Programming Advice

[Michael]

Hello all,

 

I have an idea (currently on paper) that I would like potentially to be developed. It could be used in the education, corporate and indeed home environments. I don't wish to discuss specifics, however I can reveal some information and would appreciate all the advice I cant get. I can do basic programming and I have knowledge of programming languages, but that's when it stops!

 

1. Primarily the application would be designed for Microsoft Windows 2000 or later and maybe Mac if the demand was there

2. Wide Browser compatibility - IE6, IE7, FF2, FF3, Opera (maybe), Chrome (maybe), Safari (maybe). So we're looking at an ActiveX control.

3. Search engine compatible - Google, Yahoo, Live!, Ask (any others?) and other website integration

4. A database of information - now do I have a central database on a web facing server or each client has its own database and is updated via identity files? Similar to AV or Anti-Spyware software in that respect. If the idea works, thousands or possibly millions of users could use it longterm.

5. The application would be free for the general public and funded through an advertising scheme. I wouldn't wish to piggy back on Google Ads for example, but have my own advertising tools.

6. The home version would 'read' usernames setup on Windows XP (for example) and would allow a local administrator to set specific rules. The education/corporate edition would have Active Directory policies so rules would be set by GPO.

 

What programming language would you use and why? I am thinking maybe ASP.NET or Java, but I am open to suggestions.

 

The application would be in MSI format for ease of deployment for AD or other deployment tools. In home environments, a standard manual setup procedure would apply and this also could be done with an MSI.

 

Can anyone recommend (first hand experience) of a programmer (with references) who could work on such a project?

 

Many thanks

[OutToLunch]

You haven't really given any clues about what the application would do - bit hard to say without that what would be the 'ideal' language to program it in. It doesn't make it clear if it's a clientside app enforcing something or a serverside app doing something or pretty much anything else at all...

 

Based on the information provided, I will say COBOL is your best bet.

[Michael]

I can't really say what it will do - but essentially a client installed on a computer which 'talks' to a database of information (either locally or remotely) and integrates with browser content.

[vikpaw]

I agree with OutToLunch, you need to divulge a little in order to reap the benefits of our considered advice.

 

Have you thought of trying the EduGeek Projects Forum

 

New Project Ideas

 

plenty of talent there too.

[vikpaw]

I can't really say what it will do - but essentially a client installed on a computer which 'talks' to a database of information (either locally or remotely) and integrates with browser content.

 

LOL!

 

Isn't that a description of every MIS every invented?!

[Michael]

Isn't that a description of every MIS every invented?!

 

err nope, not really. It has nothing to do to with MIS whatsoever! I will have a look at New Project Ideas

[powdarrmonkey]

I can't really say what it will do - but essentially a client installed on a computer which 'talks' to a database of information (either locally or remotely) and integrates with browser content.

 

Then I would go with C# and .Net, but that's personal preference to a large extent.

[jamesb]

I can't really say what it will do - but essentially a client installed on a computer which 'talks' to a database of information (either locally or remotely) and integrates with browser content.

 

So...just about any web-integrated database application then?

 

Are we talking about a large database, small one? Simple database? Complex? Lots of clients all talking to servers scattered around, or all updates from one central server?

[Hightower]

On a slightly similar note, my car is in need of a new part. I can't tell you what car it is part from it has four wheels and a sunroof. It also has an indicator stick next to the steering wheel.

 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you which part it is I need - but would appreciate any help on the problem which I haven't told you about and don't plan to.

 

Please help!

[jamesb]

On a slightly similar note, my car is in need of a new part. I can't tell you what car it is part from it has four wheels and a sunroof. It also has an indicator stick next to the steering wheel.

 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you which part it is I need - but would appreciate any help on the problem which I haven't told you about and don't plan to.

 

Please help!

 

You need a new fan belt.

[Hightower]

You need a new fan belt.

 

Ah brilliant!

[srochford]

Ah brilliant!

 

Trouble is, he's wrong - I reckon it's a sprocket that you need.

 

I can give you that advice for free, but if you want to know which sprocket then that will cost money (but I'm afraid I can't tell you how much here and, frankly, if you need to ask then you probably can't afford it :-))

[Michael]

Are we talking about a large database, small one? Simple database? Complex? Lots of clients all talking to servers scattered around, or all updates from one central server?

 

I'm still not sure whether to have a central database or operate the way a typical AV package does. I would of thought the overhead of a central server(s) with thousands of clients would be a lot to manage, whereas a locally installed database of information makes a lot more sense. The database could get very large and not so much complex.

[srochford]

1. Primarily the application would be designed for Microsoft Windows 2000 or later and maybe Mac if the demand was there

2. Wide Browser compatibility - IE6, IE7, FF2, FF3, Opera (maybe), Chrome (maybe), Safari (maybe). So we're looking at an ActiveX control.

