Code Project Project (CPP) [UPDATED 5/31]

Marc Clifton

It's probably been done a bunch of different ways, but to develop on Paul's idea, I'd say we need to bootstrap ourselves. A nifty little task manager would be seem to be the first thing, then the other stuff Paul mentioned. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

Marc Clifton

I must say, I'm not thrilled with this idea. It's been done wrong too many times, by focusing on the eye-candy appeal. I'd rather not have yet another ugly class library. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

Marc Clifton

I don't have any particularly concrete ideas on this, but I'm really frustrated how multi-threading hasn't taken off (at least, it seems that way to me!), especially regarding multiprocessors or distributed computing. There must be trillions to the trillionth idle cycles spent by computers. And yes, there's some commercial stuff out there that can distribute processing over the Internet, but the last time I checked, it was bloody expensive. So that's the idea, I guess--an Internet distributed computing engine to consume all those idle cycles. I haven't checked to see if there's already a freeware/shareware of this (probably there is, but I didn't find anything a year ago when I was looking). Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

Lost User

It is a great idea. I want to do this. With the ability for the distributed process to yield to native (local user) processes, so that it does not actually create problems for the willing donors of CPU cycles, this would be a tremendous system. What we propose is a task scheduler that can que jobs across multiple job queues running on multiple machines. The central dispatcher is capable of monitor progress and identify abnormal termination of tasks (caused by the remote machine having a power failure, app crash etc) and dispatch it to another job queue. An application using this can create stand alone jobs that is dispatched using the scheduler. The job itself contains the complete context required for its progress. The job also can implement progress status updates to the local job queue, that can be send back to the scheduler, so that it can take some scheduling decisions. In short, a parallel processing system that can scale to any number of machines, but controlled from a cental location. Amazing! Thomas My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers

Lost User

I want to do this so bad that I don't care if it is an accepted group project, and people vote for it. Marc, let's go!!! My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers

Lost User

Really, I like it so much that I will put together some thoughts that I have on this and send it to you. Let us go over this and then decide. In the meantime, if you have thought of anything about how this would work, let me know. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers

J Dunlap

It's worth it, but only if we do it right. I have a ton of good ideas, and maybe there's others who do, too.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Jesus
"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi

J Dunlap

There's a number of ideas that I like AND I'd work on, but there are also some ideas that I'd like but WOULDN'T work on - because I don't have the tools, or I don't have the know-how, or whatever. (I suspect, but can't be sure, that this is one of the main reasons why some things have a few really high votes, but not very many people have voted on them.) I'd like to see (maybe later on, as the current system does not lend itself to this) a seperate vote for "good idea" and "I'd pitch in for this one". 2) I'd really like to see how many people would help with a given project. This is crucial, because without helpers, a project is doomed. The voting reflects this somewhat, but if, say, Project#1 has 10 enthusiastic proponents, and 5 people who vote 1 on it, and Project#2 has 3 enthusiastic proponents and lots of "well, maybe"'s, Project#2 will rise above Project#1,even though it's likely to be doomed to failure.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Jesus
"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi

Neville Franks

jdunlap wrote: I have an idea which would only use commands, which could be on menus or toolbars, and would allow user customization of menus/toolbars. In ED (see sig) I have a unified system for handling commands which doesn't care where the commands originate (menu,toolbar,kbd,macro,mouse click) but has the information on the source, should someone down the track need it. Also entire sequences of commands can be tied to a menu item, toolbar button, key sequence etc. along with parameters for each command as required. This has proven to work very well for me and my users. For messaging I find signals and slots are "the way" to go. Neville Franks, Author of ED for Windows. Free Trial at www.getsoft.com

Neville Franks

a) SpamBayes. Highly recommended. Neville Franks, Author of ED for Windows. Free Trial at www.getsoft.com

J Dunlap

Neville Franks wrote: In ED (see sig) I have a unified system for handling commands which doesn't care where the commands originate (menu,toolbar,kbd,macro,mouse click) but has the information on the source, should someone down the track need it. Thanks for mentioning it. I'll look into it. Neville Franks wrote: along with parameters for each command as required That's where SharpDevelop really doesn't make it. For instance, what if you wanted to have there be a menu item builder that builds a recent list containing a number of menu items for recent files, with the command "App.OpenFile", and the name of the file as a parameter? You can't do this very well in SharpDevelop, but it's very important that you have that capability. Neville Franks wrote: As far as messaging I find signals and slots are the way to go I was talking mainly about messages to the user, and logging/debug messages.

