Thread: Project Ideas

  1. #1
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    Project Ideas

    I posted a thread with the same title a while ago and someone gave me the idea to make a networked instant messaging client. Now, the thing is, I don't have any computers on a network to test my program on!

    So, i was looking for some more project ideas!

    A few requirements. I'm not extremely good at C so something like a huge project wouldn't be possible (if it would be possible, it wouldn't be fun). So, something that I can complete in a few weeks (with about an hour of work everyday after school) would be nice

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    Registered User ssharish2005's Avatar
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    I don't have any computers on a network to test my program on!

    Virtual machines mate!!!! Virtial Box Free!!!! heyy now then that's nice isn't ??

    network instant messaging client would be straight forward project. I would go for it.

    -ssharish
    Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving - Einstein

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    Ok, so my brother says that I need to know more about networking before I can start this stuff (my brother basically controls all the programming I do). Any TCP/IP tutorials?

  4. #4
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    "networked instant messaging client"; you may or may not actually need to learn much about networking to do this, it totally depends on how you want to implement it. I did one in perl that was intended as a client for the "chatterbox" at perlmonks; the networking side of it was fairly simple because it was on telnet.

    But if you want to write one using the internet (TCP/IP), which is probably what you want to do if you want to learn about networking, it's pretty straighforward: Look at all the tutorials you find with google, and decide for yourself which one you want to use. They tend to be fairly similiar in the sense that with C, the core concept is the "socket", and the core complication the structure of Internet Packets.

    If you even have one other computer where you live, you don't even need a router, you can do stuff with a crossover ethernet cable ($5-30US); it's all the same in essence.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

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    Alright, so I'm having lots of trouble trying to write the code. Could someone please give me some basic code like writing some data on another computer's (on the same network) port ?

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    There's a very good tutorial here.

  7. #7
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poincare View Post
    Ok, so my brother says that I need to know more about networking before I can start this stuff (my brother basically controls all the programming I do). Any TCP/IP tutorials?
    Your brother might be a really smart guy, but it is up to you what you want to learn.

    Abstraction is the heart of software engineering. You do NOT have to start at the lowest level in order to learn how to do useful things.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

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    Quote Originally Posted by bithub View Post
    There's a very good tutorial here.
    That's the one I'm using :P

    Anyway, I have a few questions:

    Can I read/write data right from the computer I'm connected to's socket or is there something more complicated(say something like port 1212)?

    If so, please provide some sample code?

    I do have a couple of computers (In fact, i have 7 (5 of em I got for free!), but only 2 will work for more complicated reasons), can someone also provide some code for over the internet?

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