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Having created 3 applications and a wrapper for the API, I am beginning to run out of ideas for things to create. So here is where you come in...

If you can come up with a good idea for an app (and I think it's a good idea), I'll see what I can do to create it.

It could be OS-specific, cross-platform, or target mobile devices. (How many people use webOS, by the way?)

Note: I don't have a Mac, so no Mac-exclusive ideas.

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Have you noticed how often people have short conversations in the comments to particular question answer, especially on meta? Problem is that the way the comments are ordered on the website, it's impossible to follow such conversations, as you have to piece them yourself. So I was considering a 'messaging' app, which follow any conversations like that the user is involved, shows them properly threaded and notifies the user of new comments. It can also show a complete history of the user's interaction with another user across different questions, using the mentioned and comments/{toid} APIs.

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  • Would you want this designed as a webpage, or a desktop application? May 22, 2010 at 5:53
  • A web page, please. :-) May 22, 2010 at 5:59
  • @Fra: Any ideas for a name? :) May 22, 2010 at 7:31
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    Well, the obvious one would be SmallTalk, wouldn't it? After all, it's all about passing messages related to programming... :-) Unfortunately, that domain is taken by a squatter. :-( May 22, 2010 at 7:56
  • Here are some other alternative names - AntiObjects, LateBinding (the .org is still free), WeaklyTyped and the obvious ChatOverflow, StackOverchat. May 22, 2010 at 8:23
  • A great idea! This could (and should) be later combined with whatever the Team has planned for their own "chat" system (described in blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/04/…). May 22, 2010 at 9:05
  • I love "ChatOverflow". May 22, 2010 at 15:18
  • @George ping me offline, we'll chat a bit more on this one if you're interested in building it together. May 24, 2010 at 17:16
  • @Franci: Sure, contact me at [email protected]. I'm not on IRC a lot. May 25, 2010 at 2:40
  • great idea! that would be fun to implement. May 28, 2010 at 5:20
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I'd like some way to preserve the external images linked in questions. Then when the original image is deleted (hopefully indicated by some HTTP error code, even if some error image is returned in the response as well), maybe somehow the (future non-read-only) API can fix that.

Preserving the images could be done using the data dump as well. But maybe the API is more suitable for that? And surely the data dump cannot be used to change image links into something new.

http://img.skitch.com/20100522-1kp2kp817tm46id8xa2r15xafe.png

I myself use Skitch for image grabbing and hosting, which has been in beta for years. However, it probably won't be free in the future, hence a lot of pictures might disappear from the web in general, and from the Trilogy sites. I always put a link to where I used my own pictures into the comments at Skitch, so I could upload them to some other service if needed (and if Skitch warns its user in time). At that time I would still need to manually edit all my posts to refer to the new service. And I doubt many others would do that too.

Update: now that new images are uploaded to Imgur: ready, start, go! ;-)

(But, there might be an issue with hotlinking that is no hotlinking anymore.)

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Once the API allows for write access, maybe something can be created to expand and replace (if approved by the user) shortened URLs, when a post includes one? Like Jeff wrote:

if you see a shortened link that has no reason to be shortened, then un-shorten it

For tr.im URLs, for which the creators have announced they would like to shut down the API and redirection service by the end of 2010, it might even be nice to do some batch processing. It's only 39 links though.

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  • Once the API has write support, I'll create a bot that auto-answers questions. It'll give Jon Skeet something to worry about. Jun 5, 2010 at 13:02
  • @George: Using Flack Overstow, right? >:) Jun 5, 2010 at 13:05
  • @Mark: Of course - then I can sell product placements in the answers. I'll be rich! Jun 5, 2010 at 15:07
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My ambitious Idea: an awesome Stack Exchange Knowledge Base Dashboard.

Having a growing number of Stack Exchange sites, I usually feel lost when I need to search and retrieve some aswers I gave, questions I asked or simply marked as favorites.

It would be cool to have a Web Dashboard that allows me to search on all of this stuff.

Technically this would require:
1. Crawling data
2. Storing data
3. Indexing data
4. A cool Web frontend

As I said, it is ambitious :).

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    great minds think alike. This is what I have been planning and working on for the last couple months. Sep 13, 2010 at 10:59
  • @Sky can't wait to try it ;) Sep 13, 2010 at 12:33
  • @Sly As long as yours stays Web Based - Well stay friends :) Sep 13, 2010 at 16:22
  • @Sky: Don't forget about that ActionScript wrapper we were gonna make... you could use it in this dashboard you're making. Sep 13, 2010 at 18:21
  • @diago - the desktop is all yours dude. I only write desktop code when I absolutely have to. I really don't like doing it. I prefer writing server processes and client script. Sep 13, 2010 at 18:29
  • @geo - yea, I have a big push on the new soapi web platform coming, basically replacing the current soapi.info adhoc collection of tools and services with a comprehensive MVC2 based platform. give me a few more weeks. Sep 13, 2010 at 18:31
  • @Diago are you working on it too? Sep 13, 2010 at 20:32
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    @sys: I'm planning to expand StackCenter... don't worry. Sep 14, 2010 at 0:31
  • @Geo Yep, I like StackCenter..it would be awesome to have something like that. Sep 14, 2010 at 7:01
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Since it appears SO will never support "friend" features (see here: https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/886/a-friends-list-on-stack-overflow-would-be-nice), I think a SE/SO friends site would be cool. Maybe integrate with FB and Twitter, so you can find all your existing friends who already have accounts. I'd love to see a leaderboard of just my FB friends on StackOverflow.

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