CompuServe Messages

First, you change the screen colors — no problem, can be done with preferences, and _should be_ by any salesperson who wants to sell to a business person. Secondly, one prepares a demo setup consisting of programs that have a _serious_ outlook… good possibilities for this are Analyze!, Superbase (if you can hide the flipping dongle), and Scribble. These programs all share several important things for a business buyer. They are not threatening. In the case of the spreadsheet and the word processor, they are downright pedestrian, and if there is any computer experience at all on the part of the buyer, will give said buyer a nice, homey feeling. "Gee! I can run that!" Superbase because it's _really_ powerful, given the interface method they use, _and_ it's businesslike… unlike some of the other entries. The GURU can be eliminated by a program called "GOMF", which may be available here… it's quite nice, and provides plain english explanations of whatever would have called up the GURU, while allowing you to attempt to recover the system — you can usually avoid the GURU with it, unless the program has _completely_ lost it's marbles… in which case you might not get a GURU, but a reset. Things like the "Looking for fons… are u there, fonts?" messages can be avoided in demos by simply NOT USING programs that do such inane things… like notepad (Which stinks, anyway, and probably wouldn't impress a businessman) The Amiga _could_ be sold as a business machine, just as it is — all you really need is a little planning and some reasonable user-expertise on the part of the salesperson. Of course, all of this is too much to ask of CBM… they couldn't market their way out of a cobweb. Set up diskettes for salespeople to use! Preposterous! <sigh> –Ben–