[BlakeJustBlake]

I'm going to start off with some apologies: Sorry if this isn't the best place for this to go, I thought about it for a bit, just move it accordingly otherwise. Also sorry if this idea has been thrown out before only to fall apart.


So, I've noticed that (obviously) we have a lot of pretty good programmers here who have been doing it for awhile and have a lot of experience, we also have a lot of college students who know their way around a language pretty well, but don't have a lot of real world experience (kind of where I am.) At least I know we have a lot of people that are good at troubleshooting problems in people's code that they've posted.

What I was thinking: what if we put all this skill that we have sitting around here (though a lot of it is probably not just sitting there, it's probably involved in a lot of other projects) into our own Open Source project? I think we've got enough people here that know enough about programming/software development/every aspect of a project, to really get something neat done.

All the projects I've tried to start up in the past have fallen apart due to lack of interest, mainly because I've tried wrangling up underclassmen CS majors who still don't know the difference between int *a = &b; and *a = b; I think if we tried it here, it could get some pick up because, hell, a lot of us are good programmers.

This would help out a lot of the people like myself who lack real programming experience by getting them something to show for themselves, and I know there are a lot more students who have the same problem.


Now if I could get enough of you interested in this, then we just need to figure out a few things:

What's the project going to be about?: What's the program going to do?
What language should we write it in?
What else should we use? Which GUI? What kind of database? etc.
Are we going to try and make it super portable? (I'd hope so)
And I'm sure there are a lot more things to ask ourselves as we would move on.

Now I just have to ask: Who's in?

Who's in:
BlakeJustBlake(myself)
eker676

This post has been edited by BlakeJustBlake: 29 April 2009 - 07:59 PM

[abgorn]

I was thinking the same thing for a while, maybe something to do with video editing. Not a lot of cross platform ones around.

[c0mrade]

If we did something like a web app we could have different components written in different languages/platforms.

Would give everyone a chance to contribute in their best area.

[BlakeJustBlake]

I could see that getting very clunky very fast.

Video editing sounds like a possibility.

[c0mrade]

Quote

I could see that getting very clunky very fast.

How come?

[KYA]

c0mrade, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 05:36 PM, said:

Quote

I could see that getting very clunky very fast.

How come?

It would lean more towards maximum coupling and less cohesion instead of the opposite, which is what we would want.

[skaoth]

I'm thinking something like an open source version of google earth

[Zerobu]

a game maybe?

[c0mrade]

KYA, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 04:41 PM, said:

c0mrade, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 05:36 PM, said:

Quote

I could see that getting very clunky very fast.

How come?

It would lean more towards maximum coupling and less cohesion instead of the opposite, which is what we would want.

Sorry, in engish? Anyway.. don't want to take over the thread, was just curious

This post has been edited by c0mrade: 28 April 2009 - 05:54 PM

[KYA]

coupling is interclass/module dependency whereas cohesion is their ability to utilize one another

For example, module A and B, B has high coupling with A, thus if I change something in A then I'll have to rework B as well. If there was low coupling, and high cohesion I could change something in both A and B without problems.

[c0mrade]

KYA, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 04:55 PM, said:

coupling is interclass/module dependency whereas cohesion is their ability to utilize one another

For example, module A and B, B has high coupling with A, thus if I change something in A then I'll have to rework B as well. If there was low coupling, and high cohesion I could change something in both A and B without problems.

Yes, and the reason I suggested a web app was because it would be easier to code loosely coupled modules in different languages. So I'm lost...

[KYA]

c0mrade, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 06:01 PM, said:

KYA, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 04:55 PM, said:

coupling is interclass/module dependency whereas cohesion is their ability to utilize one another

For example, module A and B, B has high coupling with A, thus if I change something in A then I'll have to rework B as well. If there was low coupling, and high cohesion I could change something in both A and B without problems.

Yes, and the reason I suggested a web app was because it would be easier to code loosely coupled modules in different languages. So I'm lost...

You're laboring under the assumption we would all write nice modules that interface nicely. considering we are spread out all over I am thinking that might be somewhat of a problem. If we all wrote components in different languages we'd need some glue.

[BlakeJustBlake]

An open source Google Earth sort of thing would probably require satellite access, anyone who happens to have that, let us know and we'll start working on it.

A game could be another possibility, I don't know if everyone would be interested in doing game programming though. But it would allow multiple areas of expertise to work together, especially if we did an online game. Then there would be graphics programming, network programming, system programming, probably a good deal of scripting, ai, etc.

But then again we'd also have to have a good deal of writers, artists, etc. If there were corresponding forums that we could come in contact with to work along with then that'd be cool. But like I said, I don't know if really everyone is interested in game programming, but if a lot of people were, I'd be on board.

I also like the idea of video editing, it's a large enough project to keep a team of people occupied for awhile and full of experience that would have a lot of impressive real world application.

Keep the ideas coming and let me know what you think of the ideas already presented along with if you'd be on board.

[c0mrade]

KYA, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 05:04 PM, said:

c0mrade, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 06:01 PM, said:

KYA, on 28 Apr, 2009 - 04:55 PM, said:

coupling is interclass/module dependency whereas cohesion is their ability to utilize one another

For example, module A and B, B has high coupling with A, thus if I change something in A then I'll have to rework B as well. If there was low coupling, and high cohesion I could change something in both A and B without problems.

Yes, and the reason I suggested a web app was because it would be easier to code loosely coupled modules in different languages. So I'm lost...

You're laboring under the assumption we would all write nice modules that interface nicely. considering we are spread out all over I am thinking that might be somewhat of a problem. If we all wrote components in different languages we'd need some glue.

Exactly.

Teams of people with similar skills could be responsible for separate components. They could use whatever language/platform they wanted. We could even have each 'team' responsible for hosting their own components.

As for the glue... web services of course. Interface nicely? That's why god invented WSDL.

[BlakeJustBlake]

It really just sounds like more trouble than it's worth.