small businesses.

What do you generally create with AutoPlay?
Custom slide-shows, multimedia projects, desktop gadgets, small business desktop aps.
Many of my projects over the last few years have been the development of childrens' aps - (storybooks and learning aps.)

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Definately the ease of use - and the help file with examples are invaluable as development aids.
Great forum support (many talented people always willing to assist) - I find myself frequently checking in on the forum just to see what's going on, picking up tips and tricks and possibly helping out on occasion.
The Slide-Show object in AMS-7 was an awesome addition for me, eliminating the cutting and pasting of my 'canned' slide show scripting.

What do you like least about AutoPlay?
All things considered, AMS is performing exactly as advertised - a fairly robust, easy to use application developer with it's roots in multi-media presentations.


That pretty much sums it up for me; and hopefully many more users will chime in and complete this IR questionnaire.

[Mark]

Thanks for the answers everyone! Hopefully we can get some more people to respond to the questionnaire.

Every little bit more that we learn about our customers helps us focus and develop AutoPlay in better and better ways.

Thanks!

mark.

[TopicTJ]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects) In my company and personal projects although I've also created a couple of small, standalone projects for (non-IT) consulting purposes.

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports) Stand-alone applications, often linked to databases.

What do you like most about AutoPlay? Flexibility and relative ease of use. Unfortunately, as a non-professional programmer, complex projects take me a LONG time to produce and just as I think I've got to grips with one aspect of the application, the amount I still have to learn becomes ever clearer!

What do you like least about AutoPlay? The lack of a comprehensive set of Print tools. When APMS was little more than a CD/DVD front end maybe there was no call for anything beyond File.Print and Web.Print but that's no longer sufficient. I regularly need to produce a range of printed material and often find I spend longer solving printing problems than writing code!

[yosik]

In what context do you use AutoPlay?
Consulting. Some in House apps

What do you generally create with AutoPlay?
Multimedia projects (small to huge). Custom made apps. Teaching at College Level (AMS is the number one Multimedia Authoring Tool I am teaching)

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Ease of use and flexibility

What do you like least about AutoPlay?
Lack of builtin Image processing and animations features

[azmanar]

Hi,

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay?
Mainly used in developing custom apps for Companies, NGOs and individuals. Some for Contracted Commercial Distribution & Promotion Activities. Very few personal apps.

2. What do you generally create with AutoPlay?
Stand-alone Exe Apps delivered by Email, FTP, CD, Thumbdrives or Hard-drives:
- Business Conceptual Proposals
- Multimedia Progress Reports
- Conference Presentations
- Training Applications
- Trainer's Tool
- Educational Applications
- Prototyping Software Features
- Members-only E-books
- Electronic Catalogues
- File Cataloguer
- Membership Database
- Electronic Albums

3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
Very User-friendly, Very Rapid Development Environment, Very Light Foot-print on my PC, Not Resource Hungry and Very Friendly Support People.

4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?
Not able to develop apps having drag n drop features. Otherwise none.

[eric_darling]

Hey Everyone,

We're looking to find out a little bit more about what our users are using AutoPlay Media Studio for. If you have the time please answer the questions below with as much or as little detail as you want.

We don't need an essay but if you want to provide one we'll read it. Also feel free to add any other information or detail that you'd like.


In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
What do you like most about AutoPlay?
What do you like least about AutoPlay?


Thanks,

mark.

1) I use AutoPlay to deliver custom applications to my clients.
2) I create both front-ends for press kits as well as stand-alone applications
3) What I like most about AutoPlay is that it's really easy to make really powerful programs
4) What I like least about AutoPlay is that it's really hard to port work done with it to anything else - can't export to the web/flash, won't support Linux or OSX.

[Radioguy]

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
What do you like most about AutoPlay?
What do you like least about AutoPlay?

Been awhile and just thought I'd chime in

1. What I liked most about AutoPlay was how quick it was to learn and was very intuitive for creating multimedia concepts. A real gem.

2. Unfortunatly the yearly lease type fee for updates which I thought was not that beneficial as there were more patches than features throughout the time I had been using it so I didn't renew my lease as it were. Also no roadmap of what's ahead.

3. Still using 7.1x though when I need something quickly.


Cheers

[T3STY]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)
Personal applications wich can help me save time for things I usually do.

What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)
A few times used for CD FE but usually stand-alone applications.

What do you like most about AutoPlay?
The programming language is so simple, anyone can learn it in a couple of weeks.

What do you like least about AutoPlay?
1) Some basic actions/functions are not included in AMS so I need to use external plugins. For example, an external plugin I need to use is LuaCOM to connect an external plugin DLL file, because AMS has no support for mouse wheel (I'm talking about the WindowEvents library (http://www.indigorose.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25957&highlight=windowevents)).
2) Buttons: you can build you own button to a specified size, but they have no margins and the images are stretched, and this causes an ugly button when resizing it in the AMS App.
3) Background: the AMS App.s don't have support for transparent background, I mean, 32-Bit PNG's. It would be great to build an application with a transparent background.
4) Support for open files with a built application: If I build a music player, I can play any audio file, but only by starting the application before and then adding the audio file(s). So I think it would be really great opening files with my player by just double-click on the file. Obviously, the audio player is an example, but this is intended to be used with any kind of file.

Bye!

[RizlaUK]

In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, personal projects)

personal projects, development tools and the odd contract project


What do you generally create with AutoPlay? (e.g. Software front-ends, installation CD front-ends, stand-alone applications, brochures, quizzes, reports)

stand-alone software and software frontends

What do you like most about AutoPlay?

the editor is easy to use, all the right tools in the right places, making a quick functional mockup is a breaze in AMS, in PureBaisc i have to first spend a few days designing the UI before any real coding is done

the plugin systems rock :yes

What do you like least about AutoPlay?

the script editor (internal), its to basic, navigating very long scripts is a real pain even with bookmarks, give us some keyword folding at least

no editor plugin/tool support, for instance, i use several homemade tools with AMS, i would like to access these from the AMS editor main menu, EG: any app i place in the tools directory i would like to see in the tools menu

thats about it, anything AMS cant do, i open PureBasic and make AMS do it, with enough imagination (and reading at MSDN) most boundaries are removed