A METHOD AND SYSTEM OF ALLOWING PROSPECTIVE USERS TO TEST AND USE SOFTWARE VIA A COMPUTER NETWORK

摘要

The present invention is a computer network-based method for allowing prospective users to test software programs. The method provides for a potential user of software programs to request a test session from a test software server. The test software server resides on a server computer maintained by the software vendor or third-party. The test software server causes the selected software package to be executed. The test software server checks to ensure that the potential user has the appropriate test software client. The test software client resides on the potential user's local computer. A network connection is established between the test software server computer and test software client computer. The test software server gets the output of the tests software session, filters and eliminates any output not associated with that test software session, encodes the output for network transmission, and passes the encoded output to the test software client. The test software client decodes the received transmission, passes the decoded transmission to the appropriate device drivers, and renders the resulting output on the appropriate devices. The potential user interacts with the test software session through a client window displayed on the customer's monitor. The test software client encodes the potential user's commands and transmits them back to the test software server. The test software server decodes the received transmission. Either the test software server or client filters and eliminates any commands not directed to the test software session. The test software server passes the commands to the test software session for normal execution. The test software server then gets the new output of the test software session, filters and eleminates extraneous output, encodes and transmits it back to the test software client. This continues until the user sends an end session command back to the test software server, or the network connection times out.