macOS Programming ideas

[SilentPanda]

I currently primarily code in Java at work with some VB .Net on the side. I've done my share of coding in other languages and am very much wanting to program on the Mac. I've gotten the Aaron Hillegass book, another book which is more current which doesn't teach Objective-C but rather how to use the newest version of XCode, and a few other books here and there. It's a process of course and takes time but I know at some point I'll get where I need to be to start making Apps. For some reason the connections between interface builder and XCode baffle me... I'm probably thinking too hard on it...

Anyway... I'm already off-topic in my own thread...

I've been keeping a list of programs that I think would be fun to code. None of them are particularly useful but I think they're good projects. Right now I run two screens (20" Intel iMac and 20" Dell screen) so most of my ideas use two screens in a fun way.

Wallpaper changer

Apple's built in wallpaper changer will change wallpapers for you but currently as far as I know there is no way to have the 2 screens change at the same time to their correct images. A decent amount of people with two screens have a left and right image and like to give the effect of them being one image. I thought a program to change both the left and the right image at the same time at random so long as the left and right were randomly their counterparts would be a fun little program that people could use.

Man In A Video Game Screensaver

This idea was spurred about by wondering how I could utilize both screens as an entertaining screen saver. My current screen layout is the left screen is 1050x1680 and my right screen is 1680x1050. The right screen is centered to the left screen as I'm trying to show below.

_____
|   |_______
|   |       |
|   |_______|
|___|

My thought was to have a stick figure in the bottom of the left screen with the screen boundaries being walls and ceilings and floors. As he is standing there waiting a Tetris game starts playing on the left screen (A.I.!) and he realizes he needs to avoid the falling blocks. He avoids them and starts climbing up them as he can. Once he gets high enough he sees nothing is going on on the right screen and can walk over to that screen. Once he gets over there though another game of some sort starts and he attempts to stay alive there... maybe he returns back to the left side? Who knows? Not really sure where to take it from there though.

-----------------------------------------

Anyway... those are two ideas I've had. Anybody else have some interesting ideas they want to throw around? I know there are probably some people here that aren't programmers that have some decent ideas and also some programs that are out of ideas!

If you do make something with somebodies idea it might be nice to throw their username into the About box or whatever too.

 

[NewbieNerd]

I think this thread is a very good idea, particularly with the number of new and interested programmers floating around here. One of the hardest parts of programming for fun is figuring out what to do! Having just about completed a significant project for my OS class, I'm actually interested in really writing my own from scratch, though I know I am nowhere near ready for such a project. I will probably start really learning how to assembly program really well, because that is obviously a necessity.

Wanting to do a programming project for fun is great. Having an actual project to do is even better. This thread could easily become sticky-worthy.

 

[savar]

I think this thread is a very good idea, particularly with the number of new and interested programmers floating around here. One of the hardest parts of programming for fun is figuring out what to do! Having just about completed a significant project for my OS class, I'm actually interested in really writing my own from scratch, though I know I am nowhere near ready for such a project. I will probably start really learning how to assembly program really well, because that is obviously a necessity.

Wanting to do a programming project for fun is great. Having an actual project to do is even better. This thread could easily become sticky-worthy.

What about writing an RTOS for an embedded microcontroller? If you've taken a class you could probably do this.

 

[jtalerico]

I am writing some code for the game sudoku... Thought it would be pretty fun.

 

[SilentPanda]

I am writing some code for the game sudoku... Thought it would be pretty fun.

I'm going to be working on one too! There is a book I picked up called... "Programming Sudoku"... It's all for VB .Net 2005 but should be hard to bring it into Objective-C.

 

[jtalerico]

Really, cool. Not sure how far I am going to get. I am writing how I am going to keep up with the array two dem. array. Might make some of my own rules!

Ill be doing this in Java..

 

[SilentPanda]

Really, cool. Not sure how far I am going to get. I am writing how I am going to keep up with the array two dem. array. Might make some of my own rules!

Ill be doing this in Java..

Well if you can swing the 15ish bucks and can read a bit of VB .Net (shouldn't be hard for you) you might try the book too... pretty interesting read on how to code it... you'll still have the challenge of converting VB .Net to Sudoku you'll just learn a "good" way to do it.