ideas for university project

hi

i am about to start my third year in computer science at cambridge, and part of my third year consists of a software project....however i am stuck for ideas for this project.

i was thinking possibly of somethin AI related as this field seems quite interesting.

or networking/distributed systems sounds cool too

just wondering if anyone had any suggestions?

cheers

what language do you want to use?

Originally posted by Nathanael what language do you want to use?

we are taught java at university so i suppose i am most confident with that.

i know php but thats only useful for web based stuff which i've done plenty of in the past and would rather avoid.

i am currently learning python, but i have only just started, gonna try and get some more practice in before i go back to uni

- web-based chat applet that uses the skype api
people can go online, login with skype username and chat and see their contacts?

i think they are really after something new, edging on groundbreaking, and while ur suggestion is a perfectly good idea, i'm worried that it might not be suitable

i'll keep it in mind, thanks

here is an idea that your college could approve of too:

the student loans company (SLC) has new requirements on how student loans are being treated, it is a hassle for the staff, since the have to do following:
1. wait for an email saying a SSAR file is ready for download
2. download SSAR file
3. check wich listed students are actually at the college (have been seen)
4. construct an SSAC file, tilde delimited, with certain manditory fields
5. construct the filename of the SSAC file with a certain numbering (sequences and dates, etc.)
6. send SSAC file to the SLC

this process seems to be going on 3-4 times a week
there is a certain order within the files.

oh, nearly forgot: SSN's are of importance here, too.

if you wish some more information on this, i could probably help you get all the details you could require on new SLC requirements, and all filestructures.

an interface that would ease up this work for staff in a college, could probably even be sold to other colleges within the uk

use www.google.com. It is best

bump

I have a major project next year. I have had a few ideas, but I dont see how I could come up with groundbreaking stuff.

Here are some ideas that have floated through my head, remember I have a full year to decide this and possibly get started early

* xbox emulator for PC
* major WINE port
* application that will help the school (my school could use an improved course reg. system)
* telephone encryption system (takes too long to explain )

I'm having trouble thinking of a project as well. I'll be following this thread like a hawk

what kind of things have previous 3rd yeas come up with? can you list a few things that have already been covered? just to give us a note on what is expected and what has already been thought of...
which college are you actually at?

I don't think you should be considering anything too 'groundbraking' for a uni year project. Set some strong limits on the idea.

You have less than a year to do it, and it's not full time, and also consider how long it can take to get from merely a useful program, to a product (or in your case fullfilling the project requirements). All that documentation! Balancing something interesting with project practicality and use can be tricky!

Here's an idea I'm thinking about:

A thermal control system for my laptop. A mix of something low-level like C, with a really nice Java Gui.

But as someone else suggested earlier, it would be helpful to know what sort of stuff others have done previously. That would be a good benchmark.

hey

on this page are a list of last years project suggestions.......(not sure why we don't have a list fo suggestions for this year yet)

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Teaching/Projects/projects.html

cheers
jon

Originally posted by Nathanael which college are you actually at?

i'm at selwyn

Originally posted by jonhewer i'm at selwyn

is that not the college opposite sainsburries, really central?

Originally posted by Nathanael is that not the college opposite sainsburries, really central?

no, thats sidney sussex - selwyn is quite a small college and out of town