I'll take this opportunity to say something that's on my mind: I think that a good solid application framework is one of the biggest keys to the success of failure of a piece of software. If you don't bother to make a good framework, then it's as good as if you tried to build a house on top of a landslide-prone hill. You're going to have problems all the way, and sooner or later, it's going to get to where you have to ditch it and start over. This project could help thousands of people make much better applications. It would reduce the headaches of maintaining ever-larger apps, and we would finally get the full benefits of component-based development.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Jesus
"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi

Marc Clifton

I get so tired of writing code. I'd like to take my database schema, hook it up to the GUI, add little lightning bolt icons for events, wire them up, have an arrow go off to a workflow process that's a box that if I double click on it, it drills down into the workflow specifics (OK, maybe there's some real code there, maybe not!), I'd like to drop little spools of thread to indicate what processes are worker threads, visually diagram loops, states, and data triggers, have hardware streams really look like streams in a pipe or bucket brigade or whatever where I can attach different process boxes, etc. Same thing for data in a workflow process. Visually see where all the data is being pulled from, when, how, and where the processed stuff goes (back to DB, GUI, out a port, TCP/IP, etc). With IL, you should be able to generate all the code behind the stuff and good, if not great, performance. I did something like this for a very specific application once. It was a set of core functions for experimenting with different compression algorithms. You could split the data stream, convert bytes to bits and back, run length encode, tupple encode, Hadamard transform, etc. It was great fun stringing together little process boxes and watch it all work. Generalizing this to a truly visual development methodology would be so cool (I think). Especially the drill down capability. I also put together a nifty little database to GUI interface that looked at the foreign key relationships and figured out how to construct the SQL statements to do things like populate a GUI from a selected item. Saved tons of coding time, and could be done completely visually. C#'s DataSet's et al are great, but too much damn code. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

Marc Clifton

Your description sounds exactly like what I have had in mind for years now. And I agree--let's do it! I'm looking forward to your ideas--I don't have anything concrete in mind except the vision, and you were right on target with stand alone jobs that can be re-dispatched, etc. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

Marc Clifton

Chris Austin wrote: I'll be glad to help with your efforts Cool! I'm working on the GUI and database automation stuff at this point. Shall I email you my current source so you can peruse it at your convenience? I could sure use some feedback! Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"

bryce

cheers Nev' I ve seen spambayes b4 what it lacks atm is a good windows type app which doesnt plug into anything or act as a proxy :)and if theres one thing we're good at here at CP its windows apps :) Cheers Bryce --- Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

Steven Lyons

I'm in.

Chris Austin

Marc Clifton wrote: Shall I email you my current source so you can peruse it at your convenience? I could sure use some feedback! Sure. That works for me. If it is avalable via CVS I can do that as well. :) I'll send you my private address. Hey don't worry, I can handle it. I took something. I can see things no one else can see. Why are you dressed like that? - Jack Burton

ColinDavies

Yeah an AI project is the way to go. I don't want to appear rude to other devs. But nobody in the real world really knows what GDI is about. AI is well respected by the common folk. Regardz Colin J Davies

*** WARNING *
This could be addictive
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It's a real shame that people as stupid as you can work out how to use a computer. said by Christian Graus in the Soapbox

Rocky Moore

I like the idea of a common GUI libray for Windows and .NET and that is huge project on its own. But, I also like to see more useful tools for ASP.NET. It is a real pain having to code a GUI multiple times! For me the Win32 platform by itself is pretty much dead. So this may not apply. But in my world I do a lot of ASP.NET and WinForms Applications. The pain is that I have to build completely different GUIs for both. How about a libary that can make this process easier and also add benifit to an application where even an end user could adjust their presentation layer if they want to post-production? Common GUI: Common Control Library - Have a set of controls that have the exact same interfaces for both Web or WinForm. Ths code inside the presentation layer would be the same for both. Controls would give the same appearence but maybe with a setting on a control to determine if a lighter weight version of the control should be used (less graphics and control if bound by bandwidth) but still remain transparently identical to the calling code. Along with the custom controls, there should be some form of data validation that works exactly the same for both web and WinForm. Maybe even have an option to use an IE base view for WinForm apps and build embedded ASP.NET apps. That could cut down the time involved and still make both look the same. It would be so cool if a person could build a Portal application that has all the functionality of something like .NETNuke or IBuySpy portal with forums, polls, etc. all based inside of an application using heavy graphics if desired. Think of just having a grid that can work the same for Web/WinForm! I know there is a differnce due to bandwidth and client browser levels but if the issues are examined carefully, there may be common ground that would allow them to act the same on both without much sacrifice on either. Layout Manager - Builds the WinForm window or web page based on XML configuration data either embedded or in a file. This file would contain all the settings for any of the controls on the window including position, skins, defaults, etc. An editor for this would have to be put together which could also be used post production on an application to change the appearance without changing any code (somewhat like a DialogResource started out to be). This XML file should allow allow for "includes" or something of that nature to provide decent visual inheritance. And while there, might touch on a custom data binding so that a person d

Rocky Moore

I am in depending on the project, time involded and if it is .NET ;) Rocky Moore <><