AutoPlay Usage Questionnaire

[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.

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, 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)
3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
4. 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).
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

[arb]

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, 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)
3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?

1) Personal Projects for hobby or commercial

2) Everything i have an idea about, I'll try to make something near to it with ams such as:
2-1) VDS - Virtual Department Store
2-2) LMS - Kids Learning Management System
2-3) LCMS - SCORM Generator
2-4) EMR - Electronic Medical Records
2-5)...

3) Easy & fast to use even with low knowledge about programming

4) Not having some DataBase like SQL BUT as easy as other parts

[stickck]

I don’t use AMS nearly as much as i used to, but i still create small little apps on the side.

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

Internal apps for work, small apps for myself.

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... Quizzes... some front-end applications...

What do you like most about AutoPlay?

Simplicity!!! Very quick and easy to build apps. I need to learn more LUA to really open the doors but the average user doesn’t even need to know what LUA is. Tech Support is great too.

What do you like least about AutoPlay?

the maintenance plan. I understand the reasoning for it, but mentioned above, it's an uphill battle just to get the funding to purchase the software. they don't even give me the time of day when i say i need $$$ to get updates for the next year.



On a side note... what has made AMS and Indigorose stand out in the crowd is your Forums. We have some of the greatest people as members of the Forums and they are willing to help whenever they can. That’s what got me hooked on AMS. I've said it before... my first experience with you guys was asking for help on here and Tigger hooked me up with some great help. (Cause that's what Tiggers do!)

later,

Chris

[madsen]

My input

1. In what context do you use AutoPlay? (e.g. consulting, internal in your company, 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)
3. What do you like most about AutoPlay?
4. What do you like least about AutoPlay?

Hello there IR team!

As an AMS user since version 5 I believe I can provide some input as follows:

1. Personal projects, consulting.
2. Mainly use it for rapid software development where running speed is not an important factor.
3. Everything works and the little time it takes to get something done and still look professional.
4. a. Code editor could use improvement. Lots of it, for example on nested IF THEN blocks (and other blocks), following the code gets tricky. An idea you could use is implemented in UltraEdit, they add a - sign in front of a block and you can collapse it.

Example:

- IF (x == 0) then

something here

- IF (y == 0) then

something here

else

end

else
end

Clicking on the minus, will collapse that block. I have used quoting to separate the blocks. You could take it a step further and could even make it look similar to how this quoting above looks like, would be a breeze to scan through code.

Being aware of AMS since version 4, it made sense those times to not have coding friendly editing functions but nowadays things have changed and they should be included.

b. The runtime size is often a problem if AMS is to be considered as a rapid software development tool. I *DO* understand why the runtime is as it is however I have an idea that might work. Most of the functions available in the runtime are not used, see, so if we would build a modular runtime we would be able to include only the used functions/modules in the final runtime, this way it would be very efficient.

I've heard responses that it doesn't matter, justifying that Adobe (and other) products are large yet still successful. I don't believe in doing things the wrong way just because others do too, but hey, efficiency is something I always take into account.

These are my suggestions so far! Thank you IR for a great product, I appreciate the countless hours that went into developing AMS, my above comments should not be construed as unappreciative.

Special thanks to Mr. Colin Adams as well, he knows why. Thank you very much!