An animated demonstration authoring system for Java applets

Recently, many companies often provide some trial versions of their systems to the web users. The main purpose for this is to present the usability of their systems. There are two advantages in presenting the system as an applet. One is reducing user's trouble, because an applet can be downloaded automatically and the user does not have to install the system. The other is reducing the version-up cost. Developers can provide the latest bug-fixed system any time. In order to make more effective the presentation of their applet-based systems on the web, developers should have prepared some instructions with their applets. Is the effort of describing the instruction fully rewarded? To the developers' regret, the web-users do not always read the instructions that come with the system. There are some users who operate the system without reading the instructions. In such case, these users may not understand the system features fully, or may even misunderstand the system. We propose an animated demonstration instead of these instruction. The animated demonstration for an applet means showing a demonstration of the applet's behavior. The demonstration is performed with a pseudo mouse cursor as if someone is operating. It is helpful for people who want to know how to operate applets.