I mean, for example, some years ago, I found myself needing to do something like open a few dozen files, change "Written by Bob" to "Written by Fred". Ok, that's not hard to do, but it is a little dull.
So instead, I wrote a program which simply asked you to select a folder, asked you what text to look for, and what text to replace it with. Bang! It then goes off to each file in that folder and replaces the text.
I tell you, the number of times that program's saved me so much time in the years since I first knocked it up! :)
I think that's how the truely useful inventions come about. You can't just sit there and think, "Hmm, what would be a good thing to invent."
Things tend to need to have a reason to be used. Something to make life easier or more fun/interesting. And if you think of something that will make your own life easier or more fun/interesting, the chances are, there'll be a whole bunch of other people in the same boat.
Of course, just now, the "program" (well, it only had one line of code) I knocked up in two minutes wasn't exactly "useful" in the classical sense of the word. Neither did it specifically go out of its way to make anyones' life "easier". Although it was fun/interesting ;) Well... Perhaps. ;)
I mean if Bob (or was that Fred?) is going to leave his desk unoccupied for five minutes while I'm in the general vicinity and waiting for another computer to reboot... Then, well, he shouldn't really have left his computer unattended like that, should he. That's just asking for trouble. ;)
Ok, it's simple, but grabbing a picture of the screen and sticking it in a window that doesn't actually do anything takes about two seconds. So all of a sudden, it appears that clicking that Start button does nothing. Word won't close. The keyboard doesn't respond. Ho hum.
Oh, and bizarrely, all of a sudden, double-clicking seems to display some really strange error message... ;)
Lined up northern monkey.
ReplyDelete"Ho Hum"? You sneaky mischief maker you!
LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteMy OH would love this post ;)
Very "naughty" IM-but,at the same time, very funny.
God, that appeals to my sense of humour. Clearly I'm evil too :-P
ReplyDeleteWhere can you see lions? Nnnyyeeaarrgghhh. Must stop. Sorry dude, keeps breaking out like a bad tic. :p
ReplyDeletelol NM :) Well I try not to be that bad... I mean I love learning (especially with computers), so in general I'll try to assist someone in solving a problem, before simply solving it for them.
ReplyDeleteOf course, partly because of that, I am guilty sometimes of giving (my wife in particular) too much info :)
Fortunately, whatever I do doesn't get in her way either, as we both have separate computers ;)
Even then, I think there's something to be said for keeping things the same. I've probably had this copy of Windows installed for a year or so at the moment.
I won't scrap this now until I go to Vista permanently (which I'm not ready to do yet).
It's too much hassle transferring across everything I want all the time :) I'd hate to lose all my e-mail or something :) (A quick check shows my earliest mail goes back to 7th September... 2000 ;)
My desktop is mostly lined up with some higgeldy piggeldy bits. I don't actually use it for anything, other than temporarily downloading stuff there and eventually doing something with it. Sometimes it almost fills the screen ;)
I have nightmares about the Desktop Cleaning Wizard. *shudder* Just the thought of it is enough to bring me out in a cold sweat ;)
ing: I was completely lost by what you said there for a moment. Until I realised... Ooonlyyy in Keeenyaaa :)