Where to find Inspiration?!

[Cyberflyz]

Hello,
I've seen all these cool programs, and neat applications. And I was wondering, where do you come up with the ideas for the program or application. And how do you figure out to program what you want?

--Cyberflyz

[mendhak]

Program ideas usually come about as a result of creativity or need. You just need to find something that you feel is 'incomplete' and that you could improve upon.

[Hack]

As I've said before, my "inspiration" comes from the spec sheets that keep piling up in my In-Box.

However, if you are just messing around with programming and need some ideas, then I would second what mendhak said. What kind of a tool would make some task easier for you? (Or, perhaps, a friend or family member)

[Kasracer]

I try to think of "What do I do on a regular basis?" then I take the answer to that question and ask "What can I do to make this more enjoyable, easier and/or efficient?" and then I get started.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The other option is to ask what would be fun. For instance, I am currently working on a robot, so figuring out how the brain modules should work is a matter of knowing what I want, and tinkering around trying to find a way to get there.

That's sort of like what Mendhak said, but you have to keep in mind the limitations of any situation. If you get thinking about something that you feel is incomplete, then Mendhak often comes to mind, yet there really is nothing you can do about that problem, so you have to recognize your limitations. The robot brain is not something that I can sit down and write in one sitting. If that kind of thought process was simple, everybody would have done it. Instead, it will be an iterative process, where I think I have a solution to some piece of the problem, then as I work it out, I realize that it opens up other options. The brainstem will track a dead reckoning location, but one of the sensor modules will verify the DR location based on whether it agrees with changes in sensor readings. However, as I built that, I realized that a third type of test would be possible for some scenarios, but the third test actually belongs in two different modules, and all three will have to be regulated by a fourth process. And so it goes. The original goal was simple, but as I got into it, the number of small pieces that took considerable thought just kept growing.

[Tom Sawyer]

I find concepts such as "My sniffer program found this particular hole in a bank's security software. How can I write an application to exploit that and steal a lot of money?" to be the basis of most of my programming ideas.

[Cyberflyz]

How do you guys know how to program things though? I mean, you guys seem like you just think about it and go! I get so lost when it comes to making my ideas, come to life!

[Shaggy Hiker]

Years of experience, driven by desire.

[penagate]

How do you guys know how to program things though?

Boss tells me what to do. Google tells me how.

[Hack]

Boss tells me what to do. Google tells me how.

You would need to a "and when to do it" to the Boss part.

[Tom Sawyer]

How do you guys know how to program things though? I mean, you guys seem like you just think about it and go! I get so lost when it comes to making my ideas, come to life!

Well, what is your idea? We don't just sit down and generically "program", we create programs to do something. Think about what that something is and break it down into functional parts and then write code to have each of those functions happen.

Also, try to avoid making computer programs come to life. Once they gain self-awareness, it's only a short matter of time before they begin to enslave and kill us.