I'm not a programmer by trade; however I do enjoy dabbling in it now and again. My biggest problem is I really don't have any original ideas for programs to write. In fact most of the programming I've done in the last 2 years has been out of necessity at work, which while fun can still be work. Where do you guys come up with ideas for your "hobby projects"?
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modi123
Supreme [H]ardness
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To quote the movie robots: "See a need, fill a need".
Stop and look around. What are you doing that could be streamlined or made more interesting through a program.
Stop and look around. What are you doing that could be streamlined or made more interesting through a program.
modi's got the right approach. Find something that you're already interested in, and see what would be fun to poke around with. It doesn't have to be a brand new concept, as imitating a particular application's approach or features could be useful in UI development and product comparisons when you hit milestones. Just keep it fun and interesting for you, and go deeper in areas as you get more familiar.
That's pretty much what has drived everything I've done at work. I just don't seem to find the same needs at home. Oh well.
modi123
Supreme [H]ardness
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Let me elaborate a bit..
I noticed that when I booted up my pc there were about five websites I always started up (emails, social networks, and news). I ended up writing a small program in .NET that I ran on startup that would load up these.
Then I morphed that program to remind me of the usual bills I have to pay and a simple check box (that saves) indicating if I have or have not paid them.
*shrug* Sure there are other apps out there that do this but it was a bit more fun to roll my own.
Do you have any hobbies? Look at XNA to build a game for windows, xbox, or your zune.
Build plugins for apps you constantly use (winamp, samurize, etc).
Build your own newsfeed that scrolls your RSS feeds.
X10 cam systems are always fun to look into.
RFID tag up your house!
There's options a plenty out there.
I noticed that when I booted up my pc there were about five websites I always started up (emails, social networks, and news). I ended up writing a small program in .NET that I ran on startup that would load up these.
Then I morphed that program to remind me of the usual bills I have to pay and a simple check box (that saves) indicating if I have or have not paid them.
*shrug* Sure there are other apps out there that do this but it was a bit more fun to roll my own.
Do you have any hobbies? Look at XNA to build a game for windows, xbox, or your zune.
Build plugins for apps you constantly use (winamp, samurize, etc).
Build your own newsfeed that scrolls your RSS feeds.
X10 cam systems are always fun to look into.
RFID tag up your house!
There's options a plenty out there.