It may sound easy to spend only as much time as you need to, but I've noticed that computers are extremely addictive and 10 minutes often seems to turn into an hour.
This program aims to help people spend only as much time as they need to on the computer. It could be used in interent cafes, gaming spots, webstations and many other places.
Unfortunately, I do not know how to code, (but, I'm starting to learn C++
so I am hoping that someone will be able to implement this idea at least partially. This program should be able to do the following things:
- It will count down from the time I specify to zero. The time to allow on the computer should be configurable via a dialog launched from "Configure theme".
It may be called "Time limit".
- When there are only 5 minutes left it will launch a pop up warning the user about the small amount of time he or she has left.
- When there is only 1 minute left it will loudly play an .ogg file included with the theme. The default file might be a series of loud beeps with intervals of 5 seconds.
The user may pick another .ogg file from the "Warning sounds" option in the "Configure theme" menu.
- When the count down reaches 0, the program will automatically log out the user.
- When he logs back in, a pop up should tell him something like "Time up, restart the count down?" to which the user may answer "Yes" or "No" which would close the theme.
- The program should be smart enough to stop the count down when the computer is closer or I am logged out.
- Another nice feature that could be found in the "Configure theme" menu could be called "Computer break". When clicked it would ask for the interval of the breaks and the amount of time each brake will last for.
- Once the brake is over a pop up should announce something like
Ratings & Comments
5 Comments
DrFalken, I checked at 3 cyber cafes in ym area, they were using proprietary in house software and it was written only for Windows. I didn't find any Cybercafe which needed this kind of software, they already had the software and didn't want to go throguh the trouble of havinga herogeneous network with Linux and Windows PCs just yet. However, I think if my idea is implemented we would see a lot more Linux in cybercafes. It is perfect for it, it's cheap and it can defintely do waht most people do at Cybercafes, e-mail, web browsing, instant messenging, a little word processing etc. However, my idea would need to have network support too. Also marcelino, my idea is meant to help people spend only the time they want on the computer, it is not meant to completely stop the user from what he wants, it's just meant to help. But, I guess that even kids could get away with having so little secuirirty. I am also increasingly seeing problems with having this as a SK applet, it's just becoming too complicated, it's far more than what I originally wanted which was: set time warning logout I guess it can't be implemented in SK if it is goign to be this complicated. Expect an update soon.
In the ACT, Australia there are PC's with linux in 2 shopping centre's. These machines have a timelimit that logs you off the net when you have ran out of time. For more information visit www.pielink.com.au (i think thats the address)
Maybe you can find some kind of implementation of that system looking at some cybercafes administration tools... Maybe there's one for linux and it's GPL. Or, if there's no piece of soft done, I suppose someone interested in make a cybercafe admin system would help you.
Is that a preview? I like your idea...
:(