Hi @rb2k_, thanks for the feedback.
About the demo link, since we do not have a stable version of the engine yet, we chose to disable our demo platform. But it'll be coming soon !
You're totally right about the installation procedure. Like the other open source projects such as Spree for instance, we miss an executable which will help users to start a new engine with ease. That could be perhaps your first contribution to the project :-)
Finally, concerning your segfault error, if you have time, please open an issue in github (https://github.com/locomotivecms/engine/issues) or on our mailing-list (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/locomotiv...)
thanks again !