DonationCoder.com Software > N.A.N.Y. 2010
NANY 2010 Program Idea Suggestion Thread
NinJA999:
Here's a small one:
What about a program that sits in the system tray and lets you configure 2 colors and a numeric range. Essentially you are setting two ends of a range, a min and max value, and a color associated with each end of the range.
At any time you could double click to type in a new current numeric value, and it would adjust the desktop background color to a blend between the min and max of the range and between the two colors.
The idea: You could set one color like blue that you really like on your desktop, and one, say Red, that you really dislike. Then you set the range to indicate for example your weight if you are on a diet, or a min and max # of pages you have to read a book each day. So when you deviate from your goal, the background will be something you really dislike.. might serve as a nice motivation.
-mouser (December 04, 2009, 04:14 PM)
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This doesn't fit the bill but maybe you guys can contact the people who did this program for help: F.lux
-Paul Keith (December 04, 2009, 08:26 PM)
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Hmm, that seems a bit overkill? They went into the video system to change the color temperature of the screen. I think mouser was suggesting just changing the desktop background? (Might be easier for a more novice programmer than trying to interface with low level stuff)
(as an aside, I've been using that program daily for over a year and I love it; I've nothing against it!)
doctorfrog:
NANY Idea: Automatic Pidgin accounts.xml encryption (for Windows).
Not very sexy, I know. This will require implementation of an encryption library.
PROBLEM:
Pidgin currently saves all your account information in a single accounts.xml file, completely unencrypted. The Pidgin devs have explicitly stated that they will not encrypt this information, citing cross-platform implementation difficulties, and using the poor excuse that IM passwords aren't terribly secure anyway, and that encrypting this information gives a 'false sense of security.'
Bunk, I say. There's still a need for this feature. Any login information is useful to Folks With Bad Intentions, be it a login name or password. There's no reason not to encrypt the entire file if necessary, if only to keep casual snoopers such as kids or coworkers, out of your business.
PROPOSAL:
1. A simple, nearly transparent helper program for Pidgin that launches a user password prompt, encrypts/decrypts the accounts.xml, and launches Pidgin, then closes itself.
2. When run subsequently, the program checks to see if Pidgin is running, and if accounts.xml is in plaintext. If Pidgin is running, the program closes with no action.
3. If Pidgin is not running, and the accounts.xml is in plaintext, the program encrypts the file and closes itself.
4. When run the first time, the program asks for a (relative) path to Pidgin.exe, but accepts any other executable name (pidginportable.exe, for instance), and a password. It then encrypts accounts.xml. Subsequent runs of the program default to the behavior listed above.
5. When accounts.xml is encrypted, it should probably also be renamed, so that Pidgin does not overwrite it, if Pidgin is run 'normally.' Pidgin's behavior will then be to start a new accounts.xml, which this program will overwrite on next run.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- no reliance on external runtimes
- capable of running with relative paths for portable use
- AES 128-bit encryption, or better
- encryption of buddy lists (blist.xml) and pounces (pounce.xml)
- works with Pidgin official build or PortableApps.com version
- program does not run when it is not needed. Shouldn't be a need for this in the tray, for example.
Perry Mowbray:
NANY Idea: Automatic Pidgin accounts.xml encryption (for Windows).
-doctorfrog (December 06, 2009, 07:37 PM)
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Not to put anyone off coding this up, but it could be easily achieved (I just did it in a couple of minutes) with FARR and the AMPL plugin with the steps:
* Decrypt Encrypted File (using command line encryption tool)
* Run programme (in your case Pigeon) and wait to finish
* Encrypt PlainText File
* Delete PlainText File
You'd just need to have FARR installed, as well as AHK. Let me know if I can help any more...
mouser:
I'd love to see some games; saw this today, for making browser based (nonflash?) games: http://www.effectgames.com/effect/
JavaJones:
Speaking of games, I went to a comedy club tonight and someone had - what I thought was - a terrific, funny idea for a sort of parody game. A game that parodies the very act of playing games if you will. The core gameplay is classic "platformer", side-scrolling most likely, you run around various environments, jump over and avoid bad stuff, collect good stuff (powerups, tokens, etc.).
The thing is, instead of being a commando or whatever, you're basically a slacker gamer, and you're running through a typical "life" scenario (probably different scenes like sidewalk, mall, college campus, whatever - some opportunity for interesting backgrounds/art), and the object is to collect useless powerups and avoid "opportunities" like jobs, college degrees, girlfriends, etc. Jump over them, around them, blow them up with your masterful video game skill powerup, whatever. So you're playing a game where the object is to waste as much of your life as possible. How deliciously ironic!
OK, ok, I know it sounds lame. But I have this picture in my head of it, and I think it could be great. Really... :D Or, if not great, at least popular - a la "Mafia Wars" or the current Facebok favorite "Farmtown".
I should say at this point that I've always had a fascination with taking terrible game ideas in making them into workable games. i.e. figuring out the game mechanics of really awful game concepts, things like "Burgerflip Extreme" where you play a fast food worker and the object is to flip as many burgers as possible in a given time. I know, I'm crazy. :P
- Oshyan
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