I'm working on programming an Internet Applications suite.
I'm planning to make the following:

-Web Browser
-Webmail/E-Mail client (is a mixture of webmail and an e-mail client like outlook, maybe eventually offer free e-mail to users)
-Instant Messaging Program
-Firewall (just a basic tool that let's you lock either incoming or outcoming traffic on specified ports, or lock down incoming/outgoing/both traffic and put blocks on all ports.)
-Quick spyware scan (just checks for common spyware filenames/locations and checks it against file sizes/extensions and would delete and report on them accordingly)


Does anyone have any other ideas for things I can add to the suite?
Also if you have ideas for the design of any of the programs tobe included in the suite I need some help.

Here's what I'm thinking...

Browser- Tabbed Browsing, uses IE to compile pages and HTML code, Download Manager (uses a custom script to download files)

Webmail- Need suggestions.

Instant Messaging- Away messages, file transfer (with ability to set a antivirus program to check downloaded files), font color, style, size, etc... options, buddy icons (provided with the program or uploaded from PC), buddy sounds (set sounds when users sign online, or send you a message, etc...), Games (play online games against each other),


Entire Suite- It will have an all in one login/ registration system. I have programmed and perfected a .dll that can connect to a MySQL server and run SQL queries, I plan to use this to integrate it with an IPB 2.1 forum that support, chatting and plugins can be found on.
User's will be able to choose from provided Themes, or create their own using CSS and .png graphic files. There will be a panel that has a list of css properties and values that they can enter a hex code for or select a color from a dropdown box.
They can then set replacement Graphics, and this is all put into one folder /Themes/name.

I'm aiming to have a solid beta of this available within a year.



This post has been edited by microscopic^earthling: Oct 21 2005, 03:40 PM

Sorry I can only offer suggestions, not any help.

I you should created your Instant Messaging program in the same vein as Trillian, i.e. it should be cross-network compatible.

Since I'm no programmer, your suite sounds like a large undertaking. Are you going at this to sell commercially or is it just something you can say "Hey, I did it!" about?

If it's just for kicks, I'd suggest making it free (as in free beer and free speech) under a GNU/GPL license.

You could take it a step further and make it open. Open software that is good tends to attract programmers like insects to porch lights. This can be a big benefit because you grow a community and it works together to produce not only an excellent product, but a competative one.

Wow, are you like an expert programmer? Normal people wouldn't have the skills or patience to create a program, let alone an entire suite of program. Is there anyone else working with you, or are you doing this by yourself?

Suggestions:

Browser: Using IE to render pages? I would suggest using the Gecko engine, the one Firefox uses. Or, you can let users choose between IE, Firefox, Opera, etc. to render pages. But that might be a lot of work. You could include it in future versions.

Webmail: Well, I don't really use these programs... So I don't have any comments.

Instant Messaging: You should also add a feature where when a user is logged off and another user had sent him a message while he's offline, the message will be sent to him when he comes back online. Confusing? I'll "draw" a "diagram" or something...

12:00am: User A logs off
12:02am: User B says to A: Hold on.
9:00am: User A logs in and sees that B has sent him a message 2 minutes after A (himself) left. The message is "Hold on."

So, it's kinda like a message machine (for the phone) or like a mail box. And about that buddy sound thing: Can a user change what sound other users hear when the user logs on? I hate that feature in aim, even though I rarely use aim.

Your idea sounds great! Will it be an open source like Mozilla? I chose Firefox over Opera since it's open source and has alot of interesting plugins such as third party software like AdBlock, etc.

Maybe you should just release a basic copy of your internet suite and people can download the plugins such as an integrated music player like the FoxyTunes and Scrapbook. A search engine like the one on Firefox's will be nice as well but I think there ought to be more (although you can add on to it, I can't be bothered). Bookmarks? That, I'm not really sure of but Opera's preinstalled bookmarks means alot to me, but not to others.

As for Webmail, as long as it has all the MSN's features or maybe something like a GMail notifier along with the instant messaging client, that will be good enough.

Built-in internet connection optimizer will be welcomed, too. Offering the user to choose what they want to be installed onto their computers is most welcome or else people may whine that the software is too bloated or something.

By looking into Mozilla's Popular Extensions, you can get alot of ideas out of it. What you're doing is really great but there are really alot of browsers out there but since yours is freeware and a one man show, it'll be a big hit from my opinion.

Godspeed!

That's what separates us programmers from you normal people. Even normal programmers have/try to have the pacients to do all that. I can admit that right now I am just a kid, and not a full programmer yet. But I am helping create a HL2 modification, I am making my own messanger type program so people can talk to other people around the school (If they are on a computer of cource). And I am trying to learn how to model.

Here something realistic:

Try gathering around some other people who want to help you. If you want to make all these by yourself, you're probably be busy for more than a year. Unless you've got a lot of time ofcourse, but even then it would be a tight race against the clock.

Oyeah... try working on one thing at the time.

I already have a good deal of the work done, I should have been more specific, everything I listed as a feature is done (I think, I might have put something I've forgotten to do)

OK, I've got the browser completely functional, it is now only have new features added, it recognizes all newer Javascript, HTML, CSS, etc...
It compiles an average page in 0.03484 seconds.

Ok, I have some nice progress, I've started writting a php web-based interface so users can download the suite, create/manage their accounts, send/check e-mail, post on forums regarding the program (currently uses a highly self-modiffied phpBB, I might switch to IPB but right now I'm stuck behind a door with something I've got planned for the forums that makes it need to be an open-source forum software), and they can also create a blog, small website (2 MB no php only html, css, javascript, etc...), or a picture gallery, currently everything is on a MySQL format that the suite can reach because it is MySQL integrated.

The website code is probably badly bugged, so I will need to fix that after I find hosting for it (will probably use computing host then find a sponsor or put ads on the website to cover the costs of running a free service like that)

Here are some of my suggestions.

For the email application give users the option of having it loaded in the system tray so they can get notifications when they get emails. Letting them choose how often it should check for new email (every minute, every 5 minutes, ect) would maybe be a good idea too.

For the messenger, webcam and mic support would be great if you can. Notifications at the bottom right corner when people sign on off or send messages in a window thats minimized would be great too. This should be possible to disable, however. Chat room support might be nice also.