Mac OS X 10.6.6 build 10J537 seeded, Mac App Store clarification says no demos

That's cr*p. No demo means no buy. I'm sorry but at a minimum users need a 15 day trial. Microsoft does it for $500+ apps. Apple devs can do it for their $19 apps. And the whole if you demo it, they'll hack it is a bunch of BS.

This will only cause users to download illegal versions and not pay anything because they couldn't try it first. To argue against demos is pure foolishness and goes anything the try before you buy practice that has defined computer software for over 20 years.

similar to 'FreeBSD Port Collections'?
it's just *the* commercialized version?

Questions for those in the know. Do the Mac App store apps live in the same application folder as our "regular" apps? (I got the impression that in Lion they won't be, but will accessible by "swiping" and getting a screen full of icons like in iOS.) Also, will they auto update, or at least let us know there is an update available like apps do now, or do we have to check the App Store app to check for updates like in iOS?
Sorry if these sound like dumb questions.

I think we'll see these bumps progressively smoothed out as the Mac App Store takes off. At the moment it doesn't seem as sophisticated as the iOS App Store and it will need an iteration or two plus support in OS X Lion to get it fully sorted out. But Apple has to start somewhere.

It seems to me that Apple has banned demos because it doesn't want to deal with apps that expire after a certain time limit such as 30 days.

Eventually we will see other models emerge, such as we have with iOS. For example a free ad supported version versus a paid for version. Or limited functionality in the free version with the capability for in-app purchase to add additional features.

The problem with having all of these features now is that, like with iOS, they require Apple to build APIs for them into OS X operating system, the way it has already built them for iOS. And that's the driving force behind Lion - to bring these additional features "back to the Mac".

Remember "no native apps on the iphone?" Enough people complained AND did something about it (jailbreak). Apple caved. I suspect that when Apple figures out people are buying apps for Mac the traditional way and cutting Apple out of the loop, Apple will cave.

I hardly ever buy software without trying it first or the seller offers an unconditional full refund if I don't like it.

Remind me why we would need the app store then? If I have to download a demo from the developer and then just get a license key if I wanted to register the demo as a fully licensed version why would I need the app store?

a lot of people will end up hosting their full apps on their own server, but they can also use the App Store to sell things to users who just want to get great mac apps using iTunes without PayPal or other online methods, such as teens who don't have access to credit cards..

I want to try it..

Wait, so users go to an external site to download the demo, and then if they like it they are expected to go back to the app store to buy the full version? Why not just host the full version on your site too?

Publicity I guess. Still, it seems a bit cheap to pawn off the cost of hosting demos on to the developer but then take a cut of the profits from any sales those demos generate...

This makes sense, sadly if Apple allowed demos or trial versions and those version got hacked I can easily see the developers and blogs putting the blame on Apple, offering only full versions covers that.