What ideas do you have for the API?

Question

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.

score 7 · Answer 1 · answered May 21 '10 at 09:47

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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.

answered May 21 '10 at 09:47

Franci Penov

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Would you want this designed as a webpage, or a desktop application? – Nathan Osman May 22 '10 at 05:53
A web page, please. :-) – Franci Penov May 22 '10 at 05:59
@Fra: Any ideas for a name? :) – Nathan Osman May 22 '10 at 07:31
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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. :-( – Franci Penov May 22 '10 at 07:56
Here are some other alternative names - AntiObjects, LateBinding (the .org is still free), WeaklyTyped and the obvious ChatOverflow, StackOverchat. – Franci Penov May 22 '10 at 08:23
A great idea! This could (and should) be later combined with whatever the Team has planned for their own "chat" system (described in http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/04/do-trilogy-sites-need-a-third-place/). – Maxim Zaslavsky May 22 '10 at 09:05
I love "ChatOverflow". – Nathan Osman May 22 '10 at 15:18
@George ping me offline, we'll chat a bit more on this one if you're interested in building it together. – Franci Penov May 24 '10 at 17:16
@Franci: Sure, contact me at admin@quickmediasolutions.com. I'm not on IRC a lot. – Nathan Osman May 25 '10 at 02:40
great idea! that would be fun to implement. – Maxim Zaslavsky May 28 '10 at 05:20

score 3 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:18

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.)

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 13 '10 at 10:10

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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 :).

answered Sep 13 '10 at 10:10

systempuntoout

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great minds think alike. This is what I have been planning and working on for the last couple months. – Sky Sanders Sep 13 '10 at 10:59
@Sky can't wait to try it ;) – systempuntoout Sep 13 '10 at 12:33
@Sly As long as yours stays Web Based - Well stay friends :) – BinaryMisfit Sep 13 '10 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. – Nathan Osman Sep 13 '10 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. – Sky Sanders Sep 13 '10 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. – Sky Sanders Sep 13 '10 at 18:31
@Diago are you working on it too? – systempuntoout Sep 13 '10 at 20:32
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@sys: I'm planning to expand StackCenter... don't worry. – Nathan Osman Sep 14 '10 at 00:31
@Geo Yep, I like StackCenter..it would be awesome to have something like that. – systempuntoout Sep 14 '10 at 07:01

score 1 · Answer 4 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 09:43

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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.

edited Mar 20 '17 at 09:43

Community

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answered Jun 05 '10 at 12:41

Arjan

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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. – Nathan Osman Jun 05 '10 at 13:02
@George: Using Flack Overstow, right? >:) – Mark Rushakoff Jun 05 '10 at 13:05
@Mark: Of course - then I can sell product placements in the answers. I'll be rich! – Nathan Osman Jun 05 '10 at 15:07

score 0 · Answer 5 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 09:43

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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.

edited Mar 20 '17 at 09:43

Community

1

answered Aug 02 '13 at 19:57

livingtech

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What ideas do you have for the API?

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