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We moved this thread to http://www.galahtech.com/forums/show...5&pagenumber=1
If you want to be part of it go there, otherwise mind your business.
This is the official thread for the KidOS (Windows Shell, Explorer Replacement).
The basis of the project is that it will be designed for small children, under the reading age up to junior high.
My inital thoughts are to use the Microsoft Agent control to "talk" to the user, and help navigation.
Sounds interesting... tell me more!
The desktop should be split up into catagories, (Games, Music, Videos, Paint, Parental Controls)
ok, and...
Ok, there should be a large navigation bar that switches between these. I think it should scale so that the parents can add more sections. When the child mouses over a button, the agent says what it is i.e. games.
Here is a place with agent characters you can download. I like the E-Man and E-Woman check them out, and tell me what you think http://www.agentry.net/viewstatusSQL...atus=Available
they look good, since this is a "KidOS" are you planning on trying to lock them out of places they should not be?
I have been looking at shell replacement, on win98 you can change system.ini so that it loads your exe insted of explorer.exe, but I don;t think it works on 2K or xp. I am thinking of just puting it in the Startup folder on the start menu. Then have it disable ctrl+alt+del and the windows key keeping the app always ontop. But yes lock them out of everything... I have problems with my kids messing up my setings when they use my computer, this would keep that down.
Could I help out with the KidOS Windows shell-I can design/develop a very nice GUI for KidOS-with XP style buttons (from http://www.pscode.com )?
Sure, the biggest part of this will be the look. We need big colorful graphics
Looking at my desktop, I think we need to make the icons twice the normal size, say 64X64
That sounds good. I know I'm getting old and those small icons are getting hard to see!
So what areas of help are you looking for? I've been working mostly with RPG/IV lately - not much use to use here! But give me a few days and I'll be right back into good VB form!
I don't have tons of time to spend on it, that is why I need help. We need to hammer out the design, and then decide who can do what, and when (where, why and how to come later)
Sounds good.
Have you thought much about sound?
I know my kids recognize 'good' and 'bad' sounds when they are messing up.... i mean playing with my computer!
The ms agent control has sound add ons, like text to sound. They are not great, but not horrible either.....I like the text to sound idea because if parents add extra sections, it can read them. The other option is to record our own sounds for everything, but the problem I just said comes up.
Yeah, I've played with the Text to Sound tool kit a few different times.
Most just to create rude error messages for co-workers!
lol
What do you think about the sound? Do you think it is "good enough"? I prefer the British accent, those British must be good for something
I like the idea of audio help files for the littler kids.
What do you think?
OK, here is my ikdea of the kidos interface:
Simple children's colour scheme is important -don't yse kike 10 colours at once .
What do you mean...like click a ? and have someone speak the help file to you? I like that a lot.
yes i think it is good enough.
Have you heard some of the other MS profile voices? Or just the standard one.
Microsoft Sam sounds alot like the voice from War Games (I think thats the right movie)
yes - if they get an error or if they request it, provide audio help.
The audio error help should be a parental setting, cuz that could get really anoying after a while!
I like the colors, but I think the interface needs to be more simple.Quote:
Originally posted by aafuss
OK, here is my ikdea of the kidos interface:
Simple children's colour scheme is important -don't yse kike 10 colours at once .
I agree, that brings up another point: the parents need to be able to turn on and off just about everything. I know from my own experience that everyone parents differently. We can never know what all parents would want.Quote:
Originally posted by cbond
yes - if they get an error or if they request it, provide audio help.
The audio error help should be a parental setting, cuz that could get really anoying after a while!
That is true.
By the way. I like the interface, but more colors and less menu on top would be good.
Yes, more color, no top menu. The parent part can be more of a traditional interface with menus and buttons, but the kid part need to be BIG icons, like XP but bigger.
My screnshot was primarily for getting ideas of what colours should be used. Has anyobe suffested any good color schemes to use in KidOS?
Exactly what Iwas thinking of-say my interface stu;e for the parent part and kids part of course will be much more simplified.Quote:
Originally posted by blindlizard
Yes, more color, no top menu. The parent part can be more of a traditional interface with menus and buttons, but the kid part need to be BIG icons, like XP but bigger.
Sounds great. I like the XP feel. I think XP is a good base to use because it is so Fischer Price looking.
"Fisher Price" and primary colors is a good way to go.
Kids would pretty well accept certain colors.
Red= Bad/Stop
Green=Good/Go
Blue=Something/Something Else
Yellow=Queston/Help
Something like that. I'll have to go home tonight and play Reader Rabbit and see what colors they use. Opps did I just admit to playing Reader Rabbit...I mean I'll have to go home and watch my kids playing Reader Rabbit. Yeah - that's what I meant!
That sounds good, primary colors and I also think 3D. Is anyone good at building 3D icons, like XP stuff?
Well, here is where IQ got the button control from:Quote:
Originally posted by blindlizard
Sounds great. I like the XP feel. I think XP is a good base to use because it is so Fischer Price looking.
http://pscode.com/vb/scripts/ShowCod...37831&lngWId=1
The nav bars will come in handy. I forgot one section will be internet. I already built a Kid web browser (needs much modifcation). The navigation buttons would be great.
aafuss - that ocx looks interesting.
Have you experienced any performance problems with it?
(Looking at the posting on pcs someone said it was slow)
This thing needs to work on slower machines. I have a P1 166 for my kids to use (whenthey aren't on mine). I would really like it to run on that
Man - what a cruel father...
Giving your kids a piece like that to play on... I ought to report you to the authorities. Surely that can't be legal!
lol - my kids machine isn't any better!:)
That is why they are always on mine
What about you aafuss, any kids?
No, I haven't had any performance problems on my Celeron 333 PC,and it didn't add too much to nmy VB applications's file size. Acyually I am a high school student-and when would it pssible for us to see a basic layput of kidos?Quote:
Originally posted by cbond
aafuss - that ocx looks interesting.
Have you experienced any performance problems with it?
(Looking at the posting on pcs someone said it was slow)
Back to the icon thing. Anyone good at this, or know anyone that is?