|
I was learning a language with audio, and was not particularly happy with the features the media players for what I was doing, so I created a small application specifically to work with language learning audio. It stays on top, is designed to be quite small, has opacity so that it is always accessible, and you can use the space key to play and pause, the < and > to jump forward and back, configure a bunch of feature like opacity and how much time to jump, use of modifier keys to change to jump amount, you can set up a play list, and select from the list, stop the application and it will start again as the same point, a recently used list. I would like to upload this, but CNET requires me to have a web site, which I do not have. Any recommendations?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was planning to eventually do that, but, although maybe some interest programmers given some of the ways I implemented features, I wanted to just post for general public consumption.
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry to be blunt,
looks like a cool small "niche" app.
But, IMO, There's nothing groundbreaking in your application (opacity??, space to play/pause??, playlist ?? ) to warrant a publication.
I would try to make it as a mobile app (maybe it is now?) and publish it on Google and Apple stores and see how it goes.
I'd rather be phishing!
|
|
|
|
|
I was gonna say, maybe I'm misunderstanding the "learning a language" part, but I haven't read anything in there that isn't already part of countless other media players.
|
|
|
|
|
Again...you do no know what this app looks like. When I say learning a language, you know like "Pimsleur Chinese (Mandarin) Level 3." It has features specifically for that. I can send you a copy, and then you can decide if it is a nice little app. What app can you actually tell it when you press a keyboard key or a button to go back a number of seconds you choose. It has a single playlist, and when you start it up it can go back exactly where it was. It will keep track of the number of times you have listened to a track. Things that really are not generally useful. You might be able to get a skin for WMP or VLC that do the same thing, but then you are stuck with that when you don't want it unless you go to the effort of going back to the original skin. And you did not answer the question...you just decided to be very negative. So many nice people in the world.
|
|
|
|
|
All I wrote was that I didn't read anything in your description that made this particular app stand out much from many others. And to be fair, that's probably the problem with my response. I have, in fact, seen media playback apps that will let you jump back and forth X number of seconds, remember a playlist, and a playback count. I was just saying I didn't find any of this to be particularly groundbreaking, so you shouldn't pin your retirement hopes on these features making or breaking the app.
But hey, as a specialized language-learning app (and that's the key), maybe those features are exactly what makes it work exceptionally well, and it's not intended as a general-purpose media player, so that completely invalidates my argument. It'd be sweet if you found a niche for it. Lord knows it's hard enough to come up with something unique. So in hindsight, I'm rooting for you. I truly am.
|
|
|
|
|
For a general purpose application I could not hope to match VLC. Yes there are details that I wish were different, but at least it has the ability to include many features that WMP do not have, and it will play DVD's. I actually started with the idea of having a small app with single keyboard key control for play pause, and skipping forward. Doing this on a laptop means that I do not have the special keys without keyboard combinations to do these functions. When you are asked to translate some phrase and you want a little time to do it you do not want to fumble with keys to pause the player. and jumping a little back and forth is not a common feature (VLC has it), WMP will stop and start with a space key if that button has the focus, but as soon as you do something, you loose it. Anyway, I kept thinking of things that would be nice, and have actually spent quite a bit of extra time on it. Another thing is as you repeat lessons, after a while you can do it with just part of your brain, and so sometimes nice to do something while practicing, so having it topmost and small has a real advantage. I know getting people to pay for this would be difficult, so was willing to share my work hoping others may benefit, and possibly provide feedback.
|
|
|
|
|
Now I'm genuinely curious.
One obvious question though - where would one typically find the sort of language learning files that users would be expected to use with your app? That would be a big part of its potential success. If you know of a repository for such files, that would undoubtedly be very useful.
|
|
|
|
|
You can buy the CD and rip it, you can also go to many libraries and they are available online, one of the services that libraries often provide access to is Overdrive.
|
|
|
|
|
I am not the idiot that you apparently I think I am. I did not say I wanted to sell it. I just thought somebody else might find it useful. And It is hard to make money on something like this anyway with all the free stuff around. Unfortunately it will not translate well into a mobile app and the features would not be that useful in a phone. It is in WPF so that sort of kills its mobile app capability anyway. What is nice is that you can sort of work on you language in the background while also having quick access to the app. I realize that you can get some features with VLC, but I use VLC strictly for video, and a lot of media players are designed to support video, which means that they are not optimized for audio. And being rather specialized, not something most people would be interested in anyway. And try to use the space bar for WMP. It is not consistent. You have not seen the app, so you are making a lot of assumptions. Are you always like this...so negative.
|
|
|
|
|
recently cheated on, mad and scorned who is willing to sell her husbands tools for cheap!
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27.
JaxCoder.com
|
|
|
|
|
Just make sure that she knows that tools is plural.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Real men create their own opportunities. Just go cheating, make sure your wife hears of it and then have a friend buy everything that she wants to sell. As a bonus, it will all be stuff you like.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
|
|
|
|
|
Be my luck my friend would be doing my wife. 
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27.
JaxCoder.com
|
|
|
|
|
So...your friend will buy your stuff, and then you can get it all back from him for whatever price he paid for?
What have I missed? This is all your stuff you've already paid for.
(clearly, you can tell I'm not married and have not gone through those proceedings...)
|
|
|
|
|
dandy72 wrote: (clearly, you can tell I'm not married and have not gone through those proceedings...)
Nor am I. I value my mental health.
Quote: What have I missed? This is all your stuff you've already paid for.
Of course that's a ridiculous plan, but when you are married you have to live with such drama anyway, even if you are a saint and did not do anything at all. So why not have a little fun and actually be guilty?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
|
|
|
|
|
If you're ever in Stamford, Connecticut then you can hang outside of the Jerry Springer show. It would be like Black Friday.
Jeremy Falcon
|
|
|
|
|
|
my money is on the battery...
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
|
|
|
|
|
Yep, just what I was going to post.
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27.
JaxCoder.com
|
|
|
|
|
This is why you need the extended battery 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
Still not enough battery.
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
