ideas (was: Re: [Tutor] on line courses?)

[Bruce Sass]

On Tue, 22 May 2001, Benoit Dupire wrote:
> I exactly have the opposite problem.. I usually have ideas but SSSOOOOO little
> time to do them.... :o)

ditto.  I tend to get them far enough along to explore what I was
interested in at the time, then get sidetracked with something else.

> What about doing a program which changes the WallPaper of your computer ?
> -every time you turn it on ..
> - or every day (in case you rarely turn off your PC)
>
> This issue might be Platform-dependant, so a good starting point is to do a big
> 'if .. elif' case (or a strategy pattern  or whatever what would do the trick)

`Desktop-dependent' would probably be a better term; on Linux, with
twm you could get away with just changing the root window's
background, with kde you would need to talk to the configuration
subsystem or the background(s) you set would not stick when you
switched to different workspaces.  (but I guess it just depends on how
you define "platform" <shrug>)

A monolithic solution would be too bloated with never-will-be-used
code, but a modular one could work...

> The program should detect all the images in a particular directory, or you can
> just specify the root directory where the program has to fetch the images ( then
> it walks through the subdirectories... )
>
> Then you can enhance the program with a GUI.... something to preview the
> images..

...would be the main piece.  Actually doing the setting of the
background would be in desktop-environment specific modules (kde,
gnome, X, win...), so you'll need an API so independent developers
(tutor subscribers looking for something to do) can work on the
modules easily.

Now, packaging up the result, that is platform&flavour-dependent.  :)


- Bruce