The roadmap has always been: ITER, DEMO [1] and then PROTO [2].
"DEMO refers to a proposed class of nuclear fusion experimental reactors that are intended to demonstrate the net production of electric power from nuclear fusion." [1]
So indeed the road is long, and ITER is not DEMO, and DEMO is not PROTO. I've read a lot of good arguments against ITER, but ITER not being DEMO is not one of them.
By the way, just to be pedantic: ITER will not actually generate 0.57 of what's put in. It would only generate 0.57 of what's put in, if someone bothered to hook a generator to it. But since no generator will be hooked, it will generate exactly 0 Watts of electricity. Generated heat will simply be dissipated away. To be net positive in production of electricity, EU DEMO is expected to have a Q of 25...
"DEMO refers to a proposed class of nuclear fusion experimental reactors that are intended to demonstrate the net production of electric power from nuclear fusion." [1]
So indeed the road is long, and ITER is not DEMO, and DEMO is not PROTO. I've read a lot of good arguments against ITER, but ITER not being DEMO is not one of them.
By the way, just to be pedantic: ITER will not actually generate 0.57 of what's put in. It would only generate 0.57 of what's put in, if someone bothered to hook a generator to it. But since no generator will be hooked, it will generate exactly 0 Watts of electricity. Generated heat will simply be dissipated away. To be net positive in production of electricity, EU DEMO is expected to have a Q of 25...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEMOnstration_Power_Plant
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTO_(fusion_reactor)