Well, if you want it to work on anything other than IE you really want to avoid ActiveX and if you want to support platforms other than Windows then you definitely don't want ActiveX.

3. Search engine compatible - Google, Yahoo, Live!, Ask (any others?) and other website integration

4. A database of information - now do I have a central database on a web facing server or each client has its own database and is updated via identity files? Similar to AV or Anti-Spyware software in that respect. If the idea works, thousands or possibly millions of users could use it longterm.

5. The application would be free for the general public and funded through an advertising scheme. I wouldn't wish to piggy back on Google Ads for example, but have my own advertising tools.

Not really sure about the first point - are you saying that you want search engines to be able to read something you present as a web site or that you want your app to be able to query search engines (some kind of meta-search engine?) If the former then it's just about getting good HTML with good content; the latter means you need to check on the APIs for reading the search engines

 

On the subject of advertising, I can understand that you don't necessarily want Google to take money from you but are you just re-inventing the wheel for the sake of it?

 

What programming language would you use and why? I am thinking maybe ASP.NET or Java, but I am open to suggestions.

 

The application would be in MSI format for ease of deployment for AD or other deployment tools. In home environments, a standard manual setup procedure would apply and this also could be done with an MSI.

 

Can anyone recommend (first hand experience) of a programmer (with references) who could work on such a project?

I'd recommend BrightCode Although they mainly focus on programming for web sites they do have some very competent programmers. You'll see a range of testimonials on their web site and they can also put you in touch with clients if you want more detail.

[ZeroHour]

Well there is no easy way to say tbh. Depending on how often the db is updated,size and type of data it all makes a big difference to implementation. If you want wide browser support then activex is not the way forward as thats a IE only plugin. You would need to compile another addon for other browsers.

In corp enviroments delivering ad's would probably be a no no and thats before you get to the fact ad's can be defeated easily.

Java is evil so stay away. Most of the java apps I have used have been terrible so in that respect c# is much better.

Browser toolbars are also very much a no no here too. Browser plugins can present lots of security holes (flash for example) so we as a rule never install them unless we trust the source.

If you could find a way to describe the process rather then the contents of the app it may help.

[dhicks]

I can do basic programming and I have knowledge of programming languages

 

Good-oh, so the rest should be easy - now all you have to do is pick a language, learn it, then write your application in it. Writing something is easily the best way to learn, anyway.

 

I think you're looking for an application that runs locally on a user's PC and presents a web-based interface, i.e. something that runs its own small web server. I'd use Python for that (you can write a web server in about 3 lines of code). Bear in mind that anything that communicates with another PC is going to have to have network access, which these days generally mean it has to use HTTP over port 80 as that's about all that will get through the average firewall.

 

--

David Hicks

[Michael]

Well, if you want it to work on anything other than IE you really want to avoid ActiveX and if you want to support platforms other than Windows then you definitely don't want ActiveX.

 

Is there such thing as a universal 'Active X' equivalent for all browsers?

 

or that you want your app to be able to query search engines

 

That's it, you got it. Not just search engines, but maybe other popular sites too.

 

On the subject of advertising, I can understand that you don't necessarily want Google to take money from you but are you just re-inventing the wheel for the sake of it?

 

It is a valid point you've made there, however the problem is Google don't quite advertise or promote in the way that I want to. I have had previous experience with Google Adwords and to be honest, the return is really poor.

[srochford]

Is there such thing as a universal 'Active X' equivalent for all browsers?

 

Java? Flash?

[Michael]

Good-oh, so the rest should be easy - now all you have to do is pick a language, learn it, then write your application in it. Writing something is easily the best way to learn, anyway.

 

I don't think I have the patience or intelligence to learn a programming language fully. I speak English and French and that's hard going as it is!

 

I think you're looking for an application that runs locally on a user's PC and presents a web-based interface, i.e. something that runs its own small web server. I'd use Python for that (you can write a web server in about 3 lines of code).

 

Very similar technologies are McAfee's Safe Search or AVG's Safe Search. It reads the webpage and outputs information. Some information on more popular websites would be available from the database and other information could be read/created dynamically such as using keywords for example.

[dhicks]

Is there such thing as a universal 'Active X' equivalent for all browsers?

 

What is it that you want to do from inside a browser? If you're distributing code to client machines anyway you can write whatever code you like to figure out whatever you like and present it as a web page. Unless you require some stunningly advanced user interface components you should be able to use standard HTML, maybe with some bits of AJAX thrown in.

 

That's it, you got it. Not just search engines, but maybe other popular sites too.

 

Pick a language with a decent screen-scraping library that can help you strip the information you want from an HTML page.

 

If I understand correctly, MS Silverlight is basically a version of the .Net runtime that can be embedded inside a web browser, which might be the kind of thing you're looking for. Java applets, of course, pre-date that by about a decade.

 

--

David Hicks